It’s a sign: New Zealand

If reader numbers on my earlier blogs are anything to go by – see It’s a sign: Peru and It’s a sign: Cambodia – we all love a good sign so I figured it was time to share some of those I’ve spotted on my wanders around the streets of Auckland.

Let’s start with something environmental. New Zealand is very proud of its clean, green image, though the reality isn’t always as clean and green as is portrayed, but we do try hard. Signs like these can be found on or around most of the grids into our big street drains, reminding people that any rubbish they throw down these drains will, ultimately, pollute all our waterways, including our two beautiful harbours (the Waitemata and the Manukau) and our two oceans (the Pacific on the eastern side, and the Tasman Sea, to the west).

I’m not sure what to say about this, but I simply had to photograph it. Setting aside the sexual innuendo, this is exactly how I used to eat this type of biscuit when I was a kid – with one little extra. I’d twist the two parts carefully so they’d separate, then lick the icing off, then dunk the remaining biscuits in milk just long enough to soften them but not so long that they’d get too soft and fall into the milk – that was the tricky bit – getting the timing right!

I found this on the side of some bench seating next to a grassy area in the Britomart precinct. I haven’t seen any cats in the vicinity (not even cougars!) but it’s nice to see the sign makers had a sense of humour.

I love this one! It’s child size, and I did look around to find a child to persuade to stand here but it was early morning and there were none. It’s a neat idea and can be found down by Auckland harbour, at Silo Park.

While the previous sign was definitely child-friendly, this most certainly is not. I think the intention was probably to warn motorists to take care as children are often to found playing in this area but, to me, this says: ‘Kids are dangerous. If you see a kid on a bike, be afraid.’ However, as I’m not particularly child-friendly, that may just be my warped interpretation!

Strictly speaking, this is a sculpture rather than a sign. It was made by New Zealand artist Paul Hartigan in 1997 and is part of the University of Auckland’s extensive art collection. It is currently to be found in a corridor of the Arts 2 building and can be seen from Grafton Road – at least, when its neon-tubes are switched on, it can. So, does this art speak to you?

This metallic sign is set into the concrete of the pavement outside Thai restaurant Monsoon Poon in downtown Auckland. I googled to try to find out whether this is the English translation of the restaurant’s name but no luck and, judging by many of the reviews I read, it’s not necessarily the opinion of the diners either, though that could be what the restaurant owners are hoping.

Well, are you? 

It’s a sign: Cambodia

Following the riotous success (over 300 people have read it!) of my earlier blog about the interesting and intriguing signs I discovered in Peru (see It’s a sign: Peru), I feel it is time to share some of the treasures I have tripped over in Cambodia!

This first one I like as much for the splendid colour of the portable household shrines awaiting sale to local customers as for the sign itself, which is quite plain but contains a good message for us all. ‘Slow down … and smell the roses!’ we might say in the West. Here it’s ‘slow down … and buy a shrine.’

What can I say? Is this good roadside advice? If this were in New Zealand, I might think it was referring to our most famous bird, the kakapo named Sirocco, who attempted to shag the head of a photographer while being filmed by the BBC for an endangered species documentary back in 2009. Perhaps Cambodia has a similar randy bird!

Is it a tree? Is it lightning? No, it’s the sign for winding roads ahead. This one I just like for its lovely curves. Our winding road signs in New Zealand are just so boring, so lacking in design flair, so devoid of curvaceousness compared to this little beauty. And the road going up the mountain to the Bokor Hill Station, near Kep (see The ghosts of Bokor Hill) really was like this with a series of long sweeping curves to the top.

I ask you, could a pharmacy be more aptly named? When something has made you go ‘ouch’, this has to be the perfect place to come for a remedy.

I can’t think of many people who would want to sleep in a church at night, unless they thought they were being haunted or chased by the devil or were seeking asylum of some kind. Obviously, it's okay to sleep here during the day though.

Now, I’ve heard of organisations and businesses being fairly specific about the type of work they do, but this one takes the cake! And, in case you’re in any doubt at all that they will actually service more than one window, they have two signs stressing the point.

This is my absolute favourite of the signs I’ve seen here so far. Not the top part of the board – after all, you can get your hair coloured, your nails cut and a shave in countless places. It’s their bold claim about the clarity of their communication that tickled my fancy.

To finish, I say ‘thank you’ in Khmer. One of the most important words to learn in any language and here beautifully spelled out above a shop in Kampot. Ogun for stopping by my blog!

It’s a sign: Peru

Here are just a few of the many interesting and intriguing signs I have seen and photographed here in Peru.

I spotted this collection of signs on a bus on my way home one night. My (rough) translations are as follows:

If they leave late, it’s not the driver’s fault.

Don’t ask for speed, ask for safety.

You are welcome but don’t take anything from this car.

Please don’t mistreat the seats. Take care!

Better to lose a minute in your life than your life in a minute.

No spitting!

No smoking!

Be polite. Don’t shatter your nerves. Smile!

I travel safely because Christ guides my way.

For a long time I was intrigued by this sign. I know Peruvians are generally quite short people by Western standards but was that a reason for anyone to advertise the fact that they are taller than average? Once my Spanish improved, I discovered that ‘taller’ is the word for workshop, so this sign actually advertises Larry’s Workshop. Makes much more sense, of course!

Attention!

Display your culture

Don’t litter

Look after the plants

Because they give you life

And the small sign: It is forbidden to throw objects on the ground.

Here in Peru, at election time, political parties paint the walls of their supporters with the candidates' names. If you agree to have your wall painted, and your candidate wins, then you are rewarded in some way, with a job perhaps or some kind of preferential treatment. If your candidate loses, tough! You're stuck with the sign until the weather erodes it away, or it gets over-painted in the next election.

Hotel Ibido

Direct access to the room

Private garage             room service

Hot water

I always used to misread this sign, thinking it said Hotel Libido. Turns out, it does mean what I thought it meant – a not-so-discrete hotel for sexual assignations! 

Bimbo: we do it with love.
Now, with a brand name like Bimbo, you may well wonder what exactly they do for love. In fact, Bimbo was originally established in Mexico in the 1940s, and is now the fourth largest food corporation in the world. It is the largest bread manufacturer in the world and the most common brand of bread here in Peru. I haven’t actually tried it as I much prefer the bread from my local baker.

This one speaks for itself.

And I will finish with this sign, taken in the little town of Pisac, which really is one of the best places to chill out that I have found so far in Peru!