Hong Kong Travels: Phone shopping at Mong Kok's Sin Tat Plaza

We set out to the mecca of mobile phones to pick out a phone. Similar to the computer centers here in Hong Kong, this was another building with booths and booths of vendors pining for the attention of every passerby.

Shopping in Hong Kong is not for the weak-hearted, weak-willed or the ill-prepared. The place has 4 stories filled with booths no bigger than 50 sq ft. The booths are all filled with similar model cell phones and don't expect for the vendors to provide you with detailed or knowledgeable recommendations. Most of them are just trying to make a quick buck and watch for the bottom line.

We took a short break in between to eat at a nearby restaurant while clearing our heads. After a delicious chicken over rice and mongolian beef in a clay pot (not quite what they call it through), we set up our tackle plan.

We decided we'll go for a simple phone that 1) allows me to receive/send messages and take photos, 2) is not a China-made brand, and 3) does not cost more than US$100. Even with all this planning, things still took another 2 hours as some stores had cheaper "water products" that were not guaranteed but I'd get more for my money. I ended up picking a Samsung new (but old style) phone. I was exhausted by the end and could barely bargain...

It was a draining experience. Also note that lots of people were smoking in there and there wasn't good ventilation so by the end of the trip, our eyes were hurting. As I mentioned, it's not for the weak-willed or ill-prepared.

Note to self: I'll definitely be better prepared next time.