Tew's refreshment tea, East Dulwich

Unfortunately I haven't found any information about this ghost sign. Was Tew the name of the café or a brand of tea?

In spite of its relative simplicity, this ghost sign is quite attractive with its blue letters slowly turning white.

Tew's
Refreshment
Tea
Provided

Location: Forest Hill Road / Pictures taken in August 2012

Jackson, Kingston

Clarence Street in Kingston upon Thames has two ghost signs: the enigmatic Local Arms China and, a few metres away and partly hidden, one for a shoemaker by the name of Jackson.

... L. Jackson
Bespoke
Shoemaker

However, for now, the sign for Jackson is partially hidden by a scaffolding erected in front of the building next door. Whatever happens to that building, let's hope it won't lead to the sudden disappearance of yet another ghost sign.

The sign visible on the photo replaced an earlier one but not enough of it can be deciphered to tell whether it was also promoting Jackson's shoemaking workshop or a different business.

Location: Clarence Street / Picture taken in September 2008

Bus companies, Bagan

During a recent holiday in Myanmar (hence the near absence of posting over the past few weeks) I came across hundreds of painted signs, mostly on wood and metal. With our days already very busy, I photographed only a fraction of them. Below is a small selection from the bus station of Nyaung U, which serves the Bagan area famous for its thousands of temples built between the 11th and the 13th centuries.

Some of these signs include elaborate drawings of buses.

The bus station consists of a row of open offices for the different companies that serve the town.

The Burmese script is very elegant, if slightly difficult to decipher for the average visitor to the country. Fortunately, there is always someone willing to help.

The Latin script is very rarely seen on painted signs. Only a handful of companies that target tourists use it to advertise their services.

Location: Main Road, Bagan / Pictures taken in January 2013

La Mexicana, Trinidad

To start the new year, here are a couple of pictures more of La Mexicana, the shop from Trinidad, Cuba, where the 'Happy New Year' sign came from. Surprisingly, the pictures were taken in late March, when New Year's Eve was already a distant memory. The sign is just there all year round!

As for La Mexicana, it is a butcher's. However, as this is Cuba, there is only a small amount of meat available at subsidised prices, as indicated on the chalk board above the cash register.

In spite of what was painted on the wooden board, the butcher's was closed when we passed there at around 9:30 am as there was no meat. It did not seem to have had any the previous day either, the last date entered on the chalk board being two days earlier.

Location: Calle Simón Bolivar, Trinidad / Pictures taken in March 2010