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That looks like a “new” city. Very white in its decor. That domestic SUV looked like a take-off of a Camaro, with the high belt line to make it look chopped. It is fun to see the MINIs over there.
Yes. I left Shantou, which is a smaller coastal city and went to Guangzhou which is much bigger. Though both are in the same province adjacent to Hong Kong but their cuisines are quite different.
in Macau the personalization of rides often are in good taste, unlike in mainland China
a Jeep
the Toyota Alphard is very popular here as well as in Hong Kong, it has displaced one ubiquitous Hiace; the Hiace is still numerous being used for commercial purposes
most of these are very plush and white is by far the most popular color
I think those box cars look great
this is one of many cars we don't get here in US
a lot of Swift's and often personalized like this one has big wing
I remember in Bangkok there were many BMW 128 and 135 wagons both in 4 door, 2 door and diesel variants; several older A-class from MB. The A1 is cool little hatch and the Alfa MiTO is something that I like as well. When in Leon, I saw a few Alfa Romeo Brera which I also find very cool.
Celebrating my wife's birthday at Andina a Fiata Abarth and a Huracan drove past. No pics though.
Yea I think it's just they don't have stock out this end of the world. I will check again in a couple weeks. On a side note I managed to get that extension bung for the innovate AFR sensor setup and trues nuts it's burnt out already... That's my 5th Bosch LSU4.9 toasted. I have ripped out the innovate junk in my view and fitted a zeitronix kit which I have had in my other car for years and still runs perfectly... Funnily enough the zeitronix runs the exact same sensor so let's see how long this lasts.
If not for Oldboy Speedwell I would not know this is a Honda S660 that I came upon in Macau. It was late, humid, hot, and I was tired on my way back to the hotel. I almost didn't feel like digging out the phone just to snap a photo of this little white Honda. It was rather dark and I at the time didn't realize what it is. There were a couple inside so I had to be discrete and fast snapping the photos. After snapping the front view they obvious noticed me so I gave them a thumb up. Had it been day time I might just engage them in a quick conversation.
Here are the photos again this time I cropped them for better composition. The front end details of this look a bit different form those on the web so I assume it might be the latest model year. It is every bit interesting and unlike other country when building a tiny car, Japanese doesn't compromise the quality especially for a jewel like this.
Back home now and just in time to catch the blossom of my sole cherry tree. I missed the blossom of my beloved plum tree. Coming home from a trip to densely populated cities always renew my love for the lush and pristine Pacific Northwest. There was no escape from the noise, crowds, and pollution in the cities that I visited in China once you leaves the hotel. Finding a place to seat and take a break often was impossible unless you are willing to buy a drink in a more upscale establishment in Hong Kong.
A bit off topic but is one of my passions. I like shopping for cookware and houseware especially in countries that have strong culinary cultures. Most of what I buy are things that are impossible to find here. Most of these were from Japan. In the future I would make it the last segment of the trip as there are so many things that I would bring back.
Feel free to comment or question on the articles in the photo. Each were carefully deliberated as I had to carry these for another 20 days in multiple cities.
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. It has been fun to follow especially with the car theme playing throughout it.
As for your culinary utensils, I have watched over the years the available kitchen utensils in this country be “Walmart-ed out” to the cheapest, most generic, and lowest base quality that people will accept. While my mother wasn’t a “chief” she did pride herself with her cooking skills and with that came a carefully selected set of utensils that could be eked of her household budget. Even as a child I appreciated the quality and functionality of some of those. As we bulit up our own household, I looked for some of those same or similar things, but “cheap” had started to take hold. Even something as simple as a spring steel spatula could not be found (most are soft metal, plastic or rubber). Then I found a Salvation Army store that seemed to take in a lot of this stuff (probably from estates) and there I found a lot of what I still use today. I do appreciate browsing though a high end cookware store almost as much going to a really good tool/hardware store.
Embrace and enjoy your passions! And sometimes it is the little things, the things we enjoy each day that are truely the important things.
A side note, my new RE71R tires have arrived and are in the shop being mounted along with a set of TPMS senders. While I cring a little at the cost of those little things, I have had two flat tires at a track event that I didn’t know about until after the session was done and I was checking tire pressures... Ugh! It could have been bad, but luck was with me. Now, with changing out the tires it makes sense to take advantage of the safety these provide.
