Evening market
The evening market in Temple Street begins when the sun goes down and a visit here is a night out in itself. Opera singers perform on the street and fortune tellers practice their art, while stallholders lay out their watches, jade and tea sets. This busy place has served as the backdrop for various movies and you’ll understand why as you try to make your way through the maze of stalls and gesticulating stallholders. There’s also more than enough to eat: try the rice with stewed chicken or a delicious bowl of noodle soup.
Good luck in a bag
Mong Kok’s goldfish market takes the form of a street lined with shops, all displaying sandwich bags containing goldfish and brightly coloured aquarium fish. A visit here is a surreal experience; certainly during the evening when the aquaria are spectacularly lit up. Chinese people believe that tropical fish bring luck but as most Hong Kong residents do not have room for a garden with a pond, an aquarium is their only solace. Other exotic pets are also traded here, so don’t be too surprised if you come face to face with a snake, a tarantula or a lizard.
Chirping and tweeting
Handmade bamboo birdcages and brightly coloured songbirds surround you in the Bird Garden market on Yuen Po Street. As well as birds of all colours, this traditional Chinese garden is also a favourite meeting place for bird owners. Early in the morning, people arrive at the park, cages in hand, to let out their feathered friends and perhaps show off their beautiful singing talents. Along with the goldfish market, the Bird Garden is a lovely place for a morning walk.
