Chinatown

Today we headed off on an expedition to Fisherman's Wharf - several blocks near the bay which seem to consist almost entirely of - yes! - seafood restaurants and T-shirt stores. So naturally we ate some seafood and I bought some t-shirts.
To get there we rode two cable cars through Chinatown. I know! Anybody would think I was a tourist or something! Chinatown is a whole neighbourhood devoted to Far Eastern goings on and is supposedly the oldest Chinese enclave in the Western Hemisphere. It caters to tourists - every other street corner hosts a trinket store selling postcards, fans, incense and ceramic figurines. But it is also a genuine Asian community and you don't have to wander too far to find old men sitting on street corners reading Chinese newspapers and restaurants and signs without a single English word on display....even throngs avidly watching outdoor mahjong tournaments.
...What with me definitely not being a tourist, I has to venture into one of the jingley-doored trinket vendors. The shopkeeper - who had a really strong accent - tried tempting me with a various figurines, but I told him I was looking for a Buddha (I quite like collecting those). "Ah....Buddha!" He then took me over to a special shelf devoted to Buddhas and talked me through the different types available...there were jade Buddhas, happy Buddhas, lucky Buddhas, money Buddhas...a Buddha for all needs and occasions it seemed. I chose a money Buddha and while the shopkeeper wrapped the latter in paper, he asked me where I was from. He seemed pleased when I said 'England'....because he was from Hong Kong and "England look after Hong Kong long time..."