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Gratitutious Ramen entry

This was a fast trip, to be ended with an early morning in Tokyo. It made more sense to get my ramen fix while I was in town, as opposed to being in transit.

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Shinagawa. Going from the Keikyu Line to JR.

This is how transit looks like in Tokyo. The trains are color coded and queueing is orderly. However, it’s a huge crush even at 0700 in the morning. Thankfully people here have a good sense of hygiene. But you don’t have ramen for breakfast here. Yet.

I was in Hong Kong for several days so I decided to get my ramen fix there. Many of the major ramen chains are there including Ichiran.

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    Magic cubicles
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    Just a curtain then…
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    Tah-dah!

Ichiran is (in)famous for it’s attitude towards it’s ramen. Instead of tables where you can occupy space for hours, yakking with your friends, their ramen is served individually in cubicles so nothing gets in the way of the ramen. Then when you finish, you leave. Your bowl is customizable. The softness of the noodles, the intensity of the broth and as many (or as little) toppings as you’d like. As it should be.

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Hard noodles, rich broth with scallions and red oil. YESSSSSS

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The aftermath after one serving of kaedama.

Since the Singapore leg of this trip was going to be busy, I’m glad I got my fix here.

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Something here does not belong

I took a stroll up Nathan Road to Mong Kok after the protests of October 6th. This is Exit E 1.

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The result when politicians ignore the people they are supposed to serve.

Something there does not typically belong.

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Aha. A bus stop in front of an MTR entrance?

Mong Kok Station was especially hit hard by the protestors that night. The windows above were knocked out so you could peer inside and see the mess going down.

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    It doesn’t usually look like this
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    It looks like San Francisco.

I wasn’t the only one who was taking pictures.

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Even though the station was damaged, the nearby shops were open for business and untouched.

I took a panorama but I’m not sure if it will work properly on this site.

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Close by shops open for business the next day; the MTR, not so much.
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Some Mask Law humor. Coff coff

I don’t condone the attacks on the MTR. They are in a bad position. The MTR supported the protestors in the beginning. But because they are also public transit, they got their orders from the government to transport cops and not cooperate with the protestors. The problem is that everyone uses the MTR and by vandalizing it to the point that half the system shuts down (like on 7 October) doesn’t help and turns potential supporters against the cause. So stop already.

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The MTR on October 7. As you can see, major stations are closed as well as the Tsuen Wan and Ma On Shan lines. At least the other KCR lines (East and West Rail) were open.

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Return to the Firing Range

It’s been close to two years since I exercised my 2nd Amendment rights. And during that time, two firing ranges (coincidentally the two closest to San Francisco) have closed. So the nearest range to San Francisco is in San Leandro. 90 minutes travel time during daylight. The price of ammunition has also spiked thanks to liberal slime in Sacramento, except for .22LR, which is still affordable. Soooo range time means practicing with a Walther P22 and a Henry Survival Rifle, both chambered in .22LR.

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First few magazines after two years. I’m still pulling to the left.
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Last target of the day. There was also a headshot, not pictured. Grouping could be better.
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Tai Kwun Center for Heritage and Arts

That’s the official name. It consists of three colonial buildings: Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison as well as a modern add on.

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Central Police HQ entrance from parade grounds
Upstairs is The Dispensary, the former mess and now a fancy bar.
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The Victoria Prison once held Ho Chi Minh as a guest.

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Rules of the Magistracy.
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Leftover sign from when this was a functioning government building.

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The police station has a armory where an exhibit on weapons and gear are on view.

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Crest of the Royal Hong Kong Police

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Good advice for law enforcement. Some of them don’t use their brains (SJPD, UCPD).

Tai Kwun
10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Take the Travelator and there’s a set of wide new stairs about halfway up. That’s the easy way in.

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M Power and progeny

Another one from the BMW Museum. The engine in the foreground is the first M engine that powered the M1. The display also had headphones so you could listen to how each engine sounded up to redline.

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BMW 507

Found this on an old MacBook that’s being prepped for recycling. This was from a trip to the BMW Museum about 10 years ago.

Gorgeous!

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Random Photo

So this was from a while ago, when I was at the Vespa dealer asking all sorts of questions. The salesguy, after being bombarded with my inquiries, handed me a key, took my CDL and told me, “don’t crash”.

Parked for lunch across the street from SFFD Station 2

This was a GTS300 and I took it through the Broadway Tunnel going and over the hills and through traffic on the way back. After returning to the dealership, the salesguy asked how I liked it. I replied, “I get it”.

Although it took me a while to pull the trigger to get my GTV250. Garage queens are hard to find.