"Ladies Market"

Hong Kong is known as shopping paradise for a reason! I met with Rachel at the Mong Kok station early noon to hit up the vast array of bargain stores in what is known as "Ladies Market" on Tung Choi Street. Let me say... this spot would make any girl happy. They had everything! Clothing stores, shoe stores, keychains, bags, jewelry, and whatever else you can think of. I had no idea where to begin. They even had outdoor stalls where they did gel nails and nail art for a steal of a price. For some reason, the salesladies were extremely persistent today. Not sure if it was because they can tell I'm a foreigner or that they just opened, but it came to a point where I was afraid to even touch anything. One lady held onto my hand and wouldn't let go until I forced myself away. It was kind of scary.

We went to this small, hidden restaurant to grab some Taiwanese food for lunch. I got a little overexcited when I found out they had tea there. It's been nearly a week since I last drank any, so I was going through some major withdrawals. My litchi green tea with konjac jelly tasted like heaven!! The food was good too. Especially this eggplant in spicy oil dish. It was back to Ladies Market after we finished eating, but I was extremely hesitant after seeing how pushy the salesladies here can get. We went through a few men's shoe stores, but there wasn't really any good deals. I guess ladies get most of the bargains around here. Rachel took me to another spot that was nearby that housed a bunch of boutique stores. Japanese fashion is extremely popular here, so a lot of the clothes have tags showing the item being worn by models in magazines (like ViVi). I think that's pretty clever.

I didn't purchase too much, since it was hard to move around and I couldn't think straight from the heat. I did manage to find these cool leggings that I saw earlier and got them for an awesome bargain price. I'm glad I didn't buy it the first time around. As we were walking, we passed by this cart that was selling a lot of knockoffs. Marc Jacobs being one of them. They looked like the real deal! Of course, I had to snatch up a couple items. I ended up getting a large floral tote and a mini coin purse for around US$25 after bargaining. Not bad at all. There were tons of shoe stores too and I was trying real hard to control myself, but those who know me well know that I have the biggest weakness for shoes. I did end up getting a pair of grey sandals. I have an addiction that can't be cured! I don't go to Hong Kong often so whatever...

Rachel had a family thing to attend to, so I wandered off on my own to Langham Place. Another one of the many shopping malls that are in Hong Kong. I didn't really do much browsing because I had one thing in mind that I had to get, which were the Shu Uemura eyelash curlers that a few girlfriends back home wanted me to get for them. After that I stopped by Causeway Bay to find those cheap jelly shoes I saw the other day, but had no luck. I ended up getting really lost and walking in circles. My feet were dying by the time I headed home. I did find the small alleyway of boutique stores where I saw this cute black blazer the other day. They're cheaper here than anywhere back home, so I got one. I needed a casual one anyway.

Finished off my night with the street cart noodles once again. LOVE the cheap food here.