- By A Hong Kong Visitor
No visit to Hong Kong is complete without a visit, even if you don't do any shopping, to Causeway Bay especially on lazy afternoon of weekend or Sunday, when the crowds are so thick that it's a veritable traffic jam there. In fact Causeway Bay is a hot favorite place for teenagers and tourists, in Hong Kong.
The fact that you can get cheap and exquisite stuff there has only increased its popularity. And it has something for every customer and every budget. So, if you need a steering wheel embedded with diamonds or a gold-plated cat door you'll most likely find it in Causeway Bay.
But, for the first timer, the place can be a maze that you'll get lost in. so, as a concerned citizen of the world and someone who has already gone through the experience, let me give you some advice and directions, make sure that you don't make the same mistakes that I did. The first one to catch your eye would be Times Square, at the border of Causeway Bay proper. It's the typical Hong Kong mall, crowded with international as well as local chain stores intended for the middle-class customers. There are a couple of department stores, an undersized Marks, Lane Crawford and Spencer, both of which fail to inspire.
Not only are the goods stored there overpriced, but they're also the same boring stuff that you get all over the world. So, why trot across half the globe, only to take home stuff that you can get in your neighborhood chain store. Then there is the overcrowded intersection on Hennessy Road, with the massive Sogo department store. A little further, at the end of Great George Street you can find another epicenter of Causeway Bay. Most of the children's stores are located there.
And a word of advice if you're a guy: it's better to volunteer to baby sit colicky triplets that go shopping there. But, if you can't get out of the visit, then be prepared to endure the crowds. Though Causeway Bay is the fashion center of the city and a shopper's paradise, there is little that it can offer by way of guy-friendly shopping. However, there is always the possibility that you might pick up something exotic or exquisite, during the visit.
And the best way to unwind after fighting crowds at the busiest corner of Hong Kong is to visit the lively local markets, especially at dusk when the fortunetellers and feng shui experts can be savored, with the street food and stalls selling collectibles.
