Wan Chai - Parental Discretion Advised

This content may not be suitable for young children!

(Or the prude and easily offended)

We headed to Wan Chai for some tapas at Uno Mas. Lots of people had recommended it and we had heard great things about the food. It did not disappoint, we had a fantastic meal and a couple pitchers of some yummy sangria. More of that in another post. Afterwards, we decided to hit the streets! Well, not exactly how some other women were hitting the streets...Wan Chai is a neighborhood in Hong Kong where prostitution is one of the oldest occupations.

I think I ran the full gamut of emotions on this night in Wan Chai. At first, I was actually excited - whoa, crazy neighborhood with hookers, I wonder what they are like?! After our dinner we settled into Maya, a small bar that played 90s house music. We had a bottle of champagne and let our curiosity grow as we watched the interactions between some men from the UK and their lady friends. Then, I was really disturbed - every single white man out that night had an escort. It was creepy and there were A LOT of men out. It was strange to see so much of it out in the open and acceptable. Mind you, this is among nice restaurants, residences and other businesses. As we made our way to our next destination we passed many interesting characters. Most of the ladies on the street wore really tight and short dresses, but some are a little more scandalous like this one in the thigh highs and garter. See the older woman outside the club? All of these madams run the clubs and the young girls just grab any guys that pass by and they try to pull them into the club.

At first, we thought these clubs were strip clubs or dancing clubs, we even asked if we could check one out but were repeatedly DENIED. All of the women said, "no ladies, no ladies!" Trust me, there was no dancing going on in there! Instead, we made our way to a place called Dusk Till Dawn. They had a live Filipino band - they have the best voices, afterall. The place was packed and there were so many expats and tourists I didn't pay attention to all the other ladies that were probably there. The band was really good and we had a lot of fun dancing. This video is for my sisters, who are big fans of Beyonce just as I am!

We eventually got ourselves a spot up front and the band recognized that I was Filipino! Too bad I can't sing and I don't have any musical talent at all. So, eventually the whole working girl thing made me feel sad. We actually talked to a couple of the girls for a quick minute and learned that most of them are from the Philippines. Again, can't my people do something a little more respectable out here??! I guess being in a cover band is acceptable. One girl we met had just come over 3 months ago and the other 6 months ago. They are SO young and a lot of them don't even care that they're doing this. Actually, a lot of the veterans we saw really seem to enjoy it! Gross.

Well my last emotion was disgusted, because the next day I learned that a lot of these girls are sent over here by their own fathers! How disturbing is that? They have to send all of their money back home and they really don't have anything. It was quite an experience, definitely an adventure. Awkwardly enough, it was one of the most fun nights we had! While the area is full of working girls all out in the open, it's not a visibly dirty or trashy area and definitely not unsafe. Hong Kong in general is a very safe city even in the middle of the night. But don't worry, we are all always very cautious and never alone at night! (That comment is for my mom and dad)

Overall, a great time and an interesting neighborhood. You just have to experience it if you're in Hong Kong. I just love live music, so this last video is for my sister Erica. A favorite song of ours that reminds us of our childhood. Enjoy a little A-ha, Hong Kong style!