Places I've Been To: Mongkok

(Photo Courtesy of DiscoverHongKong.Com) Lest this be judged as a politically fueled blog post, allow me to clarify- while I do not agree with Hong Kong/China's political stance with the Philippines, I really do like travelling to their part of the world. The food, the culture, the sights, the structures, are all very vibrant, rich, decadent even. Lets keep the perspectives locked within that spectrum. Mongkok is a busy district in Kowloon West. With a population density of 130,000 person per km2 or 340,000 person per mi2 (thanks for the facts, Wikipedia), this bustling portion of Hong Kong is packed, not only with people, but with a mish mash of ultra modern and old-world buildings, shops, temples, etc. I was in Mongkok last November 2nd. I got rained on, saw a ton of clothing retail stores, got myself an iPod Classic (it was about time that I replaced my dead iPod Video...RIP kiddo), was blinded by neon lights, listened to some street performers, and saw a couple of suspicious looking ladies one would easily judge to be streetwalkers. All in all, a memorable trip to what the Guinness Book of World Records has crowned as the busiest city district in the world (this surprised me). It's a shame that Hong Kong has been laying the hammer down versus the Philippines. I mean, the 2010 Hostage Crisis was terrible. Nothing could possibly justify what the rebel army man did to those innocent tourists, but hey, enough is enough. No matter how nice Mongkok and Hong Kong are. What stinks stinks in whatever culture. MC