Good day,

Today I went shopping in Hong Kong and it was amazing. I had long since heard that Hong Kong was a great place to buy electronics so I figured it would only be civilized to peruse what was available while here, yes? I was on my way to Wan Chai Computer Centre when I asked a gregarious local gent for directions and he asked me why I was going there and if I was a tourist? I said to possibly buy electronics and yes, I am a tourist.

He said that there are better places and suggested I go to Sham Shui Po which was on the red line. You must understand this was all said while waiting for the subway to arrive. When the subway did arrive I was fumbling for my phone and trying to enter notepad; I wrote down Sham Shui Po right as he was entering the train before the doors closed; I had a new mission and it was off to a place I had never heard of before…

I took the red line and was there in no time. At this point I’d like to stress that your trip really morphs for the better when you take a chance, expand your comfort zone and ask a local for their opinion. Naturally, you pick and choose whom you wish to associate with but if you’re a half decent judge of character, you’ll often be pleasantly surprised with what your new friend in transit has to say. Suffice to say I asked another gent when I arrived at the subway station where to buy electronics; he pointed to a door and away I went.

Right outside the exit was a place called the Golden Computer Shopping Centre and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. So you know, Sham Shui Po is a district in Hong Kong and it’s quickly become somewhere that I know I’ll revisit and suggest you do as well if you’d like to get a different perspective on Hong Kong. I didn’t see any tours or tourists for that matter, only local people going about their lives and vendors hawking their wares at beyond reasonable prices.

I cruised through the mall and on the top floor I found what I was looking for and more… I ended up buying everything shown above and all at very reasonable prices. Some were so shockingly low that I didn’t even bother bartering. Also, at one point I offered a gent $30 for the computer cleaning kit and he went over to see how much was, returned and said it was only $25; that was unexpected.

Following that I bought the perfect fanny pack; yes I did. You see, they are one thing worn around the waist, another if worn around your chest like rounds of ammunition. Backpacks are one thing, man purses another but a fanny pack worn over the chest keeps everything at close reach and out of harms way; even in crowded subways etc… Picking a pocket is one thing but stealing your valuables from under your nose (literally) is another. When you start carrying a few cameras, spare batteries, mobile chargers, phones and more; you need something.

After that was all said and done I decided I wanted to enjoy a bowl of soup. I ventured far and wide, bought a power bank I didn’t really need and couldn’t find any soup. That said, I’m sure I did pass many places just they had no photos of soup and the few places I did enquire told me that they didn’t serve it. That said, I was determined to get my soup so I continued on my stroll going further and further from the subway stop.

I came across another wonderful juice lady and polished off some more sugar cane; I love sugar cane and implore all of you to try some of it fresh at some point in your lives. As I wandered I crossed so many interesting sights and while I didn’t get my soup right away, I did enjoy a serious slice of Hong Kong life and I’m grateful for that. I went from the electronics district to textiles to staples… Then, finally, I came across the perfect soup.

I have no idea what the soup is called or what type of meat was in the balls but it was without a doubt one of the most delicious soups I’ve had in my life. I know how to get to the spot and hope to return to it next time I’m in town. I also ordered some morning glory and a coffee for good measure. I enjoyed every spoonful of said soup, slowly sipped my coffee and made my way back to the subway stop after thanking my friendly hosts.

I’m now in my hotel room taking care of some business and later tonight plan on going for a stroll through SoHo to see what’s happening. My short but sweet stay in Hong Kong is coming to a close and quite content how the limited time I had here was passed. I do know that this is my second time to Hong Kong and most certainly not my last. I’ve spent considerably more time in many other Asian countries but Hong Kong is quickly climbing the list for a variety of reasons.

If you come to Hong Kong, leave lots of room in your luggage; you’ll fill it.

In closing, I’d like to thank my friends at Cathay Pacific for inviting me to try their premium economy class from Toronto to Hong Kong and partake in their #lifewelltravelled campaign. If you’d like to see more stories from Hong Kong on social media, simply search for #lifewelltravelled on any top network. That said, all thoughts and opinions are mine as they always have been and always will be.

Tips hat,