Let's go down...to Chinatown

Not really in the same vein of leisure activity as a visit to Superette, Chinatown does make for a fun day out with your girlfriends. Located opposite the Pick n Pay Hypermarket in Ottery, Chinatown is not the Chinatown you’d expect from American TV, but it is an excellent place to pick up a bargain. A collection of stores that have just one thing in common – all their contents hail from China – you can buy anything here, from a dish rack or light fitting to a pair of panties or a wig. High quality is not exactly the soup du jour, but you can count on everything being extremely cheap.

It doesn't look at all like this

I returned from a daytrip with Crystal and Bianca with the following:

• Knee-high argyle socks  - R10
• Laundry hanger peg thing – R10
• Sequinned mini hat (for New Year’s costume party) – R33
• Even mini-er mini hat clip (for shits and giggles) – R9
• Grey panties with pink lace trim and bow – R10 (upon trying these on at home, discovered that China’s approximation of XL is a little bit too small for me, but I’m going to take this as a challenge that I REALLY need to get back to gym)

 I was tempted to buy 50 plasters for R5, but resisted.
Pretty amazing, huh? The shop from which I got the hats has an extensive party section, with loads of decorations, gags, accessories and costumes, and I will definitely be returning to pick up my Halloween costume in October. Chinatown is a great place for sourcing costumes of any kind really – if you need a specific item of clothing for an outfit, but don’t want to fork out for something you’ll only wear once, this is the place to get it.

The entire experience took us about two hours. If it takes you longer, you can always stop at the food court for some (also cheap!) sustenance. If you want a shopping experience that is recession-friendly, or just want to browse somewhere completely different, try Chinatown. And let me know if you pick up a bargain!