The adventure for the day was a visit to Kowloon. The first stop was the Jade Market. It’s the most wheeling and dealing we’ve done since we’ve been here. I would have loved to take pictures, but like I’ve said before, when you take out your camera at the local markets, the prices go up 40%. The place was a covered indoor market of small stalls with vendors who give you a run for your money. All the shopping guides I read said to offer about half the asking price and then bargain from there. It’s kind of a sport, really. I’m glad Tom was with us because he’s a great negotiator. We bought some really beautiful jewelry for gifts, and Katie and I got necklaces and Maggie bought a bracelet.
After the Jade Market, we went to the market in Sham Shui Po. They call it the “electronics market” but it’s really the “guy’s market.” The streets are lined with stores selling computers, cell phones, cameras, walkie-talkies, tiny video surveillance cameras and stereo components. Talk about sensory overload! Tom took some time to check out a new Samsung digital video camera that uses an internal 1-gigabite storage drive to record on. The prices were pretty good, but he’s going to think about it before making a major purchase.
Since, as I mentioned yesterday, it was a million degrees with 2000% humidity we took refuge in the Dragon Center, a mall just around the corner. THIS is where the locals go. They had lots of tiny little shops, some maybe only 4 feet by 6 feet where people were selling everything from bras and t-shirts, to handmade shoes to booths where you could get pedicures. Really, it’s capitalism at its best. Just amazing. They had a booth for lease. Maybe Tom, the girls and I could stay and start a small business. . . a REALLY small business. Ok, maybe not.
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