Mongkok (旺角)

"Mongkok preserves its traditional characteristics with an array of markets, small shops, and food stalls that have already disappeared from other areas in Hong Kong over the past several decades of economic developments. (Wikipedia)"

Mongkok (旺角) = 旺 (prosperous/crowded) + 角 (corner) = prosperous/crowded corner... Mongkok lives up to it's name. It seems to be crowded all the time, except on rainy days. I was on the way to MK when it started to rain. Oh, right, you should ALWAYS bring an umbrella with you. I had a really small one that I put in my purse at all times.

Directory on the street

In the Ladies' Market and Fa Yuen Street, you will find many small stalls. People sell clothes, toys, purses, shoes, etc. for a pretty cheap price. It's kind of like Chinatown in the States.

Ladies' Market has half a mile worth of small stalls and Fa Yuen Street seems a lot shorter.

This is the place to buy I <3 HK shirts, cheap souvenirs, phone cases... whatever you want!

Beware... most of these things are knockoffs. You'll find Beats by Dre... among other things. I don't think they're real... Also be careful about buying electronics from there. There are a lot of scammers. You might see the real thing in person, but they'll pack the fake thing in the box. People are shady. Look out for yourself!

So, yeah, I can't vouch for the quality of the things you will find, but it will be pretty cheap--as long as you're good at bargaining. If you speak English, they might jack up the prices... just because they can. Negotiate with them in English anyway!

I bought like 10 packs of HK Monopoly Deals as souvenirs... LOL. The quality of the cards was SO bad. I don't know why I didn't check before I left... -_-  Sigh.... I tried dear friends... I tried. I think price of the real thing is $90HKD. I bought 10 for like $30HKD each. I talked it down from $50HKD each... I think. It's cheaper, but it's also a knockoff. Don't forget that point.

Tip: Even if there are price stickers on certain items, you can just disregard them. Bargain, bargain, bargain!

Fa Yeun Street on a rainy day

Fa Yeun Street on a normal day

Ladies' Market... there's like a half a mile worth of stalls

Fa Yuen Street

Fa Yuen Street

Fa Yuen Street

Mongkok is packed with people all the time. I avoid it on weekends because the sidewalk is literally filled with people. You have to dodge them like crazy. It's a REALLY local place.

I was in Mongkok a lot, lol. I'm not much of a shopper. I just walked around to get familiar with the place. 

By the end of my study abroad program... I was VERY, VERY familiar with Mongkok. I could navigate this place pretty well. :D I even gave my cousins from China a tour of the place by myself.

There's no real place in Mongkok that you have to go to...

But, if you're on Fa Yeun Street, try to look for 椰汁大王 (Coconut Juice King?). They sell a coconut milk drink that's really good. They mix the meat of a old coconut (the round brown ones) with water to get milk and then blend that with some condensed milk. You could request more or less sweet. It's so good. I really miss having it. :(

It's not actually on Fa Yeun Street, but one of the streets perpendicular to it... It's diagonally across from Gong Cha (popular boba/pearl milk tea type of shop). That's the best I can do to describe the location, lOL. There's usually a small line, so you can try to look for that?

I think there are multiple locations... If I'm correct, there's one near Prince Edward.

SO GOOD.

In addition to this... there are TONS of different street food vendors!

This is a mixture of different cow organs and shu mai...

Egg waffles. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. (taro and original flavor)

I think there are street food vendors on like every corner. Just look out for them.

Hot Star - Large Fried Chicken

Please try this place if you come across one. I always get the fried squid balls. It's that thing that costs $12HKD on the menu. SO GOOD. I always get it when I walk by!

Jenn