Pearls, Central, Arts and Crafts

We're slowly running out of things to do in HK. Having two full weeks here has meant that we can explore at a leisurely pace, and fit in family obligations, without feeling rushed.

We headed to Tsim Sha Tsui this morning, to pick up some pearls that we had bought. My uncle knows the owner of Rebacca Shop, a jewelry store in Harbour City. Earlier in the week, we paid her a visit to see her selection of pearls, and more importantly, her prices. The value of gemstones, jade, pearls, etc. all seem extremely variable and arbitrary to me, based on taste, popular sentiment and marketing, rather than any intrinsic rarity or value. It's impossible to walk anywhere in Hong Kong without seeing a Chow Tai Fook, Lukfook or other jewellery store. What's amazing is that there are often two or three branches of the same chain on the same corner. For fun, we walked into some some of them and inquired about the pearl necklaces. We were immediately served a beverage and made to feel at home. The selection is just astounding: strand after strand of pearls in all shades of cream and pink, and the more exotic black, iridescent green and the rare gold. Anyway, I think we got a good deal from Rebacca Shop, but it's impossible to know for sure.

The people in the store directed us to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao in the mall for lunch. Again, despite the restaurant being in a mall, and despite it being part of a chain, the food was excellent. I don't remember what we had, but it was good.

We decided to wander around SoHo and the Midlevels for the rest of the day. We took the escalator halfway up, then walked down the hilly streets, stopping along various stores and streets. There are a bunch of stalls selling fruit, dried goods, wet goods (e.g. seafood) and knick-knacks. We spent some time in Chinese Arts and Crafts, which I had previously visited the last time I was in Hong Kong. I wanted Flick to see some of the amazing carvings and jade. Upstairs, we spent a long time with several sales clerks deciding whether to purchase any of the cashmere scarves (on sale) or not. They also had some beautiful silk table runners in bright, rainbow and fluorescent designs. Ultimately, we decided not to and take our changes in Shanghai.

Only one more day left in Hong Kong before the next leg of our journey!