Dear Vicky: Mong Kok
Don’t Be So Juvenile!
I had a long day last Friday, at the end of which I was down with a fever. So I slept for 36 hours straight and it was Sunday all of a sudden. Funny how time works, eh?
Anyway, I’ve recovered to the extent that I could, and I am posting again.
Mong Kok. It is the most Hong Kong that Hong Kong can be. It is the antidote to the glamourous mess that is Central. If Hong Kong is comprised of movie genres, Mong Kok is film noir. Many of Hong Kong’s crime movies were set there. Hong Kong is one of the world’s most densely populated cities in the world, and Mong Kok is the most densely populated district in Hong Kong.
You don’t need a map to navigate Mong Kok. You’d be pushed to where the crowd goes. But if you do want to visit Mong Kok, I can offer some training programmes to help you walk through the crowds and find whatever you want to see.
I: Know where you are going.
II: Be decisive and agile.
III: The rest of the training is paywalled.
Get in touch if you want the rest of the training.
On to the photos.
I missed the golden age of Hong Kong neon signs, but the number of lightboxes is still impressive.
This stunt is done by pros. Don’t attempt this by yourself. You might get trampled.
If you want the real Mong Kok experience, you gotta try the minibuses. For a small fare, you get the experience of a bus, taxi, rollercoaster, and if you are lucky enough, a ferris wheel. All minibuses are equipped with a speed limit warning system, when the vehicle goes beyond 80kmph, it starts beeping. Most drivers take the it as a challenge. I’ve seen ladies doing their makeups on these lunatic buses. Talk about steady hands? These ladies will put to shame the world’s best brain surgeons.
Thanks again for coming on the ride. Seriously, contact me for the rest of the training. It’ll be worth your while. That’s an 18% grey promise.
Quite lovely images. Nice to see Hong Kong in black and white.
You always find such great shadows and light. Glad you’re on the mend!