Hong Kong November 2018 and The Excelsior's Last Christmas

In November, I made it back to Hong Kong.  Hong Kong is mostly the same and a little bit different since the last time I was there.

To my delight and amazement, I look up in the usual place to see that Natalie Portman is still Ms Dior.


as of 3 November 2018, Natalie Portman is still the Dior girl and hasn't been replaced yet.

I thought for sure she'd be replaced by someone younger already.

Actors that I don't recognize are still wearing watches.


Liu Yifei seems nice and she wears a watch

And check this out! James Bond still wears a watch


James Bond still wears a watch

But this time he is submersed in kerosene.

Dior's other Dior girl


Jennifer Lawrence is still a dior girl

is also submersed in kerosene.

A few days after that shot of Natalie Portman, guess what happened.  That's right.  She was replaced


Charlize Theron has replaced Natalie Portman as the dior girl

by Charlize Theron, who is actually older than Natalie Portman, so that shows you what I know about marketing.  Nothing!

Also, that swimming pool is filled with kerosene.

And as it turns out Charlize Theron also wears a watch


Brad Pitt, Daniel Wu, and Charlize Theron wear watches

along with Brad Pitt and Daniel Wu.  They are all  excellent at a thing (in this case, cinema), and Breitling wants you to believe that wearing their excellent watches will also make you excellent at a thing (like maybe piloting a jet plane, or surfing, or exploring the north pole).

I don't think jockeys wear watches



while racing.

What else hasn't changed much?  My dear friend octopus is still hanging out on Lockhart


octopus, my dear friend

These two are still playing extreme mahjong


extreme mahjong

And all slopes must be properly registered with the Architectural Services Department.


slope registration number 11SW-B/R9

Hong Kong is still under construction




no one does construction like Hong Kong does construction

While there were some days with the usual Hong Kong air "quality"



there was a little bit of weather that blew away the smog








up the stairs above the Parsee Cemetery next to the pink building over look Happy Valley




would you believe the sky is blue in Hong Kong?

You can even see the airplanes over head




What's new to me this time?

I found these really shiny horses in Victoria Park


horses so shiny!

This couple got married in the middle of Hennessy


this couple just got married in the middle of Hennessy!

The cowardly lion, more than the triple cross medal of courage, more than anything, he needs


cowardly lion needs some help

a bicycle pump.

I discovered the outdoor roller rink the Hong Kong Rollergirls skate at



On the way to Kowloon Park





I discovered some really really shiny lions



When I return to Hong Kong, I will not be staying at The Excelsior.

This is not from an episode of Doctor Who.  This really is The Excelsior's Last Christmas



And like the Weeping Angels of Doctor Who, these construction cranes are stalking the Excelsior



Unless the hotel is bought, the hotel will be redeveloped into an office building after March next year.

One last obligatory soft focus taxi shot



All the photos may be found here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/nocklebeast/sets/72157675142922068