Bad for Business

The day's mission was to visit and photograph three locations: the Jade Market and Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei; and Yuen Po Bird Garden in Mong Kok.

After my first two stops, I headed for the MTR station via Temple Street, where vendors were setting up stalls for the evening. I hung a right at Wing Sing Lane and then a quick left onto Arthur Street, drawn in by the decrepit buildings.

As I approached the corner of Hi Lung Lane, I spotted a few women standing about, not doing much. Knowing the area, I glanced again and confirmed they were prostitutes and not innocent bystanders.

Spying another building at the corner of the lane at Temple Street, I moved to gain a better vantage point for my next shot. On the corner stood half a dozen additional women; none wore revealing clothing and none were attractive, yet their profession was obvious.

Upon seeing me shooting frames of the building across the street, they started gabbing amongst themselves. One of the braver women tried to chat me up with "Hello". I turned and smiled at her, waving my hand in short arcs to indicate I wasn't interested.

The group chuckled at that, so I decided to have a little fun: I spun around and pointed my camera at them. Hands went to faces and the giggles grew louder.

I mimicked their attempt at concealment with great exaggeration, throwing my arms up to shield my head, as though warding off some unseen demon. "Nooooo!" I yelled in mock distress, as they giggled some more.

I grinned and then collected myself; I had to get back to taking photos before I lost the light. After a minute, most of the women migrated to the opposite corner of the lane.

Playing with the gwai louh was fun, but I was bad for business.

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