Let me begin by saying that I loved Hong Kong; its clean with enough green, lively till early am, not very heavy on the pocket (if you play economically, that is), shopping is abundant, public transport rocks and though language could be a problem thankfully friendly people are always around to help (except for the rude staff @ Zara store in IFC Mall).
For an overview, well it was something like this: 6 women, 4 days in HK, total 3 hours sightseeing and the remaining waking hours mostly spent travelling from one shopping hub to another.
Yup, that’s pretty much it.
I mean seriously. Just imagine being woken up at wee hours of the day, given only 20 minutes to get done with your morning business and even less for the most important meal of the day. Then being gutted with a short speech by the group leader basically specifying the number of materialistic destinations aka. malls and street markets to be covered in that given day.
Rebelling against such a schedule was futile because you see; these women were on a mission. A mission to fill up their bags to the very last inch.
Since Shopping was our main agenda, here is a list of places worth checking out when in Hong Kong.
Upper-Class Malls: Brands simply perfect for window shopping (Stella McCartney, Prada, Rolex, Dior, etc etc). Only the likes of Bachchans, the Khans and Johars can afford purchasing from such super priced boutiques. Folks like us are content with gushing over the chic mannequins placed perfectly at front.
- IFC Mall
- Pacific Place
- The Landmark
Malls featuring Affordable Brands: Names such as Mango, Zara, Armani, Gucci and the likes.
- Harbour City (A must must)
- Times Square Mall
- Festival Walk
Street Markets: Night time street markets can been found practically at every third nook and corner in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district. Frankly speaking mostly all look-alike and are really not worth the while.
However the one that really makes an impression is the day-time Stanley Market in main land Hong Kong. Very close to Ocean Park. Not only is it placed at the beautiful seafront, the surrounding area is buzzing with people enjoying themselves in poshy bars and restaurants. Expenses wise, it’s reasonable and stuffed with both branded and non-branded items.
Sight Seeing:
- The Peak: Mostly every major city in the world has something on these line, the highest point. Nothing extraordinary but the tram ride up the peak is quite decent.
- Lama Island: Just a ferry away from Central. A perfect place for dinner time but only if you are a complete sea-food fan.
To sum it all up: Hong Kong is by all means a perfect shopping destination and its people, extremely brand conscious. The city is swanky (Mainland Hong Kong) but not without its numerous dark lanes (Kowloon). Language is a slight issue but this only makes you better at sign language. The only negative aspect; if you are vegetarian, you are totally screwed.
Oh yeah, before I finish as mentioned in one of the previous post – Yours truly was fortunate enough to be a part of the Hong Kong Torch Relay which took place on 2nd May and guess what, right at my hotel’s entrance (next to Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade).
I have to admit, it was an overwhelming experience.
