TIME FOR SERIOUS SHOPPING
August 2, 2007 10 AM
HARBOUR CITY, TSIM SHA TSUI, HONG KONG

The next day, we woke up with some soreness from the cramped and cold sleeping arrangements. Stores open by 10 or 11 so there was no need to get up early except if everyone had to share one bathroom which unfortunately we had to. Monmon, Camie’s boyfriend was also due to arrive today with his parents. They will be staying in Park Lane which was only a few short blocks away. Monmon asked his parents to take a vacation in HK so he could be with Camie, and they could go to Disneyland and do couple stuff. How sweet. My aunt also came over to exchange my money. Armed with fistfuls of HKD, I can now engage myself in the serious hunt for good finds. It’s actually best to bring local currency to the country one is travelling to so as not to waste time looking for the best exchange rate. One is supposed to have sufficiently agonized over the best exchange deal back in the home country.

We decided to spend one day in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) to avoid travelling around too much and to focus our energies into exploring one place. We took the trusty MTR and barely 20 minutes later, we arrived. First stop was Harbour City. Exit A lands one right smack in the middle of Nathan Road, TST’s golden shopping mile. Take a right in the first corner and walk straight to the end where Harbour City, Hong Kong’s biggest shopping mall rises next to the sea.

Special thanks to the A-O-A Street Map, the official map of the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents which helped us navigate our way. This map is very detailed and user-friendly with highlights of major shopping areas. Best to grab one in the airport. Although one can just walk and walk and still get somewhere worth going to.
We decided to have lunch first but before that, stopped by Coach and Ralph Lauren where I again bought a shirt for my brother. I found gorgeous black stilettos in Nine West but my size was unavailable. Pity. Lunch was at Saint Alp’s Inn where we had noodles and milk tea. Food was good but nothing spectacular.

Harbour City being HK’s biggest among other shopping complexes, we would definitely need a whole afternoon to do justice to it. Almost all stores are present from luxury to fast fashion brands. As she is wont to do during shopping trips, Mel explored on her own. Nikki and Camie went off together. I tagged along after Franz.

Franz and I went to the ff shops:
1. Adidas- As always, the F managed to buy blue shirts here. I enjoyed browsing through Adidas Originals but didn’t buy anything since I don’t dress sporty anyway.
2. Zara- Franz found the sneakers he wanted at a cheaper price but didn’t buy them. I bought myself a skirt. Nothing special since Zara here was basically the same as the Philippines.
3. Balenciaga Men- I suppose the House of Balenciaga sold or licensed its name to this store selling polos and polo shirts. The price was quite cheap for a designer-branded male polo as most of the store was at least on 50% off. Here we bought shirts for our dads. Later on, we went back and Nikki and Camie bought clothes for their dads. Camie even bought identical striped shirts for her dad and Monmon. Wonder if they’ve worn them yet.
4. Louis Vuitton- Their main store was under renovation so they relocated to a few doors down. F and I had to line up since the store was filled to the brim with mainland Chinese. They were buying real LV as though the prices were that of knockoffs. F and I took a long time here since we had lined up to get in. We asked the very accommodating salesladies to show us the many different models and agreed that Epi Leather was gorgeous. Unfortunately, my LV of choice is just too prohibitive price-wise.
5. Ferrragamo, Chanel, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior, Burberry- The whole row of Harbour City facing the Canton Road is filled with luxury labels. Ferragamo had beautifully-sculpted shoes, but walking on expensive shoes in Manila is highly impractical. To justify the price, they need to be used plenty which will lead them to become scuffed and dusty. Then again, aren’t shoes supposed to get that way anyway? Marc Jacobs was nothing special at all! How come I always find beautiful things whenever I see his stuff online? Fendi and Chanel had drool-worthy and forever-in-dreams-only B and Cambon bags, respectively. Dior is always a classic, and I wish I could afford it. Franz found a heavily-discounted coat in Burberry which had a nice fit and looked good on him except it was little too large. I only regret that we weren’t able to enter Bottega Veneta, that most luxurious, elite, and discreet of all labels that it doesn’t need a name printed on its famous woven bags.

I love the way salespeople here are discreet and accommodating. They don’t get in one’s face but are standing close by in case one needs help or has questions. They also don’t discriminate on attire, age, or looks, so diametrically opposed to the snooty salesgirls in “Pretty Woman.” I suppose these HK salespeople have to be since apart from the fact that basic customer service demands such service, the noisy, unsophisticated, and newly-rich mainland Chinese who probably can’t afford to go to Europe yet is a growing market with enormous potential and money to burn.

We went to so many stores and yet we missed so much! I wasn’t even able to go to LCX where Mel saw adorable Little Prince memorabilia and other kitschy and cool stuff. One of the best things about Harbour City is their efficiently-placed Help desks with friendly customer service people. It’s hard to get lost with these trusty posts scattered everywhere, essential oases in the vast retail space.

ONWARD SOLDIER
August 2, 2007 3 PM
NATHAN ROAD, TSIM SHA TSUI, HONG KONG

Of course, the shopping doesn’t end there. We went to the Armani Exchange across the street which was bit cramped so we waited outside for F to finish browsing. He saw a great white sports jacket which he ended up not buying because it might not be so practical to buy something so expensive in white. The jacket happens to be one of two things which until now haunts our Super 0Shopper. We proceeded to Silvercord to check out Lacoste. Nikki and Camie bought identical pink sandals which felt good to the feet. Camie also bought a pair of sneakers for her brother.

