After my
historical rambles in Hong Kong's New Territories, I took the train once more
to the two most touristy districts in my book: Mong Kok and Kowloon. In Manila,
Mong Kok and Kowloon are synonymous to Chinese restaurants, as are Wan Chai and
Aberdeen (Court). Little did I know that the names of these restaurants
originated from the different districts in Hong Kong until I travelled there.
Funny thing is, I didn't eat in any of the restaurants in Mong Kok and Kowloon.
With the exception of having some street food, I forgot to eat a proper lunch
because I was so enamoured walking and enjoying the sights.
But here I
go again, I'm getting ahead of myself. So let me begin with the time I stepped
off the MTR and into Mong Kok Station, which I found to be a very bustling
place at noontime.
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I recalled
the helpful guy at the tourist counter in the airport say that the Ladies'
Market in Mong Kok opens at noon, so that was definitely in my itinerary as
well as Sneaker Street. To do that, I got out the exit nearest Sneaker Street
and was treated with a visual delight of signs, signs, and more signs. Wow! is
the first thing that came to mind. It must look more impressive at night time
when all of them are lighted.
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| My first view of Mong Kok as I exited the station |
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| Busy-not-so-busy street. |
While it
was a Sunday and there's the underlying tranquility that goes with the day, the
tourists and locals made the general atmosphere of the place more alive. I
would have loved to stay in a corner and people watch for a while but there were no
benches to be seen so I did the next best thing: try out the street food.
Electronic
stores and massage parlors abound on one strip with a smattering of street food
stalls in between them. As I walked
along the street, I met a couple of Filipinos walking by and chatted them up
for a bit. It was fun meeting people from my own country and just getting to know them even for a short while. The couple then took me to a stall that sold
interesting-looking street food.
There were
the familiar isaw (chicken and pork intestines), fried tofu, lobster balls,
squid balls, siomai, and roasted squid on sticks. Then there's waffles, and this
bubble wrap-like pastry and most probably another kind of innards stewed in a
spicy sauce. On closer look it looked like it's the part that Filipinos cook to
make chicharon bulaklak but I'm not
entirely sure of it. Bottles of different sauces are available for each.
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| What IS that bubble wrap pastry called? It looks so yummy. (regrets, regrets) |
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| These I am more familiar with except for the one in the pan on the right. |
I don't
know why I chose the common squid balls and not the unique pastry that looked
like a bubble wrap that's shaped like a taco AND came in different flavours.
Now I'm left wondering what it tasted like. At any rate, the squid balls were
still unique as they were stewed in curry instead of fried, which is what we commonly have in the Philippines. The couple I met
suggested that I put some sauce on my curry squid balls and I chose hoisin
sauce instead of the angry-looking chili sauce that they put on theirs (they
also bought the bubble wrap pastry). One styro cup of curry squid balls cost
40HKD.Yum!
Let me just
stay that how I wished I had someone with me to share my huge serving of curry
squid balls.
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| Top view. But this is really big I almost couldn't finish it. |
After
thanking the couple, I walked on, checking out the different stores that sold
sneakers of different brands. I was so tempted to buy a pair of Adidas
Superstar in one store but the idea of lugging a shopping bag for the rest of
my day did not appeal much so just as with my decision back in Kam Tin, I put
the notion of shopping off for the next time I visit.
Everywhere
I looked, there were signs as to where a tourist can go within the district so
it was easy to get to Tung Choi Street, where Ladies' Market is located. Like I
mentioned before, no one would have a hard time getting around
Hong Kong as there are signs everywhere. Even the street signs are large enough
that one can't help but take notice of them.
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| Yep, no one would get lost with these signs. :) |
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| Now this IS a street sign! |
A large
pink sign at the entrance of Tung Choi Street described the street's history.
It's interesting to note that most of the streets in Mong Kok are named after
vegetables that were previously grown in the area after it was cleared for
development in 1924. Tung Choi means Water Spinach. The sign also stated that
much of the Street and its surrounding area's development took place between
1924 and World War 2. It was a residential area up until the 1960s when it
became a commercial district. The international oil crisis in the early '70s
paved the way for the unemployed workers to put up their own stalls along the
street, eventually bringing in the trade of inexpensive but fashionable women's
clothes and accessories which used to be in Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei.
Most of the vendors already had their wares up for sale when I arrived at Tung Choi Street. I'm glad I caught the early shopping rush as there weren't a lot of people yet.
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| The entrance at Tung Choi Street. |
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| This reminds me a lot of Carriedo St. in Quiapo, Manila |
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| Traditional Chinese blouses and dresses are sold alongside more contemporary ones in this stall. |
Strolling around Mong Kok felt very much like home. I'd like to stay longer but being on a schedule, I hied myself off to Kowloon by bus.
Or should I say, I tried. But again, since I was too shy/scared to ask around, I took the train once more, which by now felt like second nature already.
To be continued :)
Get lost with me on my Hong Kong adventures :)
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