298 Computer Zone.

After the usual breakfast and a quick trip on the MTR to Wan Chi Station, but this time not for the Wan Chi Computer Centre, but for the planned visit to a new one for me, the 298 Computer Zone.

Leaving the station onto Hennessy Road, which is one of the always-busy main roads on Hong Kong Island. Yes, I mean it. It's so busy at times that even long-haul buses avoid it, and I have seen it as a car park on two occasions.

Not that this is a problem for me, as me being me, I was always planning to walk from the station to the computer zone.

My destination is located at 298 Hennessy Road, funny that given the place is called "298 Computer Zone", and a check on the map showed it to be not too far from the Wan Chi MTR Station.

And yes, I did get turned around on Hennessy Road and almost ended up at the wrong end of the street from my destination. Oh well, it happens, so after actually getting myself oriented, I headed down Hennessy Road, this time in the right direction.

Even after my directional issue, the walk from Wan Chi MTR is easy, being under 1KM, flat and lined with many shops, so if hydration is needed, and believe me, it is given the Hong Kong summer furnace, you are all good.

Getting to the Computer Zone, the first thing I noted was that there was only an escalator going up into the centre, but nothing coming back, not even any stairs. Interesting, but not a problem, as I will figure out how to get out later.

Getting to the first level, it looked just like some of the other centres I had visited, the usual collection of small shops, but this time it looked more like someplace the locals, rather than tourists, would visit, in other words, promising.

It was pretty early in the day, so not everything was fully open, plus there were very few people looking around. It seems like this was a good time to visit, which, for me, makes it a first for this type of place.

Wandering around and looking at what's available, or after doing a loop of the first level, it would be easier to list what was unavailable.

This looked like my kind of place, mountains of technology all mixed together in what looked like semi-organised chaos, and from what I had seen so far, at real good prices, yes, cheaper than the Golden Computer Arcade in Sham Shui Po.

Turning a corner, I found a shop that must have had every kind of cable known, yes, really, they had audio, video, copper, optical, and just about everything else you can think of.

I had a fairly long talk with the staff at this store A.N.G technology; they were friendly, knowledgeable and happy for me to take photos. This is going to be an expensive day, as this sort of shop is the kind of place I always find something I need/want.

As I moved to the upper floors, the shops seemed to be more specialised, with a few with older stock, complete with plenty of dust. In short, it's just the sort of place I like to find hidden gems in.

I spent way too much time (and money) with these stores, coming away with a pile of gems, some of which I had been hunting on eBay for years, and there they were right in front of me, dusty, yes, but in excellent condition and at killer prices.

On one of the upper floors, I found a store that stood out from most of the others; they had a mix of products, ranging from cables and connectors to tools and electronics kits.

Needless to say, I spent a while in this store, finding a very specific crimp tool I had been looking for for years, not even eBay had this one.

Heading toward ground level to see how to get out of the building, I ran across a store I had somehow missed; it seemed to sell batteries, fans, remotes, and torches.

I had been looking for a good blacklight for curing UV resin for a while now, and after talking to the store owner, he had several and, more importantly, understood what a blacklight was.

One of the ones he showed me was a good match for what I was looking for, and best of all, the quality was way better than the others I looked at, and the price we worked out was good. Purchase made :-)

Now for the interesting part: how do I get out of this place? As mentioned earlier, there is no down escalator or sign of stairs. So, getting to level 1 and looking around, no signs of any signage, so me being me, I asked one of the staff at a store, who pointed me to an unmarked door.

Going through that door, the heat hit me like walking into a furnace, down one flight of stairs, and I was out next to the entrance coming from what looked like another building. Interesting, but not a problem, maybe they need to invest in some signs, or are they there, and I just missed them?

Now, back in the street, what do I think of this computer zone?

To be totally honest, I like it. The collection of products on offer is excellent, the prices are better than most of the other places I have been, the quality of products seems to be on the upper end of what I have seen, and as for the organised chaos, well, that's what I really like.

298 Computer Zone is now on my "visit each time I am in HK" list, and I cannot recommend this enough, if you want technology, especially anything a little out of the normal, then start with this place, then go to Sham Shui Po and Apliu Street.

Now it's time to head back to the hotel, and checking my watch, the step count was a little over 30KM, which is way more than expected as walking around this place and not much else.