Hong Kong, March 9, 2026

We stayed in Hong Kong, allowing us another day to roam the city. Yesterday was Sunday and the difference is instantly noticeable. Today, there are more people on the streets promoting their shops. Now, all stores are open.

This morning we walked from the ship to the Ladies Market. Along the way, we crossed a small park that is home to various bird species. Maria wanted to move quickly and not spend more time chasing the birds with the camera. The birds were surprisingly shy for a park. As soon as they notice a camera pointed at them, they hide. In one corner of the park, there are life-sized comic figures that people are happily taking selfies with.

The Ladies Market is a street market that should open at 11:00. However, shortly after 11:00, barely any stalls were open. So we went to a small restaurant for tea and used the restroom. The restaurant is very popular, and accordingly, seating is scarce. Thus, we had to drink our tea quickly. By the time we returned to the market, a few more stalls had opened, but a good number were still closed. The offerings are mostly from Temu and Aliexpress, so there wasn't much to see or buy.

The shops in the city center, on the other hand, sell almost exclusively top-brand merchandise. At a Gucci store, people were actually queued up, and when we passed by again after a few hours, the line was still there. There are also countless jewelry and watch shops. Even in stores that display prices for jewelry, they often reach several tens of thousands of Francs. We don't quite understand how that can work economically. Countless brand and jewelry stores often sell exactly the same items as the neighboring stores. How do such businesses survive?

Only the shops a bit further out and in side streets have genuinely affordable items, like fleece pullovers and jackets for a few Francs or brand cameras at half the price as back home (even those that still cost 2-3,000 Francs in the end).

On the way back, we took the bus and were surprised at how far we had walked. The bus did not return for another 15 minutes.

At the bus station, we noticed wanted posters on display. The police have bounties of up to 100,000 Francs for certain individuals. Quite astonishing in this surveillance society.

In our cabin, we were greeted by a surprise. The bathroom was decorated with towel figures, lights, and rose petals; the bathtub was prepared with hot water, and the bunny and Mungg were already bathing.