Buildings 1900-1920s

As I walked along Dominion Road, I see that some of the buildings have the year on them. Many of the buildings have names. Most of them have two stories with ornate facades on the upstairs, unless they were at the corner. Then the sides were decorative as well. These buildings have what in Malaysia "Five Foot ways" they are shelters on the front so you won't be wet. 

If you look at the top of the building, you will see that satelite dishes have sneaked in. Both Cheapsides look aside at first glance, but on careful observation, you will see subtle differences.

The Chins have our sweet story about the shops in Balmoral. Not all the shops are so beautiful. The water engineer's father came to attend his capping when I was awarded the PHT, (our very good friend, the late Ken Thornton joked that I deserved it, after putting husband through.)  Grand Dad Chin arrived via Sydney via Singapore from Malaysia. We went to pick him up from the airport. He had misplaced the key to his luggage and couldn't open his suitcase. We took him to the nearest shops, that is the Balmoral shops to a lock smith.

The next day, he told me that he wasn't impressed with Auckland. He had thought Auckland would be ultra modern, at least be like Singapore. But what he had seen was worst than his small home town, Paloh. Then we realised we haven't taken him to modern Downtown Auckland. He equated "moderness" with sky scrappers.

***The first two pix are the second Cheapside building at the corner of Dominion Road and Halesowen Ave. If you come from the city, it is on your right. The other Cheapside building is in between the Halesowen Ave and Calgary.

I go to my Chinese Doctor at the Rainforest Health Centre in this building. Victor is very good, and he soaks my feet in a red flower infusion before he massages me. He also has herbal medicine when I have a cold or when I have a flu coming. He massages me with me fully clothes, so if you feel awkward about going for massages and having to take your clothes off, he is the person to go to. He tells me about China, and is interested in my Chinese ethnicity, and how my Great Grandfather had left China for Borneo one hundred years ago.***