One of the advantages of living in this global era is the relief on finding out that eccentric weirdos are not confined to small villages in south Somerset - they're everywhere! Even in the ultra-modern, international metropolis that is Hong Kong you will find that eccentricity is rife and that beneath the impassive faces of many of the citizens of that city there lurks total and complete daftness of the most charming type. You see, according to the WSJ, in Hong Kong there are hundreds of bus-spotters who spend inordinate amounts of time and effort in tracking down the many different buses they have and shooting them, er, that's 'shooting' as in photographing! They are very keen on catching these buses when they are displaying new advertising slogans but just as important is that they are pictured against exactly the right background and at the right angle.
One benefit for this 'daftness' is that the bus-drivers need to remain alert at all times lest, a) they run over one of these 'dafties' leaping out into the road to catch a particular shot, or b) that they are photographed half asleep at the wheel.
The photographers can put bus drivers in an awkward position, especially regarding issues of safety, as fans dart into the street to get their shot. Drivers don't want to get snapped with their eyes off the road. "I try not to look at the camera though, it might look a bit weird," said Gary Leung, a driver for Kowloon Motor Bus, the city's largest bus company.
Mr. Leung, 27, has sympathy for the bus fans—after all, he's one himself, having recently quit his job at a Big Four accounting firm to fulfill his dream of sitting behind the wheel. At a bright, outdoor bus terminal, Mr. Leung said he is pleased with his new career. "Of course the salary cannot compare," he says. "But I love it. Every day feels like being on holiday."
See what I mean?! Eccentricity is alive and well - and is everywhere! In any case, it ill-behoves me to cast scorn and ridicule since amongst my friends I have one who spots trains and another who collects the girls' names written on the front of Eddie Stobart lorries. Yeeeees . . . quite . . . !
