KEY POINTS:
Five pairs of shoes, three handbags, three watches and assorted tat for friends back home - all in the space of two hours of driving rain and 35C heat - and all for under $200.
An impressive feat by anyone's standards. Exhausted but sated, I felt I had well and truly conquered Hong Kong's Ladies' Market.
Of course, I was doing all this shopping in the name of journalistic research _ one of my reasons for being in Hong Kong was to experience the tail-end of their Shopping Festival, showcasing the city as a shopper's paradise. The 10-week festival is held annually between late June and August.
A visit to the much lauded market, open daily from noon to 11.30pm in Mong Kok on the mainland, is one of those "must-dos" on the agenda of any stay in Hong Kong.
As my shoes, bags and I made our way along the two blocks it occupies, the cries of the stall operators got more and more irritating. "Missy, missy ... you want watch? You want bag? You want shoe? Come back missy, come back. I give you good price. Oh missy, pleeeease. I need to feed my family missy. Pleeease missy ..." followed by indecipherable muttering under breath if you failed to stop.
Barely anything is priced, which means you have to haggle for purchases.
This gets easier the more you do it but, at first, is intimidating and embarrassing. For my two knock-off Chloe handbags, I was shown pictures in a clearfile folder before being led through the back of the market to a room stacked with fakes in a neighbouring building.
Despite the many stalls offering the products, the knock-offs operation is run by a handful of cautious people - police raids are frequent. They size you up to make sure you're legit before letting you see the goods for real.
Hong Kong is teeming with markets. During our four day-stay, we also had a look around the jade market, antique markets, dried seafood and tonic foods market (including shop after shop selling dried shark fins and birds' nests), and took a recommended drive over to Stanley Bay on Hong Kong Island to the Stanley Market.
We didn't have time for the flower, goldfish, sportswear or electronics markets. And that's just to name a few.
When my four companions and I boarded our flight, our escort, Sarah, nervously told us there was a typhoon warning in place.
We were so excited about flying in Cathay Pacific's luxurious business class it barely registered. Anyway, as a New Zealander, it's difficult to comprehend the impact of a tropical storm.
Well, during our five-day stay, tropical storm Pabuk crashed its way through Hong Kong and then came back for a second go. The worst day of the typhoon saw us holed up in our hotel rooms by mid-afternoon, and we made like the locals and rushed out for emergency noodles in case we couldn't get out to eat later.
When the second-highest warning signal was hoisted, it caused major chaos across the city as everyone scrambled to get out as quickly as possible.
When that level of warning is raised, everything shuts down _ schools, the stock exchange, courts and tourist attractions. Happily, however, we didn't have to rely on our noodles for sustenance as the bars and restaurants were all open again when we ventured out around 8pm.
The weather slightly hindered our trip, though no typhoon was going to stop us from shopping. (On the day we hit the Ladies' Market, we did have to resort to plastic raincoats from the 7-Eleven.)
We spent more time in malls, which are almost tourist attractions in themselves. Luxury brands like Prada, Tiffany, Gucci and Versace are well-represented in shopping centres such as Times Square and ifc.
But there is much more to this country than its shops. As a first-time visitor to Asia, what struck me straight away (apart from the heat and humidity) was how busy the streets were.
Signs hang from everywhere possible, hundreds of red taxis, double decker buses and trams are constantly streaming past and, of course, there are the masses of people at every turn.
We also did a lot of eating. The traditional Chinese banquets were at first a little disconcerting (jellyfish, shark fin soup or duck kidney anyone?) but we happily munched our way through a dim sum lunch on the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, and enjoyed a Balinese-style lunch at the Dirty Duck Diner in Wan Chai.
And if seafood is your thing, don't pass up the opportunity to visit the small fishing village of Sai Kung. The town's waterfront promenade is full of seafood restaurants, each with its own outdoor collection of tanks bursting with fishy goodness. You select what you want to eat from the tanks and it is taken away and cooked for you _ you can't get seafood fresher than this. Our last meal in Hong Kong at Chuen Kee was also our finest - crayfish, prawns, scallops, and the best squid I've ever tasted.
