Day to day

So on Thursday after the trip to the Tin Hau Temple, I walked up through Victoria Park to the centre of Causeway Bay. One of Hong Kong's key shopping areas.

It was very strange being in the park, looking out at row after row of skyscrapers. Quite surreal. Despite the blazing heat (we have temporary respite from the rain) there were lots of people making use of the park's jogging track. I was both pleased and disappointed to have discovered it. On the plus side I now know of somewhere other than the treadmill to go. Ditto for the downside!

There were a lot of adverts for the "Masters Tennis" which appeared to be in full swing. Is this some kind of Wimbledon equivalent? Can someone who knows anything about tennis let me know if I wandered through a key sporting event?

Causeway Bay was packed due to a demonstration about democracy, or lack of it. I initially thought it was something to do with trade terms as there were a lot of inflatable bananas being waved. If anyone is able to make the connection I'd welcome your thoughts.

I was in Causeway Bay deliberately to check out a vegetarian restaurant that the guidebook recommended, prior to the arrival of visitors who may need to know about such things. Anyway, it appears to have closed so I went to one of the many Indonesian restaurants, just off Sugar Street. The food was delicious, however since this point I have been unwell (yes, we're on Saturday afternoon now). So I don't think I'll be going back!

Friday it was back to work and a trip to a congee restaurant with assurances this would cure my stomach. Sadly it didn't work but it was delicious and certainly provided brief respite. Congee is a rice porridge, and is meant to be excellent when you are unwell as it is very easy to digest.

Friday night was the leaving party for the current head of the department I am working in. Given my somewhat minimal social life I decided to go along and eat the enormous meal, despite said illness. The restaurant was called Hunan Garden, and (unsurprisingly) specialises in food from the Hunan province of China. I wasn't up to my usual eating standards but the food really was delicious. Specialities included fish crusted with beans and winter melon soup (which you can only get in Summer).

I arrived at the restaurant with a number of colleagues and sat at their table only to be told I had to move as I wasn't allowed to sit with them. Being "management" I had to sit at the management table. Which at that point was empty! Whilst this is the correct thing culturally I felt this was a real shame as I had been quite happily swapping recipes! I say "swapping", I mean I was being told recipes. I'm looking forward to the dim sum dinner party when I get back - if I can master it... Which is questionable!

Today I am still feeling distinctly unwell so I went to but the ingredients for congee. However, on arrival at the supermarket I had a sudden and unexpected craving for all things Western and ended up with a shopping trolley full of pasta, sacla olive and tomato stir through, seriously strong cheddar, boursin and jacobs cream crackers! I do not wish to tell you how much this cost, particularly as all the local products are so cheap! I also feel slightly guilty, as if I've cheated on my trip. I've pretty much stuck to traditional food so far, but sometimes a cream cracker is the only thing you want to eat.

The supermarket is amazing. It appears to contain the key brands from around the world and a few oddities with it! At the moment there is an American food promotion so you can buy all kinds of crackers with sesame street characters on them. You can get Hello Kitty soy sauce, pasta, olive oil etc and they even stock Waitrose tea bags! (Which surely must have fallen off the back of a lorry, I didn't think Waitrose sold their products elsewhere?). Anyway, I could spend days there looking at the things there are to buy.

The supermarket is much more sterile than the traditional wet markets but the fish counter still has the fish live, swimming in tanks for you to choose from. All the prawns and shellfish are also alive, even when first wrapped into plastic containers! Shopping for the squeamish it is not (and if this makes you squeamish never, ever go to a wet market). There are no concerns about whether your food is fresh here! It is very uncommon to buy frozen meat in Hong Kong so the frozen area predominantly stocks ice cream. Which, on this occasion, I resisted.

The hot weather now continues and it is too hot to sit outside even in the shade. So, I have taken myself to the reading room and discovered a massage chair. I have a copy of Private Eye, I'll be here a while....