Hong Kong - Day 9 and 10

Last days in HK.  it was 10 days in total i think

on the way back from the airport from Singapore

met jennie and her friends for someones birthday.

why?!!!!! they look korean.

so this whole two weeks i had been running around trying to find a tailor that would be a reasonable price but still good quality.  Eisuke gave me some really expensive wool chashmere fabric, enough to make a suit out of and i had been carrying it around all over asia to get a suit made in HK (carrying fabric is heavy!).  I really lucked out with these guys Andover Tailors.  they are in the building right next to Chungking Mansions.  I asked the guys at Ashoka hostel i was staying at for a tailor recommendation and they took me to this guys shop.  Its 2 guys Richard and Paul.  My guy was richard.  I bargained with him.  I've lived in china for a while so i know the bargaining game little bit, especially when there are so many other tailors.  i went around and checked with the famous tailors, too expensive.  i checked cheap tailors, seemed like i would get bad quality.  I went back to richard and he gave me his final lowest price.  i wanted lower.  i went back the next day, he wouldnt budge.  i left my fabric there again said you can keep it cuz i don't want to carry it around anymore and left and he still didn't budge.  it was looking like it really was the lowest he could go, he wouldn't even knock off the $80 HK ($10).  Finally i went for it cuz he seemed like he would really do a good job and if he wouldn't even take off that last $10 then i guess he has principles.  And i was right they did an excellent job, even my fashion designer friend said so.  I paid $150 for this 2 piece suit (but i brought my own fabric remember).  They're called Andover Tailors because of Andover boston USA, i forget their history with that place.  the other guy Paul speaks Japanese, he lived there for 12 years in the 80s as a professional field hockey player, crazy!  I heard him talking to a japanese customer and he's the real deal.  

http://www.andovertailor.com/

2/F, Shop No. 150-151,
36 Nathan Road, T.S.T.,CupertinoKowloonHong Kong SAR   (852) 3488 4833

didn't have the right tie, shirt or shoes with me but hopefully you get the idea.  this is def a winter or fall suit cuz its so thick and heavy.  was going for the skinny suit style.  can't wait to rock this thing.  i brought in my herring bone suit i had made in beijing that was expensive.  Richard said it was ok but he would do a much much better job.  he said the suit fit perfectly but he walked me through how they took shortcuts and what he would do.  and he delivered.  stuff like leaving ample extra fabric so i can take the suit out when i get old and fat, ample reinforcement in key areas, etc...    Richard cuts the fabric himself (super important stage) and they have a woman from Shanghai sew it.  I guess in HK its Shanghai people that sew for some reason.  i wanted the sleeves shortened just a little more and he understood.  As for the cheap tailors in china you get what you pay for, and they only know how to make suits for old guys.  i paid $450 for my grey herringbone suit that my friend made (remember including fabric) and the quality of that was night and day.  the quality of andover tailors suits is even better than that.  These guys get my highest recommendation.

kung fu demonstrations in kowloon park on sundays.

doing the fuk fu form.  i studied Hung Ga for 5 or 6 years in New York.  hung ga is from southern china so you see it a lot here.

Filipinos rule sundays.

Goldfish market.  it runs the length of Tung Choi street.

lookin' good everyone.

i thought this said scrambled egg sandwich with corned beef hash or some kind of meat but everytime they bring me just a scrambled egg sandwich and i have to ask them to bring me what i ordered, or thought i ordered.

Hong Kong Skyline from the peak

i took a timelapse video from day to night that i'll show someday here when i get around to it.

what a sweet house and location.  all real estate on the peak is super expensive.  i can't even imagine how much this is.  it's at the top of the peak basically

well i finally got my pigeon and there isn't much meat on these guys to make it worth it really.  Well in conclusion Hong Kong is 100x better than chinatown NYC or anywhere else in the world, obviously.  but you won't know until you go and it's in your face.  its crazy there.  i love the compactness, the density of HK.  the whole place is moving and living.  love the architecture, the peak and the many physical levels of the city.  See you next time HK.  Now back to NY!