Hanging around the parking lot.

[Don Ellis]

http://kleptography.com/images-irsingles/yachtcar/crw_1975-800ps160-03.jpg

I like the sheltering feeling of this photograph -- the cave-like comfort of the dark base and the leafy green roof with the view of ice-green foliage in the near distance.

I also like the reflections of the leaves in the car's hood and windshield. Peer through the leaves and you can see faint horizontal stripes. These are three surrounding buildings that are reflected just below the windshield.

What I don't like are all the other cars cluttering my pristine setting, but what are you going to do -- it's a parking lot.

G1 Infrared, 0.6 seconds, f2.0, tripod

Don

[G2Jim]

Wow - that is a very cool shot, with the leaves and shadows. I'm surprised there's not more responses yet!
Excellent.

[marie]

Don

Its the most beautiful foliage I ever saw, in my life

(and that says something........
Been there, done that, kinda thing : )

Such beautiful delicate colours,
(would be my favourite , as regards colours )

Thank you for capturing them

I wanted to say it with the lovely mystery ' shrouded ' car picture also
The trees were so beautiful
and the shot was just great


Are all the cars (and sinks : ) so spanky clean and shiny over there ?

Maybe the car which was 'undercover' ,
The ........ ' Shrouded One' was the dirty one ? : )))

The one that got away ?

marie

[Don Ellis]

G2Jim wrote:
Wow - that is a very cool shot, with the leaves and shadows. I'm surprised there's not more responses yet!
Excellent.
Hi Jim,

Thank you... most of my shots are "found" shots. I get out of the car (in this case), look around and there's the picture. All I have to do is frame it. It's even better when I manage to capture something I like in just five shots.

Cheers,

Don

[Don Ellis]

marie wrote: Its the most beautiful foliage I ever saw, in my life
Hi Marie,

Well, that's the nicest thing that will ever be said about this photo. Thank you... that's very sweet.

I wanted to say it with the lovely mystery ' shrouded ' car picture also. Are all the cars (and sinks : ) so spanky clean and shiny over there ?
Funny you should ask... I was going to include a thank you to the people of Hong Kong for keeping their vehicles so clean.

It's rare to see a dirty car here. I think there are a few reasons for this...

1) Cars are expensive in Hong Kong. The Mazda MX-5 we bought in 1994 was US$35,000. Petrol (gas) costs around US$5.50 a gallon. Car parking spaces can sell for millions of Hong Kong dollars (US$1 = HK$7.8) and monthly carparks in the city range from US$300-400. Cars are as much about status as transportation, which accounts for our having one of the highest per-capita rates of Mercedes ownership in the world. So a car is an investment and the investments are invariably well maintained.

2) Only a few years ago, we had just 50,000 domestic helpers (maids) in Hong Kong. Now that number is 250,000. Every morning, I see them up at 6 or 7am washing cars before the owners drive them to work. Base salary for maids, by the way, is US$470 per month, plus food and lodging, of course. They come mainly from the Philippines, but there are also large numbers of Thai, Nepali, Indian, Sri Lankan and Indonesian maids and drivers.

3) Every decent-sized underground carpark has a wash-and-wax and detailing shop to maintain that showroom look.

4) Any car over six years old has to pass stringent tests every year to be certified for continued road use. There aren't too many old cars in Hong Kong.

As for sinks, we have somewhat the same situation. If it's not a public loo, there will often be an attendant to offer you soap, turn on the faucet, hand you a towel and hope for a tip. His or her job is also to keep the place spotless. In the case of my "sinks" shot, it's in a just-completed music club, so it's still looking perfect. Considering the stainless steel and porcelain and upmarket nature of the club, however, I'm sure it will always look that way. They even have a VIP loo with towels and refreshments and a sound system with volume controls for the occupant. You need a swipe card for entry.

Rereading this for typing errors, I think I'm listing a few reasons why Hong Kong is one of the most expensive cities in the world -- actually, the most expensive for expatriates, surpassing Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow and Shanghai (the other four in the Top 5).

Thanks again for your generous comments.

