A visit to Mong Kok

Today I went to Mong Kok. Wow... I headed towards the canteen this morning with no particular plans other than to set up a bank account (that never happened) when I ran into some friends who were heading towards Fu Tai for breakfast. When we returned we ran into more friends who were going to Mong Kok with two exchange students who have been at Lingnan for a few semesters, from Canada and Australia.

We took the subway, I can't say how long it took because I forgot to look at my watch. I love the subways because:

• It's all one long compartment that's a kilometer long. I should have taken a picture, but basically imagine something like when you place two mirrors facing each other and see infinity.
• Super-duper clean and bright.
• The route for the line is displayed on the walls: the current stop lights up and so does an arrow showing which direction we're moving along the line.
  

And then we stepped out into Mong Kok.

(also: observe the crossing light in the photo above. it's the same as all of the ones around here, and i love them! maybe you can't tell, but the person is adorable! and has feet!)



Please observe a photo of my favorite sign. I also liked one I saw in the MTR station with a person tripping over a rock or something.



We took the elevator up the thirteenth floor of a shopping center. Amazing!

And then we took the escalators down.





Above is a double-decker bus. You can't see the people clearly, but I bet they're all smiling because who wouldn't be on a double-decker bus!






Unfortunately, it appears I've forgotten to take photos of the best part--wandering through the market. Four blocks long! Bags and watches (mostly boring and always fake), shirts, dresses, belts, sunglasses, toys, glass posing as jade, fans, kimonos, cell phone charms, chopsticks, toothbrush holders... And lots and lots of the most adorable things! I've never wanted to buy so much stuff in my life! And it's all so cheap!

But I contained myself. I only bought the sweetest little salt and pepper shakers (random, right? but at some point in my life I would have needed salt and pepper shakers anyway, so...). I had to haggle, and I ended up getting them for half the price she originally said, which was okay. We'd been warned that they always begin with a higher price for Westerners, so a local probably could have gotten them cheaper. But I think I did good for my first time. Probably helped that I didn't squeal with delight when I saw something I loved. And that I kept walking away.

P.S. I haven't mentioned food yet. Nothing exciting that I ate, but when we were in the FuTai shopping center this morning I saw: dried squid, dried cuttlefish, pigs' heads hung up by their snouts (I also saw these later at the school canteen, but less raw) and octopus balls (like the fish balls Ikea sells, so maybe I'll try them).