Hitler Fish, Bamboo Scaffolding and Star Wars: Christmas In Hong Kong

Hong Kong was, in a word, crowded. 
People everywhere!  Lines lasted for ages!

But that is not to be the point of my post. 
Hong Kong was also a study in contrasts.  Near the harbor it was built of huge shining skyscrapers that lit up with Christmas gaudiness when the sun went down (more on the apparent Chinese obsession with Christmas later).  Further from the harbor, I suppose it was technically in Kowloon, the buildings were covered in scaffolding or air conditioners or peeling pastel paint.  I thought it was beautiful in a try-to-see-the-best-in-every-situation and my-those-subtle-colors-are-lovely kind of way.  My iPhone can't really capture what I saw, but I'll share anyway.

Do you see what I mean?  Also, that bamboo scaffolding was held together with plastic lashing.  It was terrifying-looking.  Joel says it's economical and environmentally friendly.  Ok.  I hope it is also structurally sound.  Apparently it is, because we saw multiple buildings entirely swathed in bamboo scaffolding and natural-colored hemp-like cheese-cloth-texture gauze, as if they were cocooned chrysalises waiting for their transformation to be complete.

But we didn't just see cool retro buildings!  We also toured the Goldfish Market and the Flower Market and the Bird Market! 

note the Hitler 'stash on this inquisitive goldfish

see the wild bird taunting and/or bolstering his caged brethren?

The bird market was kinda sad.  Lots of birds in cages.  Like Joel said, a fish in a bowl can still swim, but a bird in a cage can't fly :(  Of course, there were plenty of beautiful and empty bird cages for sale and those aren't sad at all!  I would have bought a bunch, but I'm not rich enough yet for such an eccentric purchase.  Instead, Joel got me a little wooden cricket cage!  Just like the one in Mulan!!

Ok, now that I see it again, it's not like that one, but it's the same idea!

Also, there was a cage full of lizards at one place, and one of the lizards chewed off another lizard's hand.  It was horribly graphic.  We saw the bloody stump when the dust settled, and I had to leave the store.

BUT THEN!!!!  We had the most delicious sushi ever.  No joke.  We decided we like marinated tuna, fatty tuna, and salmon the best.  Regular tuna is just eh.  An 'eh' at this place was still a 'mmmmmmmwow' at any other, though, so no complaints.  ^^

AND THEN FOR THE FINAL ACT OF CHRISTMAS DAY IN HONG KONG we watched Star Wars.  :)  So good.  Loved it.  Loved the day.  That day was good.