You have to be crazy to want to shop in Hong Kong

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Good day!

It's great to catch up with good friends. I spent the better part of the day with the girls (Mandy, Tracy and Winnie). We ate, shopped, shopped and shopped. I haven't shopped like a Hong Kong-er in a while and let me tell you, the locals here really know how to shop. There's a ton of walking, going up and down escalators, squeezing through crowds, plotting from one mall to the next a.k.a. mall hopping, visiting over a hundred stores and bargaining. We shopped for about 4 hours but the average shopping adventures are about 6 - 8 hours and most of the time, there's no resting.

We were shopping in Mong Kok, which is where most of the local malls are located. These malls are intimate in space and FULL of things. And I mean things. Gagdets, toys, pens, makeup, collectibles, clothes, shoes, notebooks, greeting cards, cookies, tights and... whatever you think of, they got it. All these things were lined up next to each other, some in an orderly fashion and some just incredibly random. I found an Urban Decay makeup kit next to a small fish tank, which were surrounded by flash lights. The next store sold Paris-themed things. From notebooks and key chains to wallets and mugs - all with a picture of Paris or designs by a Paris designer. At least this store was tidier.

I got a couple of things. Unfortunately, I'm no longer a good bargainer. I have no concept of what is fair pricing anymore so I'm not sure what to offer but thanks to Winnie, I was able to snag some good deals.

While we were jumping from one mall to the next, I noticed there were street performers, crafts and "professional" photography on the busy streets of Mong Kok. This is familiar to anyone who's been to 16th Street in Denver or Pearl street in Boulder but it's new to me. I've never seen anyone offering entertainment on the streets mostly because it is always so crowded and I wouldn't think there's even space for any sort of entertainment.

nevertheless, I have to say that I do miss shopping in Hong Kong despite the hours of walking and crowds. Shops open till 12:00 a.m., choices of these things are endless, you can try out different small eats while you shop and the fashion is quite up-to date. You just have to have enough energy to carry everything home by the end of the day.

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Photos

Yum Cha
I went to lunch (yum cha) with my mom at a legit Chinese restaurant. These carts host a number of food and the red lettering is the menu

Christmas decoration
This was taken at a "western influenced" mall, hence the glorious amount of space

Grocery stores
It's common for grocery stores to have security sensors

Duck and chicken
Right next to the pizzas, they sold cooked chicken and duck

Sushi
Right next to the Chinese buffet is the sushi

Beer
It's sold right next to sodas and water. There's not any restriction on where to sell it and how to sell it. Just as long as you're 18 years old