We then headed back to Nathan Road to look for the Esprit Outlet and Charriol. Along the way, we saw Blustar, supposedly a sister company of Giordano which sells fun statement tees and other basics like socks and pants. We got Bert a shirt proclaiming his chief characteristic, that of Agreeableness. Franz got himself one on being a Perfectionist. They had a lot more fun descriptions like Obsessive-Compulsive, Dogmatic, Humanistic, etc.

A few stores down we entered Charriol where Camie was tasked by her relatives to buy those silver (or is it white-gold?) bracelets which are so popular with the males of my acquaintance. I debated on whether to buy one for my uncle as a thank-you for being so supportive to us but in the end, I didn’t as I was unsure if he was into those things. Here we had our first brush with unfriendly salesladies. I honestly don’t know if Camie was too indecisive, they had a long day or were just plain bitchy and sullen. We took an uncommonly long time here but at least, we were sitting.

After that bit of unpleasantness, we went off in search of Hankow Road (parallel to Nathan Road) to find the Esprit Outlet. We went about it in the opposite way and were about to give up when we saw a huge Adidas store. HK is Adidas country with the regional headquarters situated there. I personally find Adidas more appealing aesthetics-wise. Maybe Nike is more functional? There were 3 floors of pure Adidas. I was only interested in the top floor which housed Adidas Originals, the one showcasing the cactus-like logo and with more vintage and old-school influences. I got myself a toiletries kit for travel in a grey and green combination. Adorable and fresh color combinations are my favorite things about Adidas Originals. While walking around, one salesperson took my bag and said that he will put in the counter so I can shop unencumbered. How cool was that! I love shopping in HK. Those small services are what make shopping so very enjoyable. Nikki bought the same toiletry kit as mine. F got himself a blue travel bag. Mel also bought a signature plain black shoulder bag with the Adidas logo. So very classic, Mel is.

As we were leaving Adidas, someone spotted a small sign with Esprit Outlet on it. At long last, we had found it. The outlet has small lockers where one can leave one’s bags and retrieve them after shopping. All for free! Unlike here in the Philippines where everyone is regarded with suspicion, stores in HK don’t bother with a counter where one is required to leave shopping and other bags. Then again, their lack of such a counter is annoying because one has to carry all previous purchases while shopping, leading to major hassle. Small lockers or counters where one can park stuff are a blessing.

Esprit Outlet consists of 2 floors-- 1st is menswear, denim, and female casual, basement is Esprit Collection, children’s, and accessories. Shopping is made easy with a giant canvas bag where one can just throw in clothes. I took a very long time here since I wanted to make sure I checked out everything and was making the right purchases. I also bought boys’ clothes galore. I always go overboard buying clothes for my brothers abroad. I told my friends to smack me if I bought any more boys’ clothes after this. Except for a Simpson’s shirt in Bossini I wanted to get for them, I was going to stop. I found regular Esprit even on sale as expensive so I splurged here at the outlet. Nikki and Camie went off earlier to meet up with Monmon. They also took home some of our bags. Poor them as they got a bit lost in the messy TST terminal and were bogged down with so many bags.

After Esprit, Gene called and we were so tired that we decided to give up exploring the rest of TST (Granville Road, Avenue of the Stars) to meet up with her on Fortress Hill where she lived. We also got disoriented with the TST station especially with the mass of people during rush hour.

GENE’S PLACE
August 2, 2007 7 PM
FORTRESS HILL, HONG KONG

We were really hungry when we met up with Gene so she took us to a hole- in- the- wall called Congee Wonderland where we had veggies, pork, noodles, soya milk, and a delectable concoction of crisp bicho-bicho wrapped in hofan topped with peanut sauce. Ironically, we ordered a wide range of food except congee. The food was yummy, comforting, and filling—simple Cantonese cooking at its finest. We walked quite a bit to check out a couple tiangge-stall type stores selling designer overruns and supposedly an Adidas outlet which was well, disappointing. The linoleum floor and harsh bright lighting depressed me and reminded me of tacky strip malls and retail wastelands.

Gene took us to her apartment bedecked with IKEA furniture. The apartment was truly a reflection of Gene and her trademark neatness and adorable accoutrements. Franz accessed the Net to update himself on the PSE and of course, the status of his investments while we mostly sat around and chatted. Gene brought us back to the hotel via the tram (Only 2HKD anywhere and payable using the Octopus) which passes by Regal Hotel directly. With her newly-acquired domestic skills, she peeled the peaches my aunt brought yesterday. Melissa, Gene, Franz and I enjoyed that with the cherries (again, form my aunt) while resting our tired bodies.

Nikki and Camie came in much later. They showed us shots they took of each other while dining at the Spaghetti House. I was creeped out by the scary and discomfiting portraits they took of each other and Monmon. That gave us a few good laughs as well.




So ends another day of shopping. Tomorrow Camie and Monmon will be going to Disneyland. My aunt was accompanying me for the day. Nikki, Mel and F were going to explore on their own. We five all squeezed together which made for some challenging sleeping. Lucky we were all so tired.

posted by Travel Gang @ 11:46 PM Comments: 0