photo credit: tracyhunter

Temple Street Night Market is the most popular night market in Hong Kong. It not only attracts tourists but it remains as the most hangout place for the locals too. It is situated at Yau Ma Tei, and it comes to life when the sun is setting. Its operating hour is from 4pm till very late. It is the busiest flea market at night.
The vendors there sell almost everything, from merchandises such as shoes, bags, and apparels to watches, hand phone accessories and even pirated CDs, DVDs and so on. You can even find high quality of imitation goods such as luxury brands of bags and watches.
One thing to take note of will be a pickpocket. As there is one row of stalls on each side and the walking path is pretty narrow, people tend to weave and squeeze through each other, and hence it became easy for the pickpockets to operate. Therefore, do remember to zip your bags properly and the best way is not to carry anything behind you; carrying a waist pouch will be an ideal choice.
Other than merchandises, you can find lots of stalls at the sides of the street selling local snacks, pastries to seafood and freshly cooked food. These stalls are known as the Dai Pai Dong; it means foods stalls lined up along the street.
Another attraction in the Temple Street Night Market is the Canto Opera street performers. They are the very original performers of the famous Cantonese operas. Each and everyone opera bears a touching story behind it and you can easily spend half to one hour watching the operas. It is also a great way to learn the Hong Kong culture and history.

Be alert at all times.

Similar to all large cities, there will be some gangster activities going on especially in pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, massage parlours. Most times, you will not get into trouble as a visitor of the city unless you get too drunk…

Avoid walking alone in dark alleys in the middle of the night. Always stick to the main roads.

Do look after your personal belongings at all times and be wary of pickpockets especially in crowded places, bazaars , night-markets, etc.

I will not encourage you to purchase any goods from any suspicious person handing out flyers / cards inviting you to “another location” for brand goods/ watches. You are likely to be conned into purchasing expensive counterfeit goods or goods that have been stolen. Monetary loss aside, I am more concerned about your own safety.

Since the electricity voltage in Hong Kong may not be the same as your home town, I will not suggest you purchase any electrical appliances in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the product warranty usually does not cover worldwide. Do not buy any unknown branded electrical appliance, they are likely made in China with poor quality and low safety controls.

next article – Chinese New Year

They have hundreds of outlets all over Hong Kong, you can’t miss them. They carried a very wide range of cosmetic products and have frequent sales promotions throughout the year. Though I am not a fan of cosmetic products but I truly understand the excitement of my wife, Jamie, when she is doing her bi-annual stock-up of cosmetic products from SaSa.

Ladies, … have fun!! Just remember to bring along extra empty suitcases.

next articles- minibus

They offer brand new or pre-owned, very good condition, branded leather goods. Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Fendi, etc. The display price is approximately 40% – 60% off the retail price. I have checked out the goods in Milan stations and I find that the conditions of the goods are almost as good as new.

next article – ATM