Monday, January 28, 2013

Walking in Honolulu Chinatown

A  L  O  H  A !               欢迎
Traditional Instruments Orchestra of the Central Conservatory - Peking Opera Melody: Flowing Water by Hua Yanjun on Grooveshark

Honolulu's Chinatown
 is a kaleidoscope of sights
 and sounds 









Especially
at New Year Time








Every Face

















carries an expression





















Of happy anticipation



















Those in the know
 buy narcissus bulbs,
carving them
to create
"Chinese Bonsai"

"In ancient China, a legend about a poor but good man
 holds he was brought many cups of gold
 and wealth by this flower. 
Since the flower blooms in early spring,
 it has also become a symbol of Chinese New Year.
 Narcissus bulb carving and cultivation
 is even an art akin to Japanese bonsai.
 If the Narcissus blooms on Chinese New Year,
 it is said to bring extra wealth 
and good fortune 
throughout the year. 
Its sweet fragrances 
are highly revered in 
Chinese culture."














The rest of us 
can just buy the 
lovely flowers
















Gotta Get GAU!

 Sticky sweet rice gau
all brown sugar and 
glutinous rice flour, 
 steamed for hours. . .
 the sesame seeds 
suggest
 LOTS of children
(or whatever you are farming)
 topped with
 a Chinese red date 
for good red 
New Year
 Luck!









All that walking around
 seeing & smelling
 food!
Better sit and eat










Then back to
 the show!








Cindy's Lei Stand
Old Style open-front shop






In Honolulu's Historic Chinatown,
one walks with history -







Even as the 
Present,
and the future
bustle
all around you














My Favorite part of Honolulu Town!

祝你运气最好的
Wishing YOU the best of luck




' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '
Thanks for visiting!
                          Warmly, cloudia


19 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

A wonderful peep into Chinatown Cloudia - and those narcissi - I do hope they are soon blooming here too.

the walking man said...

And good fortunes to you as well Cloudia, in this arriving new year.

Brian Miller said...

happy new year...i bet that is quite the site to see...and interesting ont eh carving of the bulbs as well...enjoyed chinatown in NYC....

Daryl said...

i was just thinking how Chinese New Year is just around the corner .... aloha

TexWisGirl said...

awesome. thanks for bringing us the feel of this place!

Myrna R. said...

So nice. Thanks for the details about such a fun celebration.

Teresa said...

I am grinning from ear to ear after that visit!!

Indrani said...

Those are very colorful cacti! Great shots!

21 Wits said...

Aloha Cloudia! What a treasure trove of a post! Your first dreamy photo is such reflective beauty, while your moon cactus have me knowing it's a good thing I wasn't there for real-I would have purchase them all-Peace, Karen

Anonymous said...

Gosh, darn Gau! Sounds like a Chinese praline. The blue dragon is cool, seems to be friendly. Nice to post the link for the lei shop: it's amazing inside with tons of choices, and they ship to most anywhere, beautifully packed. It's a busy, lively part of town. DrumMajor

Cloudia said...

Jolly! Thanks!

Charles Gramlich said...

Wow, those cacti are amazing. Beautiful!

LOLfromPasa said...

Great collection. Super memories awake.

Hilary said...

What a beautiful, colourful collection. I love the little sweetie in her mama's arms. So tender.

I'm so far behind in blog reading.. please bear with. :)

Filip and Kristel said...

I have never seen so many colours of cactusses. Great picture of mother and daughter.

Greetings,
Filip

Hattie said...

Can't wait to get home to the colorful Islands!

Fernando Santos (Chana) said...

Bela reportagem...Espectacular....
Cumprimentos

rupam sarma said...

Great to read your post, Awesome.
~Greetings for Assam, India~

Krishna/കൃഷ്ണ said...

nice candid photos

thanks