G & J away from home

Saturday, 13 June

While we were eating tea in the executive lounge (which is rather like being back on the river cruise) we watched all the lights came on as the evening closed in - at only 7.30pm!  How different this is to the UK when no matter what time we went to bed it always seemed to be still daylight.  Each set of lights that came on were of interest so we decided to go back to the room to grab our cameras for a (short) walk around the block to admire the lights.

We also hoped that it would be cooler after dark than it had been during the day as it had been 31 degrees C, down from the hottest day of the year (34) a few days ago.

From the room I took this photo of one of the prettiest buildings that we had noticed while eating our meal.  It was lucky I did as I never found this building from ground level.  (We are on floor 26, with only the executive level above us.)

From our room

Like being in Singapore and Honk Kong it was hot and muggy outside after the cool of the hotel lobby and so we strolled slowly around, taking photos from the street in front of the hotel and eventually getting up the courage to cross the road on the pedestrian crossing.  Even with the crossing lights going cars and scooters still turn across the crossing, tooting to let the pedestrians know they are there.  How very exciting that makes things!  We decided to use the crossings only when we could cross hard on the heels of locals, figuring they would know who to walk across in front of and who to give way to.

So instead of walking around the block we walked around half a dozen intersections, eventually ending up back in front of the hotel.

At the first corner I took this photo of the Burberry shop which was my favourite set of lights as the whole cube had shadows effects dimming and brightening the cross-hatching pattern.

Burberry shop lights

Celebrating our successful negotiation of the first crossing I took a photo of the street sign.

Street sign

As can be seen, there was more than enough light for the camera to work.  The black van on the left of the photo was a police van that was parked in the intersection as long as we were out wandering around.  Not sure why it was there but we theorised it was to be on-hand for the seemingly inevitable accidents.  (Though have to say we have yet to see an accident, despite the mysterious road rules.)

After another couple of crossings we drew level with the hotel on the other side of the road but the most interesting discovery was the art deco building in front of the hotel, all prettily lit up to show off its design features.  (When we had walked right by it on the hotel side of the road we hadn't noticed anything special about it, other than it was an older building.)

This was built as Eddington House, an apartment block and is at 195 Changde Road (Hart Road before it was renamed). It was built in 1936.

Formerly Eddington House - centre

 In both photos you can see our hotel in the background.

Lighting showing off the clean art deco lines

Next crossing and we were opposite the Crystal Galleria, with the huge lighted billboards.  My camera refused to deal with all the light but Gary got a good photo:

Galleria

Two more crossing and we were back beside the hotel and Gary shoo-ed me onto the grass beside the sign for a photo.  (Look at all the flowers on my shirt!  I usually think of it as a black shirt, but it turns out it's more colourful than I thought.)

Me and the hotel sign

And then we got back to the room and there, in the turned-down room, was the hedgehog in a little puddle of light ... at least he was when Gary adjusted the pillow. :o)

The hedgehog is a star

Nighty night.
______________________________