Waiting Around in Mykonos

The famous wooden windmills at Fabrika in Mykonos

Tourism is a big part of Greece's economy, as everyone who caters to tourists speak various languages like English, Italian and Spanish, offer a variety of services, particularly food and transport to make the visitors' time in the country more enjoyable.

We are currently in Mykonos, an island over three hours' ferry ride from Athens. It is completely dependent on tourists who are there to soak up the sun, frolic in the clear blue waters, party the night away and eat lots of souvlaki and drink alcohol. Visitors are mainly French, Italian, Spanish and American.

There are "boutique hotels" everywhere and stretching resources, particularly electricity and the internet. Last night when we were going out for dinner we could see sparks flying out of the power poles and we even had a blackout in our hotel at 5am! Internet is spotty which is why it's hard for me to upload pictures...

The monastery in Ano Mera

Today we ventured out to visit what we were told is a small traditional Greek Town, Ana Mera where there is a well-known monastery. But to get there from Ornos, where we are staying, we had to get a bus to Fabrika, and from there another bus to Ano Mera.

The bus costs 1.80 euros one way, or we could have ordered transport for about 30 euros an hour. Of course we tried the latter.

We were armed with the bus schedule and the next bus to Fabrika was supposed to be 10.10am. We waited and waited in the sun (and the moved to the shade) but no bus came. It wasn't until 10.40am did the bus come and we jumped on.

Half an hour later we arrived at Fabrika, another bay area where we saw three cruise ships anchored there. We walked to the famed wooden windmills, though one was in repair, making it not as picturesque. Many of the cruise ship passengers were hanging out here taking pictures or have lunch along the coastline which is packed with restaurants next to each other.

We had to walk past all these places to get to the Old Port to catch our next bus to Ano Mera. After securing our tickets we got on the bus. I need add these buses are not what one would think are public transit buses -- they are basically tour coaches that ferry mostly tourists but also some locals around.

The small church is very ornate inside

As a result, the bus does not have a proper announcement system to say which stop is coming next or even a microphone for the driver to tell passengers what the stop is clearly. As a result we missed our stop. The bus driver was annoyed with us, but let us stay on the bus as he was going back and would pass by Ano Mera again.

A few minutes later we were dropped off in what looked like the middle of nowhere. Across the street we could see a church with a special flag and guessed it was the monastery. It was a small church but inside was packed full of details, religious iconography, a mural of Jesus Christ on the ceiling of the dome and intricate wooden carvings, and lots of silver and gold.

Upstairs was a small museum that had more embroidered vestments, jewellery and other religious objects in precious metals and stones.

A chubby boy about nine or 10 years old sat at the entrance taking 1 euro suggested donation from each visitor who came in. Why wasn't he in school? Nevertheless, he was polite though and said thank you to each person who paid. He also liked petting the cats who hung out in the churchyard.

Following our visit to the church we got some lunch and I tried grilled sardines that were delicious with a lemon sauce. I find the food here in general is under seasoned which is unusual, but better than too salty.

We went back to the bus stop to wait for the bus. At first we got the time wrong and had to wait 30 minutes for the 3pm bus. It did not come. While we were waiting, other tourists inquired about the bus and we had to explain the bus was supposed to be there at 3pm but it still hadn't arrived. While buses came our way, but then passed right by us because they were tour buses. At one point we wondered if we would ever get onto our bus.

Grilled fresh sardines for lunch!

It wasn't until 3.30pm (when the next bus was supposed to arrive) did the bus come. It was frustrating to have to wait for buses to come when they didn't follow the schedule...

Then we had to wander from the Old Town back to Fabrika and had to navigate our way through the maze of streets filled with shops selling souvenirs and cafes to finally make our way back to the bus station.

When we finally made it back we rewarded ourselves with a trip to our hotel pool after a long day of walking around and using public transport. Oh and yes a lot of waiting around...

