Mongkok

I've decided to start the morning in Tsim Sha Tsui (Sandy Point), or TST, and walk back along Nathan Road to Mongkok. After having a breakfast of century old egg porridge in a shop just downstairs that's open 24 hours, I caught the MTR (subway) to TST. At this early hour of the morning, only street sweepers and delivery people are up and about. HK is a night city and retail doesn't start until about 10 or 11 am.


Gelato mooncake, what an innovative synthesis of east and west.

It used to be that HK was mostly Cantonese speaking, but now I can hear different dialects, e.g. Mandarin, Shanghainese, probably from mainland China; even different languages spoken. You can certainly see that people from many countries have come here to make a living. Turning a corner in TST, I came across this group of what I think were Filipina workers chatting and texting.

In humid weather you walk at a medium pace trying not to generate unnecessary body heat until you can reach the next air-conditioned oasis, usually a shopping centre. After a while the cool air dries you out and you repeat the cycle. In this spanking new centre which appeared to be trying to gather enough retailers to have a grand opening, I found a coffee shop with a distant view of the peak on HK island.

HK is full of old-fashioned dry goods stores, selling dried scallops, fish, birds nest, figs, herbs, etc. I think many customers buy supplies in bulk to take home to last until their next trip here.

About noon, the hawkers on Ladies' Street (Tung Choi Street) were beginning to set up. True to its name, it sells mostly women's clothing and accessories, although I was able to get a couple of pairs of jeans and some shirts here.

I got a lunch of wonton noodles at a place called Good Hope Noodles. Al dente noodles like they should be.

A refreshing drink of fresh coconut juice here.


Similar Chinese businesses like to cluster. You will find whole streets devoted to footwear, building supplies and so forth. And of course there are the computer centres. Walking down one street, I had pamphlets for home renovation thrust at me. It might sound like a poor strategy to be near your competitors but the Chinese are not worried; they believe that the customer likes to be overwhelmed by choice and thus encouraged to buy. Certainly seems to work.

This is a different market, Temple Street Market, which has different goods than the mostly womens goods in the Ladies Market. I found cheap T-shirts and boxer shorts here.


I made a trip to Sham Shui Po where there is the mother of all computer markets: hundreds of stores crammed into one building where you can get any techno toy.