Adventures in Sham Shui Po
Today, despite the rain, I made it out to Sham Shui Po. It is a district best known for its electronic market, but everything you could ever think of seems to be here. It is located in the northwestern part of the Kowloon, aka the dark side. Sham Shui Po in Cantonese means Deep Water Pier. Due to all the development and reclaiming of land, there wasn't a lot of water to be seen, other than what was falling on our heads.
Sham Shui Po was one of the earliest developed districts in Hong Kong and was once considered the commercial and industrial hub of the territory. Now it is mostly residential and street markets. The original architecture can still be seen in some really run down housing that people are still living in today. More on that in a bit. I should have known what to expect when the leader of my group thought that I was over dressed wearing a cotton dress and flip flops. Then she continued to tell me about Sham Shui Po: "You know what the Bronx was like in the 1970's? Well, its kind of like that!"
Where was I going....
Off the MTR, we walked through the electronics area. Not too many pictures as the rain picked up again. Plus, we are on to more important things.
Onward to jeweled bobbles, ribbons and buttons! Oh My!
I like how you can see the buildings in the reflection of this shot
I really liked these bib things. May have to go back and get crafty!
And this is why you don't know if your new DVF dress you got for a steal is real or not. Just come on down and buy some labels
I mean, who doesn't need a bra purse?!
And onto what the neighborhood looked like. Of the 18 districts in Hong Kong, the Sham Shui Po district is the poorest. It is a predominantly working-class population, with the lowest median household income, and has the fourth least educated residents. Many of the buildings reminded me of the buildings from New Orleans after Katrina. It was really sad that some people are still living there today.
The rounded sides on these buildings indicates original architecture from when these buildings were built in the 1950's and 60's. Doesn't sound so old, but with rain, typhoons, humidity, no insulation and no up keep for buildings that weren't built that great to begin with, this is the result. To be honest, these pictures don't even do them justice.
Thankfully this one was abandoned.
A few more stops before we headed home
No trip is complete without stopping by a temple
I leave you on a reptile note. I have been to enough wet markets that I am no longer trigger happy, but had to photograph these guys. If I hadn't looked closer, I would have thought these lil froggies were rocks.
And snakes in a jar! Apparently there are restaurants in this area dedicated to serving snake. Mmm...delicious!
Thanks Elise for a great day!
Stay tuned for my next post- Canada Day in LKF! Matt can hardly wait!
Sham Shui Po was one of the earliest developed districts in Hong Kong and was once considered the commercial and industrial hub of the territory. Now it is mostly residential and street markets. The original architecture can still be seen in some really run down housing that people are still living in today. More on that in a bit. I should have known what to expect when the leader of my group thought that I was over dressed wearing a cotton dress and flip flops. Then she continued to tell me about Sham Shui Po: "You know what the Bronx was like in the 1970's? Well, its kind of like that!"
Where was I going....
Off the MTR, we walked through the electronics area. Not too many pictures as the rain picked up again. Plus, we are on to more important things.
Onward to jeweled bobbles, ribbons and buttons! Oh My!
I mean, who doesn't need a bra purse?!
And onto what the neighborhood looked like. Of the 18 districts in Hong Kong, the Sham Shui Po district is the poorest. It is a predominantly working-class population, with the lowest median household income, and has the fourth least educated residents. Many of the buildings reminded me of the buildings from New Orleans after Katrina. It was really sad that some people are still living there today.
The rounded sides on these buildings indicates original architecture from when these buildings were built in the 1950's and 60's. Doesn't sound so old, but with rain, typhoons, humidity, no insulation and no up keep for buildings that weren't built that great to begin with, this is the result. To be honest, these pictures don't even do them justice.
Thankfully this one was abandoned.
A few more stops before we headed home
I leave you on a reptile note. I have been to enough wet markets that I am no longer trigger happy, but had to photograph these guys. If I hadn't looked closer, I would have thought these lil froggies were rocks.
Stay tuned for my next post- Canada Day in LKF! Matt can hardly wait!
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