Mong Kok : Haggling the Chinese Way

                   The last stop in our Hong Kong trip was Mong kok. After enjoying the view of the Hong Kong skyscapers from the Peak we rushed to the famous shopping area via the MTR. We alloted enough time for shopping for souvenirs and "pasalubongs"(gifts) for friends and families . Mong kok  resembles Greenhills in Manila and maybe most markets in Asia ,but still with a twist. For me ,one of the distinctive aspects of the place was the haggling part. The vendors were more aggresive and the whole procedure of haggling was hilarious. Anna wanted to buy keychains for "pasalubong" so we checked out one of the stalls. Anna asked for the price and the asking price was HK$120, Overpricing ! She checked other items instead (feigning disinterest in the first one). At this point the haggling officially began. The moment Anna picked up another item the price of the key chain began dropping, “100″, offered the vendor. Anna ignored her and looked away . “Okay….okay…Filipina you want cheaper?” (by the way they addressed both Anna and I Filipina). “Ninety”, the price dropped again , still we started walking away. One step you make is equivalent to HK$20-decrease in price, “70 !”, the vendor shouted as she was chasing us and was trying to grasp Anna’s hand. “Okay…okay…how much you wanna pay? Tell me !..tell me !”. Anna was only paying HK$35. “Forty”, the vendor almost begged. In the end Anna got two sets of keychains for HK$35 each. On to the next stall. This time around Anna’s haggling talent already had a track record. Since we were in a rush as it was already noontime we decided to cut to the chase. We approached vendor number 2. “How much?”, while pointing to the item. One of the things I’ve learned from this trip to a non-English speaking country is to communicate with the locals using phrases or words only, with the help of course of sign language. Speaking in straight English will just confuse them, what is important is they hear the key words or phrases. “One hundred !”, the vendor answered. “Thirty !” we said. “Get Out!”, the vendor screamed. We were stunned. Though embarrassed , we dashed away laughing at ourselves and at the experience. We pondered afterwards that maybe she was gonna sell the items at the price we’re willing to pay  had we followed the procedure.

                                

The Peak, Hong Kong

                 On our last day in Hong Kong our first stop was The Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong island. We had already figured out how to get there as a result of the previous day’s misadventure when we took the wrong tram and ended up somewhere else.It turned out that there's a specially designated tram that takes tourists to the Peak and its station is near the HSBC building in Central, Hong Kong.Before the tram arrived we had our pictures taken at the tram terminus where an old tram and a machine of some sort that probably ran the tram in the early days were on display. The fare was a lot more expensive compared to the HK$2-regular tram , but it’s worth it because it offered a different kind of ride. The way up to The Peak was so steep , it looked like a 45-degree slope. Every now and then on our way up, the tram would halt leaving us practically hanging. The thought of the tram sliding off the mountain scared the wimp out of me. Although based on records there has been no reported accidents from the time it started operating more than a hundred years ago .   

           We got to The Peak unscathed. We went inside the Peak Tower which is basically a mall. There was a nice souvenir shop full of interesting trinkets. I liked the items a lot for "pasalubongs"( gift ) but they’re expensive so I decided to do the shopping in Mong Kok which would be our next stop anyway. Aside from souvenir shops there were also fancy restaurants at The Peak Tower. The Madame Tussauds wax museum was also located there. The ticket to the museum was ridiculously expensive. I don’t get why one would pay HK$185 to see wax figures of celibrities. No freakin’ way ! I just had my photo taken beside Pierce Brosnan’s figure displayed outside. Visitors could also go up to the viewing deck for an additional fee to get a glipmse of the harbor and the skyscrapers below. “Puritas” or poor tourists like us just contented ourselves with doing the sightseeing at a lower level outside the Peak Tower. The view was spectacular. Hundreds of tall glass buildings , gleaming under the sun made it look futuristic. I had not seen anything like it. I felt like I had been assigned to watch over the  goings-on of a modern world beneath.

Victoria harbor : The Symphony of Lights Show

        
                 The skyscrapers of Hong Kong are the stars of the Symphony of Lights Show. I had read that the best place to watch it from was at Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. In that area you can also visit the Avenue of Stars which is Hong Kong’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Along the avenue ,which is facing the ocean, you can find hand imprints of local celebrities. While waiting for the show to start we searched for what could probably be the most famous hand imprints  we could find, that of Jackie Chan’s. We found not just Jackie Chan’s hand imprints but also Jet Li’s. It’s interesting to note that both gentlemen have small hands. The show started at exactly 8pm. The buildings were emitting colorful neonlights, lasers and all sorts of light effects that seemed to be dancing to the music played in the background. We could also hear a narration in Mandarin or maybe Cantonese, I’m not sure ( how could I tell? ). The show lasted for less than 20 minutes. It was kind’a disappointing that there weren’t that many buildings that participated but still it’s one of a kind show. I was also disappointed that while we were at the harbour we only saw one junk, a traditional Chinese boat with its signature sail.

          After a full-day itinerary we ran out of camera batteries so we failed to take as many pictures as we had wanted. Even with a number of letdowns, I was still happy and in awe of the sights.I regret not having gone there at daytime as the view would have been wonderful as well. We forgot that somewhere in that area was the famous clock tower of Hong Kong , I don’t know why we just lingered at one area on the avenue while waiting for the show to start.
         It was time then to call it a night , so we headed back to where we stayed and had late dinner again.