Yea I think it's just they don't have stock out this end of the world. I will check again in a couple weeks. On a side note I managed to get that extension bung for the innovate AFR sensor setup and trues nuts it's burnt out already... That's my 5th Bosch LSU4.9 toasted. I have ripped out the innovate junk in my view and fitted a zeitronix kit which I have had in my other car for years and still runs perfectly... Funnily enough the zeitronix runs the exact same sensor so let's see how long this lasts.
Sorry that your Innovate killed so many sensors. Mine has gone thru tons of track day torture sessions and is still on the same sensor. During the winter I did get once or twice of sensor error indicator, and I was bracing for the worst. However they have not return and I suspect it is due to the dampness here and the Mini didn't get driven long distance much during the rainy seasons.
I gather you have an older model by 1 generation. I doubt that has anything to do with the failures.
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. It has been fun to follow especially with the car theme playing throughout it.
As for your culinary utensils, I have watched over the years the available kitchen utensils in this country be “Walmart-ed out” to the cheapest, most generic, and lowest base quality that people will accept. While my mother wasn’t a “chief” she did pride herself with her cooking skills and with that came a carefully selected set of utensils that could be eked of her household budget. Even as a child I appreciated the quality and functionality of some of those. As we bulit up our own household, I looked for some of those same or similar things, but “cheap” had started to take hold. Even something as simple as a spring steel spatula could not be found (most are soft metal, plastic or rubber). Then I found a Salvation Army store that seemed to take in a lot of this stuff (probably from estates) and there I found a lot of what I still use today. I do appreciate browsing though a high end cookware store almost as much going to a really good tool/hardware store.
Embrace and enjoy your passions! And sometimes it is the little things, the things we enjoy each day that are truly the important things.
I have pretty well given up buying kitchenware in this country. Most are cheap craps with inflated prices, and don't even get me started with the proliferation of the false ergonomic designs. In my early days of being a home cook I actually spent a lot of money at the likes of William Sonoma when the mail order company sells quality and well curated collections. As my experience grew and my horizon broaden I would find out most kitchen small appliances are unneeded except for a few. The most important ones are utensils that you use daily. I'd like to think I have a very good collection of carefully curated kitchen. Most of what I buy in overseas trips are impossible to find in this country. Most are I could do without, but they are just add so much pleasure of meal preparation or serving. In the photo you can see the price tags, and most are a lot cheaper than what the craps that you buy here.
To give one example this Japan made glass soy sauce dispenser costed me $4.50 USD and I happen to find a similar one on Amazon for $15.91 USD. Just do a search on "soy sauce dispenser" on Amazon and you would see what I mean. Mostly craps at very inflated prices. BTW, I observation that Trump's trade war and increased tariff in imported good from China seems to have much less impact than I anticipated. The reason is, these vendors had so high profit margins for these products to begin with. With the onset of the tariff they can easily absorb the difference rather than passing to the consumers. I am making this observation with the experience of having travel in the mainland China and know the price differentials. A spatula sold on Amazon for $12 cost $0.99 to procure.
this one on Amazon is made by the exact company but for $15.91
Most of these utensils that I bought back cost so little, but I find immense pleasure in their use. To take the pepper shaker in the above photo the significance is you can find it in a lot of ramen shops in Japan. I can make very good ramen at home, and having the right condiment dispensers add that much more pleasure to the cooking and dinning experience.
The cookware that I buy in Japan are almost always all made in Japan. If you don't have the eyes and experience for quality you can end up buying a lot of Chinese knockoffs there too. "Japanese" ceramic is one prime example, and with each passing year the one made in China are getting more and more difficult to discern from the ones that made in Japan.
One item that I struggled with and really wished that I could bring back is this ceramic hog. When I spotted it I immediate knew what it is. It serves a very functional purpose and I would leave it here as a trivia for y'all to guess its purpose.
On this entire cookware street I only spotted one store has something like this.
While on the hog theme here is another one for you to guess. It is a wild boar but what purpose does it serve. It is quite spendy at circa $85 USD.
