444th entry
Saw this from Strait Time before and now found these on asiaone travel website.
Hongkong
- Fa Yuen Street
Make your first stop the nameless No. 145 shop with stashes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Jeans overruns for HK$40-HK$80 (S$8-S$16) and sweaters for HK$150. Other cheap finds excavated along the street: Diesel, Miss Sixty, True Religion, Marc Jacobs, MaxMara and Seven jeans. Only hitch: No trying on, and limited sizes available.
- Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau
If designer togs are your thing, make a trip to this cluster of outlets housed in flatted factory buildings. Drop in at Lane Crawford Warehouse (25F) for Kate Spade bags and Theory shirts, Space (Room 2F) for Helmut Lang and Prada clothes, and Joyce Boutique (2102) for Coach bags and Jil Sander suits.
- Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong's biggest shopping centre is a vast temple complex to the island's chief deity: consumerism. It has about 700 shops, including 50 restaurants, two cinemas, a 65,000-sq ft Lane Crawford flagship and boutiques like D&G and Burberry. There are 20 roving 'customer care ambassadors' helping anyone who is lost, a baggage drop for tourists doing last-minute buying on their way to the airport and a hotline for complaints.
Bangkok
- Soi Lalai Sup, off Silom Road, near Saladaeng BTS Station. (Near the Bangkok Bank Headquarters)
Soi Lalai Sup, smack in the heart of the business district, literally means the 'money disappearing' alley. If you've ever wondered where all those snappily-dressed office ladies get their outfits, chances are, they bought them here. The alley is a moving smorgasbord of stalls which changes every couple of hours, catering mainly to working women squeezing errands into their lunch breaks. There is a moving feast of Old Navy and Gap overruns in bins, moo tod (peppery fried pork) in plastic bags, Hello Kitty accessories, Carter's baby clothes, plum-sized lychees from Chiangmai, and the best fried chicken I've ever tasted. Open only on weekdays from 11am to 2pm.
- Pratunam Market, at the intersection of Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi roads.
Tell your cab driver to head towards the Amari Watergate Hotel or Indra Regent Hotel and get off at Baiyoke Garment Centre. If you see something you like within the cavernous corridors here, buy it. It's probably not going to be cheaper anywhere else. Street vendors and MBK shopkeepers buy their stock at the numerous wholesaler outlets here, as well as at the further-flung Bobae Market. Denim capris go for 150 baht, tote bags for 100 baht, 'cashmere' pashminas for 500 baht. But you have to buy at least three to six pieces, so it's good to go with a large carry-all and a pack of friends. But low prices come with low quality. Wear comfy shoes.
Taipei
- Taipei 101, 45 Shihfu Road, Hsin Yi District
The tallest building in the world with its 101 storeys and observatory has edged out Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall as the city's most iconic building these days. It boasts upmarket shops - like Lagerfeld, Miu Miu, Tara Jamon and Kenzo - and sleek mid-air walkways connecting it and surrounding buildings like New York New York, Warner Village and World Trade Centre. A must-visit for tourists, especially during bad weather.
- Shilin Night Market, Chung Shan North Road, near Jiantan MRT station
Taipei is not known as the gourmet capital of Asia for nothing. Eat your way through its biggest and oldest night market cheek by jowl with the locals. The maze of stalls sell everything from scarves to sports shoes to sour plums. Well worth trying are its world-famous XXXL fried chicken slabs, squid stew, clam omelettes, knife-sliced noodles, pork kidney soup and chilli sauce dumplings. The carnival atmosphere includes games like trying to catch a goldfish (the prize) using a tissue paper net and shooting plastic cans with air rifles.
- Hsimenting, 116 Han Chung Street
Once you exit Hsimen MRT station, follow the neon lights. This popular students' hangout screams youth, low prices and counter-culture fashion. Trendy cafes, tattoo parlours and shops selling a jungle of phone accessories, bovver boots, cult clothing and skateboards boom the latest dance or hip hop track. It is also home to the Eslite Hsimenting mall, carrying brands like Roots, Shoex and Bauhaus. The entertainment district is also a well-known cruising area for older gay men, whom the Taiwanese call guai shushu or guai yeye (which literally translates to strange uncle or strange grandfather).
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