Tsim Sa Tsui

Hong Kong, November 2012

Arriving early for a series of long meetings in Hong Kong, I decided to spend a night in Kowloon and use some free time early the next day to walk around the Tsim Sa Tsui area just randomly taking photos of the streets and establishments.

Hong Kong, November 2012

Tsim Sa Tsui is one of the main shopping areas of southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tourism is a major industry and the area has the highest concentration of hotels in Hong Kong ,with many shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. Many of the museums in the territory are also located in Tsim Sa Tsui.

Hong Kong, November 2012

But I was no tourist. I chose a modest hotel near the corner of Kimberley Street and Nathan Road so that I will have access by foot to most of the shops (I just wanted to check out cameras and laptops) and familiar food like hamburgers or pizza in case I get tired of Chinese food sooner.

Hong Kong, November 2012

I decided to walk around the area early in the morning when there were less people on the sidewalks and the shops were just about to open and thus there was less chance of me annoying somebody with my camera or capturing unnecessary images of people in my photos. Plus, of course, I need the exercise.

Hong Kong, November 2012

After a short walk around the neighborhood, I had a cup of coffee at McDonald’s then found myself trying to drive a hard bargain with a Hong Kong man for a wide-macro converter for my lens. I thought that was a good strategy coming early to the camera shop. Chinese traders are often hesitant to let go of their first potential customer for the day thus they are more willing to haggle. And so after haggling hard with a shop assistant, the shop owner joined the fray and, in the end, we agreed on a price. They have sold their first item for the day and I was able to cut off around a thousand HK Dollars from their original price. But, as I walked away with the wide-macro converter attached to my lens I still wondered if it was indeed a good bargain since haggling is part of the daily life at Tsim Sa Tsui.

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