A side note, my new RE71R tires have arrived and are in the shop being mounted along with a set of TPMS senders. While I cring a little at the cost of those little things, I have had two flat tires at a track event that I didn’t know about until after the session was done and I was checking tire pressures... Ugh! It could have been bad, but luck was with me. Now, with changing out the tires it makes sense to take advantage of the safety these provide.
I didn't have as good experience as you with RE71R. I destroyed one set in a two-day track event. It could just be my car setup and the tire size that I chose WRT the rims. I am so tempted to grab a set of Toyo R888R in 225/45R15 but my set of new Konig 8"x15 I had yet to have experience with on track. I want to wait until I have driven it and the Nittto RA1 of the same size on track before ordering another set of 225/45R15.
I am not sure about if I care to have TPMS. The ones on Porsche kept telling me that impending doom is just around the next corner. And of course I knew better to trust dumb sensors.
So I ordered two sets of Raybestos pads back in the depth of winter thinking they would be here long before I need them for 2019 track season. Good that I ordered one one set but two of different compounds. The ST-43 turned out to be the show stopper and over 2 months later there is still no ETA. I was told Porterfield had taken the production of these pads offline due to some facility reorganization (hope it is not chapter XX reorganization). I have high hope these pads would fare better than the Wilwood BP-30 that I burnt thru each two track days.
The good news I am not stranded high and dry. I received the set of ST-41s while the ST-43 still has no ETA. I just wish these pads are more like the asbestos formulation of the old to stand up to sintering temperature better.
And don’t get me going about carving knives in this country....
Where are the good old rusty high carbon steel knives? Not stainless; plain steel...
Sorry to hear that you had issues with RE71Rs. There is a lot said about them not wearing well for track use. Now I am starting to read that the Dunlop ZIIIs are also wearing faster than the ZIIs. A lot is being driven by the autocross market. My guess is the tires for that need good cold grip and they sacrifice hot track wear as a result. Have you thought about the Hankook, Nexxen or other tires like that? Or are you interested in getting the 100 wear rated tires?
As for the TPMS, this is a trial. My cousin’s M2 has them and he runs into issues that they are too smart. If he sets the pressure cold for where he wants to be hot, the ECU cuts power because it thinks there is an impending flat. And then there was some other issue with resetting the TPMS for the lower cold pressure.... Ugh. As for me, I had double flat tires coming off the track not to long ago. I was lucky that it didn’t happen on the track as the edge of that particular track is a stone wall. No room for an error of any kind. That made me think that it might be worth it. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with the tires or rims; it was the valve stem in each wheel that let the air out. And I have not a clue as to how I drove for 2 hrs on them getting to the track, ran 2 - 30 minute sessions with no issue and then they decided to “pop” and let the air out. And then they decided to “heal” themselves, run 4 more track sessions and the 2 hr ride home with no issues. It was my shop who told me they were bad when they switched tires for me... and they got it right as I didn’t tell them which wheels I had the issue with (didn’t think of it at the time).
Looking forward to hearing what you do for tires and how you make out with those new wheels.
Desire is getting a brand new JCW supercharger. The original one has been getting louder as track days went by. I had pulled it in 3 occasions and the PTO gears are quite good. However it screams of hell and murder and I think the inner bearings for the scrolls are in need of replacement. Rather than rolling the dice we decided to just drop the money for a brand new JCW supercharger as the price is now reasonable.
My neighborhood gained two Porsches this couple of months. A 991.2 GT3 just moved into next door. And another neighbor around the corner just swapped his Audi for a 981 Cayman.
Additionally a neighbor is selling his house to move to Palm Springs. The open house attracted a few viewers with interesting rides. Among them this Maserati and a Porsche Boxster within a span of an hour.
Is the JCW SC larger? It looks that way in the pictures.
Yes, the pulley that is. But don't tell Desire the truth as she is super happy to be told that she now sports a JCW SC.
JCW's pulley is 12% smaller than stock, but is 3% larger than the Cravenspeed 15% I installed.
JCW SC is identical to the standard issued R53 but due to the stupid iPhone wide angle lens it looks 30% larger . You know, even when I was picking the photos to post it occurred to me the photos are misleading.
04-09-2019, 06:28 AM
And of course I knew better to trust dumb sensors.
But don't tell Desire the truth as she is super happy to be told that she now sports a JCW SC. 
