Hong Kong 2006: Shopping

Today was the dedicated shopping day. We wanted to get the shopping done early so that we wouldn't have to worry about it last minute. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, Hong Kong is a shopaholic's dream. Every brand name retail store in the world can be found here in this city. Prices aren't as cheap as they used to be since the value of the US dollar has declined. Bargainhunters should take note that the sale season is around June and October.

First things first, we had to purchase an Octopus card to save on public transportation. The transit system in Hong Kong is called the MTR. The cost of your fare is calculated based on the distance of your journey. The MTR is very similar in design and structure to the London Underground. It's amazingly clean for a city that's so dense in population.


We immediately headed over to one of our favorite stores, MUJI, a Japanese retail company that specializes in household goods. I first discovered this store while I was studying abroad in London in 1999. At the time, MUJI's product line included stationery supplies and a small clothing line. Now, they sell food items, kitchenware, household goods, and furniture in addition to their expansive line of office supplies and clothing for men and women.

We spent about three hours in the store, making sure to inspect every square inch so that we would not miss a single item. We stay so long that the security guard was getting suspicious so I decided not to take any pictures. Finally, we checked out at around 4pm and headed over to the other stores.

At one point of the evening we ended up at some high-end supermarket and found this:

Japanese square watermelon. Amazing!

All this amazing gourmet food was making us hungry. We headed over to an organic vegetarian restaurant in Causeway Bay, Kung Tak Lam Shanghai Vegetarian Cuisine.


The dishes here are served dim sum style. Unfortunately, it was just the two of us at dinner today so we were not able to sample a lot of the food that had to offer. Here are the dishes that we ordered.


1. Shredded "Chicken" with Green Bean Sheet - This didn't taste very much like chicken but it was still very good. It's very much like a cold noodle salad.
2. Broiled Eggplant Rolls - These rolls were more deep-fried than broiled. It was a little greasy for a vegetarian dish, especially when accompanied by the chunky tomato-based sauce.
3. Vegetarian "Ham" Rolls wlth Bok Choy - This dish was unforgettable. I love mock meat and this dish did not disappoint. Root vegetables are wrapped with mock ham in a sheet of seaweed and smothered in a sweet sauce. Delicious!

After dinner, we headed over to Mong Kok where all the young hipsters hang out at night.

A familiar sight: Mr Softee, HK style

Apparently, Mong Kok is the place to shop for their rock-bottom prices. We ended up at a shopping arcade. I think it might've been called the Argyle Centre. There must've been at least 100 mini-stores or stalls inside the mall. It was great! We stayed there until the shops closed at 2am.


1. Mong Kok streets at 2am on a Tuesday morning.
2. A large crowd gathering around a storefront to catch a glimpse of the newly released DVD of Slither

New York is known as the city that never sleeps. I beg to differ. Hong Kong is just like New York but five times as intense. The streets are packed at all times. Retails stores are opened until 2am, some till 4am. A lot of the best local restaurants are open 24 hrs. It's awesome!

Still, I love New York.

Next up: Sightseeing