It was still early and since I couldn't sleep I decided to walk around Mong Kok and take photos. The street have names that are either Chinese or English, I mean English as in Britain. Do you really think the residents of Hong Kong would have named a street, "Argyle Street?" Of course, that made it easier for me to remember Nathan Street than Tung Choi Street, which was called, "Ladies Market", a popular tourist shopping area. The streets in this area seemed to be organized for what you wanted to buy. There was a street that had electronics. Cameras, TVs, computer parts, you name it. Then the next street over had everything you ever wanted to buy for your pets, including a wide variety of tropical fish and Koi supplies. There was also a street for clothing and shoes. Most name brand and a vast majority, counterfeit. The shops and street vendors don't usually open until 11:00'ish on Sunday and being that it was also Father's Day, (Yes, everyone has a Father in Hong Kong), they might be opening later. I didn't care I was up and ready to go. I walked for hours, snapping photos of the streets and the atmosphere and I sweat. The sun came out and after a while I had soaked my shirt. The temperature during this time is around 85 F, but the humidity is also 85%. Luckily, there several 7-Eleven stores about to purchase bottled water.
Around noon, the street vendors were open for business and my shopping experience began. I had taken carry-on luggage with me, including my laptop bag. Literally, no extra room for "stuff", so the first thing I bought was a new suitcase. A cabin bag with rollers that you see everyone carrying these days. I got it for $150 HKD, or about $20 USD. Now, armed with my bag, I was off to fill it up. I bought some Hong Kong souvenir T-Shirts 4 for $25 HKD. I looked and looked and looked, but nothing else caught my eye. I didn't see anything really cultural that I wanted. I saw the streeet I left Mong Kok later in the afternoon and getting pretty tired. I decided to go over to Temple Street. Another shopping area that mainly functions in the evening hours. To get there meant another train ride! Two stations south to Jordan. Off I went with suitcase in tow.
Temple Street was the third street west of Jordan Station. It looked more of what a bustling Asian city might look like.
Even the, 24 hour McDonald's was present on the corner. There were many similarities between the two shopping areas. The people selling fake watches had their catalogs out for you to choose which style you wanted and then they would produce your request and then you would haggle the price. You haggled the price on everything. My bag was stated to cost $250 HKD and I talked her down to $150 HKD. It's what they do here. It's expected. You're a fool if you don't haggle. And yes, I did feel a little guilty doing it. I started seeing more of the "booths" with Asian trinkets. I found the cultural stuff I wanted. I made my purchases and then decided I was too tired to really do any more and it was now early evening. I packed everything into my bag and made my way back to Jordan Station. I caught the train and headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui (Central) station. This time my ticket had enough money on it to allow me to exit. I walked over to the shuttle stop and waited for the bus. It was hot and humid. The shuttle came and I hopped on board and met two couples from Australia that were vacationing in Hong Kong. They had gone on an excursion that day and were returning to the hotel as well. The shuttle arrived back at the hotel and I went upstairs to put my stuff away and decided I would go up to the roof for a swim. I needed some real cooling off.
The pool was on the 22nd floor and had a beautiful view of the city and Hong Kong island. The water was a little warm, which was fine with me cause there was quite a wind up there. I sat and chatted with a gentleman from Italy who maintained A/C units for Data Centers. I asked him if he worked for Liebert and he told me that Liebert was their number one competitor. We talked about Hong Kong and that he traveled here at least one every two months. After a while, he got up and stated that it was time for him to go and have a massage. I thanked him for his time and talking with me. I stayed a bit longer and then left the pool myself, I was getting hungry. I didn't have anything exotic or even Asian. I wanted something simple and had a Club sandwich and a Chinese beer called TsingTao. The brewery was founded by Germans in 1903 and it tasted very good. I then sat outside on the boardwalk and watched the locals fish from the railing and "people watched." After the sun set, I went up to my room and prepared for the real reason I was in Hong Kong... Work.
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