Have cart, will travel. A cobbler on a busy sidewalk in Shenzhen, China, repairs shoes while you wait. Shoes are cheap in China. The cheapness is reflected in their need for repair. I think Mrs. Stevo’s record is 5 hours from purchase to cobbler. Of course, that hasn’t stopped her shoe-buying obsession. Chinese women are the same as their western counterparts.

You see a lot of scooters in China. They are cheap, compared to automobiles. And you would be amazed how much stuff or how many people will fit on one small conveyance. I’ve seen a family of four riding happily on more than once, a smaller electric version of the venerable station wagon, sans wood paneling.

No scooter for me. The roads are scary enough without me adding to the mayhem

Captured: August 19, 2008.

A Thai Soldier stands guard at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, overseeing the arriving mourners. Princess Galyani Vadhana, sister of Thailand’s King Bhumibol, died after a long battle with cancer, January 2, 2008. The King declared 100 days of national mourning for the princess, who was deeply respected by Thai citizens for her work in arts and music, sports, education, and social welfare.

Each day, thousands of mourning Thais, dressed in black, descended on the Bangkok’s Grand Palace to pay their respects. Memorials and shrines to the princess were set up around the country.

Captured: February 2, 2008.

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Nine balconies, at the local police barracks.

Captured: June 5, 2008.

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for the photographers:
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At the night market you can buy sheets and other assorted dongxi, cheap radios, barbecued meat on a stick, or get a haircut under the stars.

Captured: June 24, 2008.

As I was waiting to meet friends for lunch I wandered to Sea World (hai shang shi jie). No, there are no killer whales or dolphins. Sea World is Shenzhen’s expat hang-out, an outdoor mallish area of international restaurants and shops. The centerpiece of Sea World is an old French-built cruise ship (seized for narcotics smuggling) now cemented into the ground. The ship is now a luxury hotel and restaurant.

As I sauntered in the brutal midday sun I spotted a gathering crowd. This gentleman, a busker, had two large metal ammunition boxes with a shoe attached to the top of each. His promotional sign, all in Chinese, was unreadable by the Chinese illiterate Stevo. Chinese women in their Sunday best and their burly mates tried to lift the ammo boxes. With much grunting the men were able to lift them about an inch off the ground, for a second or two. Yes, they were heavy.

Mr. Busker was about to insert his feet into the shoes on each box, and I’m guessing, walk, demonstrating his strength, skill, and resolve. The crowd parted like the red sea. Camera ready, I waited. He strapped in one foot and was about to start on the other.

It never happened. The security guards who had been hovering nearby descended and stopped the show. The crowd dispersed and I left disappointed.

Such is life sometimes, in the Middle Kingdom, and around the world.