Cheers,

Don

[Leighow]

DON

The leaves are lovely. At least they were the focus of my attention. I do partially agree with Maire.

Here in Canada we do have some flowers that look a bit the same when they are dried. A silver-white color. In fact they may be called silver dollars. You have made points for IR!

Thanks also for the HK lessons. I better count my blessings, as in HK I would be just even with the hired help after covering living expenses. Along that line, travel to the US is almost out of reach for many $1 US = $1.6 CAN. So much for DSLR's too! But, as Danny Kaye wold sing, "... money burns a hole in my pocket..."

HOWIE

[Griffin]

Don,

It is a fact that your trees are always excellent! Congradulations.

You are right about the cost of owning a vechicle here. One of my ex-collegues says that owning a car in Hong Kong is like a crime committed, you have to pay fine to the Government.


Regards.

P.S. Are you still driving that Mazada MX-5? It is really a nice sports car.

[Griffin]

Don Ellis wrote:
As for sinks, we have somewhat the same situation. If it's not a public loo, there will often be an attendant to offer you soap, turn on the faucet, hand you a towel and hope for a tip. His or her job is also to keep the place spotless. In the case of my "sinks" shot, it's in a just-completed music club, so it's still looking perfect. Considering the stainless steel and porcelain and upmarket nature of the club, however, I'm sure it will always look that way. They even have a VIP loo with towels and refreshments and a sound system with volume controls for the occupant. You need a swipe card for entry.

Don,

If you take a look at public toilets and restrooms of Chinese resturants, you may have a different views on this issue. :(


Regards.

[Don Ellis]

leighow wrote: The leaves are lovely. At least they were the focus of my attention. I do partially agree with Maire.

Along that line, travel to the US is almost out of reach for many $1 US = $1.6 CAN.
Hi Howie,

Thanks very much. Sometimes things fall into place and it doesn't take a hundred shots to get what you want.

Speaking of traveling, my wife and I are having to make a trip to the family homestead in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The cheapest fare we can find is just over US$1100 each (although that's half of United's published fare).

Aiyaa! as we say in Hong Kong. No wonder I've only been back twice in 17 years.

Cheers,

Don

[Don Ellis]

Griffin wrote: It is a fact that your trees are always excellent! Congradulations.

P.S. Are you still driving that Mazada MX-5? It is really a nice sports car.

If you take a look at public toilets and restrooms of Chinese resturants, you may have a different views on this issue. :(
Thanks, Griffin. Always nice to hear from a neighbor.

You're right about the public loos (when you can find one) and the smaller restaurant facilities. I lived in Sheung Wan in Western District for six years, from 1987-1993, and there was a pie-shaped public convenience on the corner a block or so behind Western Market.

Inside, there was a long hallway with perhaps ten doors on either side. Open any door and you saw a single concrete trench about a foot wide and six inches deep that went through all the other stalls. Now that was grim. Just as well I didn't have a G2 at the time. That loo is long gone, by the way.

We still own the MX-5. It's been a great car -- never a bit of trouble and a lot of fun. It's hot enough in Hong Kong during the day that we only drop the top in the evenings but breezing along in the night air, I can say it's been worth every Hong Kong dollar.

Best regards,

Don

[marie]

Many thanks for your replies and all the information Don.

Everyone enjoys what you have to say, I would think.
Makes for interesting reading.

Regards airfares, methinks its probably cheaper to fly from Ireland to the states (well, to New York anyway )
than from where you are
( from what you were saying , in a reply to Howie )

I understand what Howie describes regarding silver foliage but its the tall feathery frothy look & pale ice green shades which makes those trees look wonderful and magical
They seem very different from most I have seen anyway
(being that they are tall trees and not bushes )

marie

[Leighow]

DON & MARIE

You are quite right. The frothy leaves were starring me in the face.. but I was locked on the somewhat translucent leaves.

HOWIE

[oops]

If I were King, I would dub you "Sir IR". Fantastic, as usual. You must see in IR?

Thank you for the insight into the heroric plight of the "servant class" in a homeland turned upside down by forces they don't understand. They really are a fantastic tribute to the human spirit. I wish I was as noble.