Kwai Hing's Industrial Area

One of the biggest adjustments about living in HK has been dealing with home repairs. For some reason it seems much more difficult to find spare or replacement parts to appliances and plumbing. Recently the switch on our fridge door burnt out, but our search for a replacement switch at a number of 五金鋪 ("Five Gold Store" aka hardware store) turned up nothing.

The switch that turns the fridge light on mysteriously burnt out (Photo: CathC)

When I called Whirlpool's Service Center about the problem, they said we could call technician to fix the problem or just buy the switch and fix the problem ourselves. to see what the options were. Initially getting the technician to fix the problem seemed to be a good solution it was so difficult to get the part ourselves. But after hearing the service call (excluding the cost of the part) would cost 420 HKD alone, we decided it'd be worth the time and effort to trek out to Kwai Hing, New Territories to pick up the replacement part ourselves.

The trip to Kwai Hing took a little over an hour traveling from the Tseung Kwan O Line to Kwun Tong Line and finally to the Tseun Wan Line. It was pretty easy to find the Whirlpool Service Center, just walk up to the end of Kung Yip Street to get to the Wilson Logistics Center where the Service Center is located. The only sketchy part was taking the worn looking elevator to the 14/F where the Service Center is located.

After showing the service rep the serial number for the door switch, he was quick to find the spare part. The replacement switch cost 190 HKD. So considering the cost of the technician`s service call it was definitely worth the time and effort out to pick up the spare part (The round-trip MTR fare for the both of us cost around 40 HKD).

Today`s trip out to Kwai Hing made us wish a Home Depot or Lowes would open up in HK. These stores are nearly open all the time and would make home repairs so much easier. The Whirlpool Service Center is only opened between 8:30 to 5:30 on Weekdays and 8:30 to 12:30 pm on Saturdays.

On a search for Oldies

CharK and I went to Sino Center in Mong Kok to look for old PC games. Unfortunately we weren't able to find an old copy of Densha de Go! amongst the many copies of SIMS, Diablo, and other Chinese RPGs. But unexpectedly we both were able to find some old CDs by our favourite artists.

I had always wanted my own copy of Third Eye Blind's debut album ever since I first heard my friend's copy  in junior high. But for one reason or another I never ended up buying a copy. Even with the prevalence of MP3s I actually prefer the actual copy of this album since I happened to like all of the songs and want to have the lyrics readily available.

Considering I haven't been able to find this at the local HMV stores, I was really surprised to see it being sold at one of the music shops at the Sino Center. Since it had the original stickers, this CD seemed to be the real deal--it was definitely worth the 39 HKD!

CharK also found a couple of Yui CDs at another shop in the same mall. They were a great deal too at 48 HKD each.

Our great finds of the day at the music store (Photo: CathC)

I must have listened to Semi-Charmed Life hundreds of times throughout my junior high years (Photo: Cath)

Having this best of Yui collection means needing fewer CDs around the house (Photo: CathC)

This shopping center is a pretty popular place for young people in search of old games, CDs, and figurines, and comics (mostly Japanese). One tip I have about coming here is to bring a bottled drink with you because there are tons of shops but none sell drinks (most stores have a no food/drink policy). Also, leave the backpacks at home (it can get very crowded in the narrow hallways and tiny shops). Once I got over the crowds, it was fun wandering around looking at all the toys, games, and CDs of my childhood.

Sino Center may not be one of the top destinations in the guidebooks but it's definitely a place to hit if you're looking for a blast from the past!