Trippy Sham Shui Po

This is another one of my rehashed posts during my stay in Hong Kong some two years ago.

Sham Shui Po is one of my favorite spots in Hong Kong, and Je's as well. It is a very unpretentious shopping place, kind of reminds me of Raon in Quiapo and Tutuban. Being a bit notorious for looking quite decrepit and for having pickpockets, it took me some time before I finally decided to go to this place. I was impressed with what I saw that I wrote about it in my Multiply account. About a month later, Je came over to Hong Kong and asked to be brought to Sham Shui Po.

It is worth visiting, and like we all know, some precious things can actually be found in trash.

TRIPPY SHAM SHUI PO
from my Multiply Account
posted on June 17, 2007

Sham Shui Po is not for the faint-hearted tourist. The place is quite similar to Tutuban – wholesale clothes shops, beads shops and the like – except that in Sham Shui Po, the whole stretch of a street named Apliu is one big flea market. Everything is just there. Phones, antiques (one can actually find a defective but genuine Omega pocketwatch amidst the junk), hardware, shoes, bags, audio stuff, remotes. It’s up to the buyer to tell whether the items are genuine or paste. But like the saying goes, there’s always treasure in trash.

Parallel to Apliu St. is Cheung Sha Wan St., where the clothes shops are. (I didn’t find most of the designs to my liking though.) Further north is a haven for geeks, the Golden Computer Centre. Should one go hungry, he can go the opposite way and find a streetful of fruits, noodles, meat, vegetables, and chicken and duck feet. Walk further and one will see a good number of well-stocked beads shops, more than enough to satisfy the ladies’ DIY cravings.



I did not see too many tourists during the few times that I was there. I read somewhere that there are quite a number of pickpockets in the area. Then again, I’ve been in places far worse. By far, the tenet that has worked best for me when shopping is never get too excited to spend hard-earned money like a fiend. Watch it though when you’re in Sham, you might just be overcome by excitement.