The Lan Kwai Fong Hotel suited our accommodation needs perfectly. This boutique hotel is situated in the heart of the financial district of Hong Kong Island and is in walking distance of shopping areas, tourist attractions, galleries, public transport and nightspots.
And it would have been rude not to hit the bars and clubs which we attacked with a vengeance, despite the alcohol being incredibly expensive.
We stuck mostly to those near our hotel in the Lan Kwai Fong, Central and SoHo areas and, once it was late enough, made a bee-line for Dragon-i, a bar and nightclub our guide, Joe, had pointed out as being a hotspot visited by David Beckham and frequented by "local celebrities, models and A-listers".
Self-described as the "to-see and be-seen-in place for Hong Kong's chic, gorgeous, cosmopolitan party crowd", we thought it was right up our alley.
Joe thought the Barcelona soccer team might make an appearance as their game had been called off because of the typhoon, so we thought we might as well go and have a look.
Of course, there was no way our group would have recognised any of the big-noters mentioned above but a nice English architect shared his bucket of Moet with us so the evening wasn't an entire waste of time.
Unfortunately our tram ride up to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island was not as spectacular as it should have been, as the views were obscured with mist. But it was still worth doing to experience the slow 373m climb up the 1.4km track, which at its steepest is on a 27-degree incline. At the top is the Peak Tower, a shopping centre with tourist attractions and restaurants.
To work off some of that overeating, we took part in a tai chi class at the Peak with William Ng, one of Hong Kong's best known tai chi masters.
Ng is a tiny old man with a grin almost wider than his head. If tai chi makes everyone that happy, I pledge to do it every day. It's a gentle form of exercise thought to balance the yin and yang of the body, mind and soul. It's not as easy as it looks and we could certainly feel the benefits straight away.
If you're wondering what lies ahead for you, a trip to the Wong Tai Sin Temple could provide some answers. This beautiful and tranquil temple is one of the most popular in Hong Kong, and all three main religions of China - Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism - are practised here.
Outside are scores of fortune tellers, some of who speak English.
Clouds of incense smoke "carrying prayers to the gods" waft above the heads of hundreds of worshippers who shake bamboo cylinders containing fortune sticks, while hundreds of turtles swim peacefully in the surrounding ponds (the turtle is a symbol of protection and promotes longevity).
Many regard Hong Kong as a stopover, not a destination.
This deserves a rethink. Five days was barely enough time to scratch the surface (especially as we were slightly hampered by the weather).
The next time I visit, it will be for at least seven days, if not 10. I could have happily spent a day in the Ladies' Market alone.
To me, the country felt like the perfect fusion of eastern and western cultures. There is enough English spoken to make it accessible to many nationalities but you're still in Asia, so you experience the Chinese way of life.
I left much heavier than when I arrived, in physique and baggage, but completely won over by the country's charms. I'll definitely be back but perhaps not in typhoon season.
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ACCOMMODATION
Lan Kwai Fong Hotel: 3 Kau U Fong, Central, ph 2311 6280, www.lankwaifonghotel.com.hk
EATING OUT
Jumbo Floating Restaurant: 3 Deep Water Bay Rd, Aberdeen, ph 2873 7111
Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant
Sai Kung: 53 Hoi Pong St, ph 2791 1195
Dirty Duck Diner (Balinese): 54-62 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai, ph 2217 8000
SHOPPING
The Hong Kong Shopping Festival runs for 10 weeks from late June to August
ifc mall: 8 Finance St, Central, www.ifc.com.hk
Times Square: 1 Matheson St, Causeway Bay, www.timessquare.com.hk
Ladies Market: Tung Choi St, Mong Kok
NIGHTLIFE
Dragon-i: 60 Wyndham St, Central, www.dragon-i.com.hk
OTHER
The Peak Tram: www.thepeak.com.hk
An adult return ticket costs HK$33 ($6), runs daily 7am-midnight.
Departs every 10-15 mins
Wong Tai Sin Temple: 2 Chuk Yuen Village, Wong Tai Sin, open seven days.
Shandelle Battersby travelled to Hong Kong courtesy of Cathay Pacific and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
