“Do not walk alone in places that are unknown to you.” That is what the sign said as I looked down a side alley off of Haiphong Road. And that is what is keeping me from doing an early morning walk all alone. So I laid here thinking about window shopping yesterday.The gold jewellery in the window is exquisite and reminds me of the gold souks in Dubai, -- at least the amount of gold.
What makes this different is design, especially a choker necklace with the main design being a large pig, three columns of baby pigs hanging 4 deep from the sow’s underbelly. A fantastic tribute to those born in the year of the pig and the first time that I have been sad about being a dragon.
Down one isle of the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre were a series of display cases, each holding two watching which were each circling 360 degrees, slowly, slowly and the sparkle coming off of the watches was so amazing that Greg, Wyona and I were all drawn in for a closer look.We talked for a long time about the spectacular design, Greg finally remarking, “All of that and a watch besides.”
Wyona said of the salesmen in high end dark black suits standing near-by, “I bet those young men double as armed guards. I am going to find out the price of one of those watches.” She came back.
“Four million Hong Kong Dollars.”
That math was too hard for me even though I have been dividing every HKD price by 7 to get an idea of the cost in Canadian dollars. Having to work with six zeros at the end of some figure closed me right down for a moment. “That would be half a million dollars,” offered the salesman who had come over now to give Wyona more details on the watches on the pedestals. Exquisite beauty and a joy to look at.
We travelled on to other glass windows. In one shop, the silk skirts of the dresses were billowing, aka the famous Marilyn Monroe shot over the sidewalk grate. We searched to find where the fans were placed – in the far corners of the windows. A shop close by had large, fluffy 3-D clouds hovering down at the mid point of the window – eye-catching, though I can’t remember anything that was in the window except the clouds.
When we passed the diamond watches today, I heard the tone in Greg’s voice change to gruff. He said to Wyona, “This is the last time I will ask you. Do you want one of those watches or not. I am not bringing you back here. Either get it now or never!”Arta
So many diamonds on one watch. Someone would cut off your arm to get the diamonds. Wear at your own risk!
ReplyDeleteexactly! .... blood diamonds in every sense of the word! :-) this is where zircons are to be desired. Safer, and just as pretty!
ReplyDeleteMy dad is funny.
ReplyDeleteYes, he is funny. And fun to shop with. I don't know another man who stands all day watching the crowds, waiting for his wife to call, "Hey bag boy. Here is something else for you to carry." He loads up and then stays within eye-sight -- his of us.
ReplyDeleteHe has his own sense of style and taste. Not like Wyona's and mine, which are replicas of each other. Just say to one of us, pick out the best scarf in this pile, and we will choose the same one. Greg will choose another -- an elegant design, but different. Probably born out of his eye for good architecture.
I wouldn't have known any of this if I hadn't gone to our common High School Reunion of 50 years. He walked me through the art department, telling me how deep his love of good art was ... even way back then.
He made me laugh when he stopped in front of a children's clothing shop and pointed out to me a mannequin of a small boy, dressed in a nautical Dior style. "Oh, to afford to dress a little boy like that," I remarked.
He laughed and said, "Yes, and to have him grow out of it in three months."