Sometimes Hong Kong gives me the sh!ts.

The cricket has started, with Australia playing Zimbabwe in Perth - the time zones are in line. It should be perfect. The start of the cricket season (Rugby World Cup notwithstanding) stirs something deep in the Australian male psyche. It brings about feelings of BBQs, beer, discussions on team selections and tactics, poor imitations of commentators, recounting of useless stats and records about to be broken. It heralds the start of the Aussie summer. It is the one sport the unites the nation. More Australians know Steve Waugh is the captain of the cricket team than know who George W. Bush is. But unless you pay about $3000 a month to the cable channel you cannot watch it. And of course the internet is slow. Damn you, Cable TV HK.

This morning I decided to head back to Mongkok; work was slow and I had to pick up plus exchange something. Got on the train, got out there all in about 15 minutes. Went and exchanged the Chinese camera manuals for English ones without a hitch. But the man I needed to meet to pick up from wasn't there. I called his mobile, only to get a Cantonese message to leave a voicemail. I tried his second mobile number. Nothing. I walked to the building his shop is in. Nothing. I rang again. I tried the second mobile again - finally a person. It was a she, rather than a he, but it was someone.

Me: "Where are you?"
Her: (sounding groggy) "Shop not open."
Me: "I was told it opens at 11am."
Her: "Not in Mongkok. Shop opens at 1pm."
Me: "Where are you now?"
Her: "Not in Mongkok." (click)

Suddenly I was angry. It was hot. It was the middle of the working day. I was looking forward to picking up my goodies. The shop wasn't open. And there was nothing I could do. I marched back to the MTR, slowly composing this rant in my mind. And staring daggers at the world.

Now what gives? It was midday. I don't know much about small business, but I think that by midday you should have had a reasonable shot of opening up for the day. For God's sake, the day is half over. Most things in HK start late, which is already tricky if you have two girls who enjoy starting the day at 6am. But by 10am most things are starting. Sure they are open late, but that doesn't matter much to parents. I start work before 8am; is it so much to ask for stores to open within 4 hours of that?

All this venting is useless, of course. Will it bring my goodies to me? No. Will I single handedly change Hong Kong's business hours? No. Do I feel better for this little rant? No. There's a nasty phone call happening in the next hour - if you hear some poor bastard on the receiving end of a loud mobile call, you'll know why.

And if anyone is heading to Mongkok in the next couple of days, can you let me know. I have a few things I need picked up.

UPDATE: I ventured back this afternoon - it seems to be hot in Mongkok, hot like the gates of hell hot. And it's a weekday so it's only overcrowded, rather than bone-crushing. The guy was there this time. Had my watches. Took 30 minutes to adjust one. The other turns out to not be what I ordered. Some days just aren't meant to be.