We had to leave Taiwan in order to apply for our visas, so that meant two nights in Hong Kong over Valentines Day, travel and lodging courtesy of our employers. Included here are pictures of the local wet market next to our hotel, where the seafood was so fresh it often tried to escape down the street. We lowered the resolution on all photos for the internet, but you still might be able to check out what’s in those tanks and buckets. Also look for the hanging pig’s heads, feet, and tongues/gums. The Man Mo Temple pictures appear fuzzy because that’s how thick the incense was. The staff there encouraged pictures and the worshippers didn’t seem to notice or care. Worshippers place food, drink, incense, and spirit money on various altars throughout the temple to appeal to/appease/manipulate various spirits for blessing/fortune/prosperity. At certain altars a bell and drum are also sounded. We also saw two big Christian ads: the first says “Jesus is Lord” and the second says, “The greatest is love” in poor Hong Kong Mandarin (according to our Taipei friends). In one street shot there’s a man in the lower right corner poking a stick into a bucket. That, along with the tiny altar shown in another photos, are things we see almost everyday: merchants burning spirit money in special containers or placing offerings outside their place of business.

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