Our last day saw us packed, breakfasted and ready for action by 10.30am. Apart from a few short, sharp showers the weather was kind to us today, in fact it was very hot, sunny and sticky which made the traipsing along Nathan Road, and through Lady's Market something of an endurance test. Our mission had been to visit records shops to buy up loads of really rare vinyl for next to nothing and to see if we could get Lily a replacement phone at a bargain price. Our first stop was the Sino Centre on Nathan Road which is the place where the cool HK kids into music and manga (and pop culture generally) go to buy their stuff. Unfortunately all the shops inside were closed when we turned up so we went instead from electronics shop to watch shop looking, alternatively, at Nokia Lumia phones and watches for Kent. It soon became apparent that the idea that HK is the place for bargains is a bit of a myth as even with haggling we weren't able to get anything we wanted even close to the prices we know we can get them for on ebay. Perhaps we just weren't trying hard enough.
Lily found a darling little make-up shop called "Etude House" and bought, amongst other things some eybebrow scissors which have a little comb attached to the blades and which she used on Kent's Denis Healey-like bushes later in the afternoon to great effect. We escaped the "charms" of Lady's Market without spending any money at all, in fact if I never walk through another Far Eastern market selling fake goods and tourist trash again it will be too soon. Lily is a bit sad that she never got the fake Rolex she wanted, but as the knob has already broken off her market-bought umbrella it's probably for the best.
After the market we went back to the Sino Centre to find most of the shops now open, but only one of them selling vinyl, and all of it priced way over what I will be selling my records at when I open the shop, the sniffy proprietor point-blank refusing to negotiate on price. You can stick your Japanese import of "Koo Koo" for $100HD where the sun don't shine Mr Record Shop Owner (actually I wish I'd bought it now as it was quite a good price, but I was annoyed at his refusal to budge on price).
After another MacDonald's lunch-time pitstop (another thing I am SOOOOO annoyed about is that on our last day in Asia we have eaten at the Golden Arches for breakfast, lunch AND dinner, it's really quite shameful) we went down to the pier to catch the Star Ferry again back over to HK island to visit "Collectables" another second-hand record shop where I eventually parted with some cash (Emmylou Harris, Alan Vega, Pete Yorn, The Lilac Time and Stephen Stills LPs since you ask). We then headed for a bar on Hollywood Street where we met up with my friend Jane. Jane and I have known each other for over 6 years but have never met face-to-face before so it was great to finally meet her, her lovely daughter and friends too.
We had a good catch-up and a good laugh and managed to get really quite pie-eyed in a very short space of time, worryingly so as we had to find our way back across the harbour, and back to our hotel to pick up luggage, shuttle bus and train to the airport. Somehow we managed it without losing a child, or a bag, or our tempers and here we are, waiting for our flight to be called. Too tired now to reflect poetically on the last 3 weeks, suffice to say it has been brilliant and we are all ever so sad it's all over. Will leave the final analyses until we get home - the kids want to do a "best / worst" list so that might be interesting.
Bye for now
Maria
Will miss your posts. you are natural born travellers. well done Harris family!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sezaloo, hope you are all having a great time on your travels too xxxx
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