I’m sure that at one point or another, you have come across a picture of Hong Kong whether in a book, postcard or in a particular website that you are surfing.  These photos are usually captures of the big, bold, neon signs with hordes of tourists appearing on the foreground.  More often than not, photos like these were either taken along the famous Nathan Road or taken in colorful Mongkok, a popular night market in Hong Kong and one of the highly populated districts in the city.

Mongkok actually means “busy corner” in Cantonese and Mongkok is exactly that.  True enough, this place is always packed and full of vibrant activities that are happening at every turn.  Aside from neon lights, it is also characterized by towering skyscrapers that will leave any first-time visitor open-mouthed in awe.

Mongkok is located in the throbbing island of Kowloon and it is a place that literally does not seem to sleep.  You can reach Mongkok by taking various forms of transportation like taxi cabs, buses or the ever reliable MTR.  It is served by both the MTR Prince Edward Red Line and the Kwun Tong Green Line.  It is always busy with vendors who are offering their wares to passing tourists.  Boutiques are lined one after another along the streets with street vendors who are always inviting you to come in to look around.

Even if it has a reputation of being the secret hangout place of various groups involved in several illegal operations like gambling, etc, this does not seem to make anyone keep their distance from Mongkok.  On the contrary, it is jammed with so many people that most of the time it gets pretty difficult to move along the street or even transfer to the other side.   The younger crowd of Hong Kong can also be seen in groups hanging out in some cafes or food stalls.

You can head to Mongkok’s famous streets like the Ladies’ Market or Women’s Street, Sports Street, Goldfish Street that sell specialized mixes of merchandise that are absolutely perfect for your shopping cravings no matter what your budget is.  The Bird Garden is also worthy of a visit.  It is where you can see a lot of interesting birds that are in lovely cages.  Most of the shops in these streets open at 10:00 in the morning and close at around 6:00 pm.

If you are the techie type then you can pass time at the Mongkok Computer Centre which is a couple of floors of shops that sell various electronics like mobile phones, mobile phone accessories, computers, laptops, computer accessories, cameras, MP3 or MP4 players, supplies etc.  This is known to be a place where you can really get great bargains when it comes to electronics.  You will find the Mongkok Computer Centre on Nelson Street and it is close to the Ladies Market and Goldfish Street.

Mongkok is also popular among groups of people who are into airsoft, a modern form of combat that is a popular form of hobby. There are a multitude of stores that are lined up in one entire block.  There are airsoft guns of various models, accessories, airsoft gear, uniforms, etc.

No shopping area would be complete without having a yummy solution to a grumbling stomach.  Mongkok is a complete shopping destination in the sense that you will also find tasty food items when you start feeling hungry.  Come to think of it, lengthy walks in Mongkok will really tire you and make you look for some sustenance.  There are restaurants that serve a fusion of cuisines like Italian, Mexican, Thai and many others.  But it is also a great idea to try the food booths which you will find in almost every curb.  These serve different dishes that fall under the fast food category in Hong Kong.  If you don’t have much time to spare or if you do not want to be disturbed from shopping for too long then these food booths are the way to go.   You can try small pieces of food in skewers that are usually fried, fish balls, different dim sum, seafood and noodle toppings.  My favorite would have to be the lobster balls!  These quick bites sell for only HK$ 8 for a stick.  Now, isn’t that a steal? Because of the popularity of these food stalls, be prepared to share your table with other diners.  Who knows?  You just might win a friend as a bonus.

Looking for a place to stay in Hong Kong?  If you thrive among crowds and lots of bright, glittering lights then you will enjoy staying in any of the hotels that are located in Mongkok.  One great pick would be the Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong which is five-star hotel conveniently located in the middle of Mongkok near the Mongkok MTR Station.  The perk of staying at this classy hotel is that you get transported to a shopping mecca as soon as you step out of the hotel’s grand doors.  Who could say no to that?

Posted in Hong Kong, Things to do

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Hong Kong, Things to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.