Guo Pei's Fantastical Fashion

Nothing short of wow... Guo Pei's weight-bearing long coat with embroidery

After two days of sun it was back to rainy weather in Vancouver. But that's OK because we had planned to go downtown to the Vancouver Art Gallery to check out the current exhibition, Guo Pei: Couture Beyond that is on until January 20.

Layers of organza give volume to this whimsical dress

When it opened in mid-October, it coincided with the Vancouver premiere of the documentary Yellow is Forbidden, which follows Guo preparing for her haute couture show in Paris, and how she became a fashion designer.

She was born at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution and learned how to sew at a very young age from her mother, but Guo didn't know there was such a thing as fashion, with everyone wearing the same dull Mao suits.

"When I was little, I didn't know what fashion was. The word didn't exist," says Guo in Yellow is Forbidden. "My Granny told me many stories about embroidery, what people wore in the palace, and I would fantasize about that. When I was eight years old, I asked Granny for a yellow dress, and she got very angry at me. She said, 'Yellow is forbidden'."

Guo later studied at Beijing's Second Light Industry School, graduating in 1986 and worked for a Chinese clothing manufacturer before launching her brand Rose Studio with her husband in 1997.

The "omelette" dress made famous by Rihanna in 2015

The exhibition features pieces from 2006 to 2017 and yes it includes that 25kg yellow dress with fox fur trim Rihanna wore to the 2015 China-themed Met Gala that put Guo in the global spotlight.

Looking at the pieces you can see Guo's fantastical imagination and you can't help but be in awe of both the design and the execution particularly in terms of the embroidery and beading. It is absolutely amazing how much work was poured into each outfit.

She has teams of some 500 artisans working with her in Beijing, training and learning from her. Apparently in the documentary, couture organizers weren't sure who Guo was because many fashion designers are usually the ones barking directions.

A dress as ornate as a Faberge egg

It's interesting to see her interpretation of religious iconography like the cross and royal symbols, as she has no strong connection or association with them. She freely uses bejewelled crosses to embellish crowns or even a headdress that looks like a human-sized Faberge egg with the model's head peeping through. Inside it's far from plain -- there are layers and layers of beading that are incredible.

One section was on Guo's reinterpretation of wedding dresses. Traditionally in China they are red, while in the West they are white, and so why not a completely white beaded Chinese wedding dress complete with buttons with 喜喜 or double happiness characters.

Another had a western scalloped neck with traditional Chinese floral embroidery that was gorgeous, complemented with sleeves decorated with long strings of gold beads, like a flapper dress.

That yellow dress was magnificent and yes it did look like a fancy omelette, but we preferred the turquoise embroidered coat and dress, the coat with massive long sleeves and a fur trim that needed assistants to help carry it. Now that's an entrance.

Why not a white beaded wedding gown?

The embroidery for each piece was different, colourful and dynamic -- the designs were hardly staid or routine. Many were long dresses, but there were some with pants, others using a kind of ribbon-like fabric to sculpt the skirt, or creating new shapes altogether.

It wasn't just the outfits themselves that were jaw-dropping. Guo also accessorized each piece with dazzling headdresses such as crowns or chunky jewellery around the neck or fingers, and even platform shoes that echoed those worn by women in the Imperial Palace.

The exhibition also has a video of Guo's fashion shows and you wonder how these models managed to walk the catwalk without falling over! In the documentary trailer, at one point someone says the models have to be athletes to be able to wear her clothes because they are so weighed down by the embroidery and beading.

Some of the pieces at first glance look very western, but look closer and there are some fine Chinese flourishes. Many of them look very regal, elegant and sophisticated, others are interesting experiments in shapes, textures and colours.

Curvaceous shapes created from this sculptural fabric

Being able to examine these pieces up close is very rare for haute couture, so it's a fun opportunity to see these ones in particular. They immediately make you appreciate the tens of thousands of hours put into each piece with so many people working on each one in tandem, with Guo as the visionary and conductor.

We left the show feeling in awe and proud of what Guo has accomplished -- the first Chinese to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, and creating pieces she has always wanted to do.

Guo Pei: Beyond Couture
Until January 20, 2019
Vancouver Art Gallery