Chinese torture contraption ?

Seen from the street: Chinese torture unit, or what?
Hong Kong hair salon?
Hong Kong hair salon? Seen from the street: Chinese torture unit, or what?

Can anyone tell me what this contraption is? I took this picture through a window in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, after a dinner at Spring Deer, the famous and fabulous house of Peking duck. What are they doing to those poor women? Does it hurt? Click the picture for a larger view. I saw several shops in the neighborhood with this weird torture unit visible through the window.

Hong Kong peking duck, carved tableside
Hong Kong peking duck, carved tableside

Honolulu Hong Kong

Someone sleeping on a plane
Someone sleeping on a plane. How many people try using this gizmo more than once?

I’ve never understood the logic of this neck contraption. It pushes the head forward—but for sleeping, wouldn’t you rather have your head back? If I had one, I’d wear it backwards. But I don’t want one. I wonder how many people try this thing more than once? Does it work for anyone, or is it just a scam, like the “throw your voice” gimmick I ordered off the back of a cereal box when I was eight? This guy eventually put it in his lap.

Hangin' in Honolulu.
Hangin’ in Honolulu.

They really hang loose in Honolulu. This man, a former Minnesotan, told us he’s been “tropicalized” after living in Hawaii for 30 years. He works in Honolulu’s oldest bar. I took his picture with his permission.

Sandals in Honolulu
Sandals in Honolulu
Hong Kong from the side.
Hong Kong from the side.

Hong Kong’s famous skyscrapers are just beyond this hill.

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