Mong Kok

The last two days I have spent a decent amount of time in an area of Kowloon called Mong Kok. This place is absolutely insane- it is the most densely populated place in the world. People literally everywhere. It is definitely not a great destination for the claustrophobic.

Mong Kok is full of markets selling anything from bogus Kobe Jerseys, to HK souvenirs, to any kind of jewelry you can imagine. What's really cool about shopping here, though (other than the fact that I bought an awesome Notre Dame snap back for about 5 dollars) is the fact that all prices are negotiable. The original price of my hat was about 25 dollars, but I was able to talk the lady down to a more "reasonable" price. It's a really great place to practice your negotiation skills- if you're a fan of garage sales or Pawn Stars and you don't mind getting bumped into every now and then, Mong Kok is the place for you.

Mong Kok is also the place to buy crazy kabobs from street vendors. I haven't worked up the courage to try the intestines quite yet, but I'm sure I will give it a whirl before I leave.

As I walk around the congested areas- which is essentially everywhere, I am constantly amazed at how efficient this city is. From the queuing line at fast food restaurants, to the subways that move thousands of people at every stop, to the massive sky scrapers, it is amazing to see how the people of HK have adapted to their environment and surroundings to accommodate 7 million people living in 30 square miles.

Seeing how Hong Kong has adapted to their space premium issue constantly reminds me of an old saying that my Dad told me my grandpa used to say referring to being dealt a bad hand in life

"when you learn how to play with those cards, we will give you some new ones."

Hong Kong may have been dealt an unfortunate hand as far as space and land is concerned. But spending even a few days in this city, it becomes abundantly clear that they know how to play their cards right, and it is beautiful to see the brilliance of which humanity is capable.