Today we headed down to the Kowloon District of Hong Kong, to do some shopping in the Ladies Market. We wanted to see if we could pick up some souvenirs and see what else we could see. Click on the picture above to see more photos of our day out shopping.
The ladies market is a few blocks long of streets that have been closed off to traffic, and little tents have been set up to sell trinkets and knock-off watches and hand bags to passers by, usually tourists like us. “Copy watch for you?” “Gucci, Prada bag for you?” It was fun to see all that was for sale, but at the same time, it was sad to see the poor people trying to sell us stuff. There were also legless beggars and deformed people asking for money as they dragged themselves along the roadside. Pitiful is the only way to describe the beggars, and we were once again reminded of just how blessed we are.
The game to play in all these street markets is to haggle. Haggling is something that neither of us do very well. We end up feeling sorry for the people! I’ve heard that if you don’t haggle the price down, you’ll be getting ripped off, and you’ll be offending the sellers. I’m sure that’s true, but when something costs either 10 dollars or 5 dollars, is haggling even necessary?
The trouble is, if you show any interest at all in an object, even to ask its price, they latch on to you and quote you a price. If you say that you are not interested in it, they assume you are trying to wheel and deal and quote a lower price and go after you. The “hassle free” shopping experience in Asia is non-existent! When you walk away, they yell even lower prices, hoping to get you to come back. It’s sad, a ploy, and embarrassing, all at the same time.
For example, we bought a trinket from a girl, but she originally offered us the price of 190 Hong Kong dollars. We didn’t want to pay more than 10 U.S. dollars for it, or 80 Hong Kong. She came down to 160, and we started to walk away, genuinely not wanting to pay that price and happy to let her sell it to someone else for 160. But, she yelled out a lower price and then lower. We came back with 90. She asked us to please come up at least a little more. “Just a little more, a little more.” Her voice was sad and pleading, as if to say “I need this money to feed my kids.” It was either a good ploy, practiced over and over to us white skinned tourists, or she was genuine. We said, “That’s okay, we don’t need it that badly,” and turned to leave. That’s when she gave in and sold it to us for 90.
At first, I was glad to not be “taken” for something that probably didn’t cost her much at all. But then I thought about how much I have versus how little they have. I earn thousands of Hong Kong dollars a month, and am working to not overpay for something in the market by 10 bucks. Would her kids be hungrier because I was so stubborn? Am I just crazy? Maybe I should have given that 10 extra bucks to the beggars we passed. I guess in the end, the lady didn’t have to sell us the trinket, she could sell it to someone else, but in the end, making 90 dollars was better than none at all, I suppose.
We went by the Jade market, where there were lots of things made out of Jade. We didn’t buy any of it, because Laura read that if you don’t know your Jade, then best not to pay too much for it, because fakes abound.
We then headed down to the old YMCA hotel in the heart of Hong Kong. It was neat to see because I remember staying there years ago, in 1984, on our last trip out of Indonesia, heading back to the U.S. for the last time.
Finally, we headed up to Temple street, to the markets there to see what we could see. Again, they close off streets and set up shops so that people (more locals here than at the ladies market) can buy almost anything they want. We finished up with dinner at the Spaghetti House for some pasta dinner.
Going downtown here in Hong Kong is always amazing and my pictures never do the city justice. The sounds, the smells, the shear volume of people, the neon signs, the busses, the traffic, the heat, the sweat, to even the condensation from air conditioners high above dripping water onto the sidewalks below. The crowds on the MTR can be stifling or relaxing. The food can be great or scary. The air can be cool and clear or smoggy and thick. But whatever this city is, it will always remain amazing and there will always be something new to discover about it, with each visit. I’m taking away a lot of memories from Hong Kong and truly hope that someday, you to will get to come here and visit this amazing city.
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