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A bargain in any language
© St. Petersburg Times published January 12, 2003 KOWLOON -- The Temple Street Night Market, in this crammed Hong Kong suburb on the Chinese mainland, is a downscale experience attended more by locals than tourists. Shoppers can buy produce or a quick meal, a pirated CD or a leather belt, kitchen items or cigarette pack-sized video cameras. The vendors speak enough English to allow for haggling over prices, or they use the universal language of the handheld calculator: Buyer points to an item, seller types in price on the calculator. Buyer shakes head and takes calculator, typing in too-low counteroffer. Seller looks surprised, or maybe offended, and types in his counteroffer. Compromise is reached. On my visit last month, I bought the following items; prices are in U.S. dollars (if you received a gift from me after I returned, have the good taste to stop reading now): Silk tie ($3); leather belt (customer's choice of buckles, $5.25); souvenir T-shirt ($3); battery-operated wristwatch with a wooden face ($5); embroidered-silk pillow cases ($2.50). Also displayed on Temple Street and on Nathan Street a few blocks away are pirated CDs ($4.65) with such interesting phonetic mistakes in the titles as Hello Litter Girl, by the Beatles, and Put Your Hand on My Shoulder, by Paul Anka. Here, too, are pirated DVDs ($4.65, three for $12.60). Beyond the copyright holders not getting their royalties, potential buyers should be aware that the DVD will not work in U.S.-purchased players unless the machines contain software that allows for changing the region of viewing. Even with this capability, the player may limit the number of times it can switch away from and back to the North American region. The Night Market also is the place for the famed knockoffs of brand-name watches. Not wanting anything too gaudy, I selected a simple yet pretentious Rolex Submariner, self-winding and stamped on the band "Swiss made." I paid $24. If you see me wearing it, please don't comment loudly about its authenticity.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times Travel page
From the AP |
