Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [61]
The streets west of Nathan Rd reveal Hong Kong’s seamier side; this is where you’ll find some of the city’s seediest brothels. Mostly run by Triads, these places are often veritable prisons for young women. The Hong Kong police routinely raid these places, but a look at the rows of pastel-coloured neon strip lights on so many blocks is an indication that it’s ‘business as usual’, despite the change in landlords.
* * *
TRANSPORT – MONG KOK
MTR Mong Kok and Prince Edward MTR stations are on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines. Mong Kok station is also on the MTR East Rail.
* * *
Mong Kok starts somewhere between Waterloo Rd and Argyle St to the south and ends at Boundary St in the north – strictly speaking, anything beyond that is the New Territories. The limit to the east is Waterloo Rd as it heads northward to Kowloon Tong, and to the west the limit is the district of Tai Kok Tsui.
YUEN PO STREET BIRD GARDEN & FLOWER MARKET Map
2302 1762; Boundary St/Yuen Po St; 7am-8pm; MTR Prince Edward (exit B1)
In this tiny but enchanting corner of Mong Kok, you should find a handful of old men out ‘walking’ their caged songbirds. Stick around long enough and you should see birds being fed squirming caterpillars with chopsticks. Birds are considered harbingers of good fortune, which is why you’ll see some people carrying them to the racetrack.
There are also birds for sale from the stalls here, along with elaborate cages carved from teak and bamboo. Adjacent to the bird garden is the flower market on Flower Market Rd, which keeps theoretically the same hours but only gets busy after 10am, especially on Sunday.
To get to the bird garden and flower market, from the Prince Edward MTR station, come out of exit B1 and walk east along Prince Edward Rd West for about 10 minutes.
Return to beginning of chapter
KOWLOON’S TEEMING MARKET STREETS
Walking Tour
1 Yuen Po Street Bird Garden & Flower Market A 10-minute walk away from Prince Edward MTR (exit A), Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is the gathering place for mostly old men who air their caged birds here and feed them grasshoppers with chop sticks. A little further along, Flower Market Rd (above) is lined with fragrant and exotic blooms and plants.
2 Goldfish Market At the end of the street, take a left turn onto Sai Yee St, then right onto Prince Edward Rd West and then a left turn onto Tung Choi St: the first couple of blocks you’ll see here are dominated by bicycle shops, but they then give way to a dozen or so shops trading in these extravagantly hued and weirdly shaped fish. You’ll see an amazing variety, with the real rarities commanding high prices.
3 Tung Choi Street market Sharpen your elbows. This market (see boxed text), also known as the Ladies’ Market, is crammed with stalls and shoppers selling mostly inexpensive clothing. Refuel on Taiwanese at Tai Pak before continuing south.
4 Temple Street Night Market Beneath the bleaching glare of naked light bulbs, hundreds of stalls ( Click here) sell a vast array of booty from bric-a-brac to clothes, shoes, luggage and accessories. Turn right at Shanghai St, cut down Hi Lung Lane to Temple St and turn right. The market runs right down to Jordan Rd.
* * *
WALK FACTS
Start Prince Edward MTR station (entrance/exit A)
End Jordan MTR station (entrance/exit A)
Distance 4.5km
Time Two hours
Fuel stop Tai Pak
* * *
5 Tin Hau Temple Fragrant smoke curls from incense spirals at this atmospheric temple ( Click here) to the goddess of the sea. Fortune tellers nearby use everything from tarot cards, palmistry and even tame sparrows to deliver their predictions. Chinese opera singers sometimes also practice in the area.
6 Jade Market A great place to pick up an inexpensive