Day 4 Hong Kong – Afternoon and the Final Evening

While imagining us riding the MRT from Tung Chung back to Kowloon, it’s probably clear but shall be stated just in case not – it was Karen’s idea to visit the Bird Market and Flower Garden. Eric was responsible for navigating from the Prince Edward MTR station to the Mong Kok Bird Market. He did so very effectively, using his Droid Pro’s satellite mapping function. Eric is not small, particularly so in Hong Kong. This significantly increases his utility in crowded areas. He was quite adept at moving swiftly through the crowded sidewalks of Mong Kok on a busy Saturday afternoon that two tiny (even in comparison to Karen) Cantonese women fell in right behind him, following along for entire blocks the path he was forging. Karen followed behind them, bemused.

Prince Edward MTR Station

Busy streets on Mong Kok

The Mong Kok Bird Garden is billed as where folks (mostly elderly) take their pet song birds for walks to sing and get some air. Eric thought Karen made up this part and insisted on reading the guidebook himself.  Eyewitness Guides says “There’s also a small bird market.” While we didn’t see anyone out for air with their pet parrot, we did see lots and lots of birds both large and small for sale. It was a dazzling display of feathers and tweeting. You could also buy bird food at the market, in the form of bags of live grasshoppers which you then feed to your bird through the bars of its cage using chopsticks. 

The Bird Garden connects to the Flower Market, another hopping spot. It consists of several blocks of storefront flower shops with their gorgeous fragrant wares spilling out onto the surrounding sidewalks and streets. Flowers are very important in the Cantonese and Chinese cultures, and play a big role in the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations. There were signs everywhere urging customers to get their New Year orders in early. 

Masses of people for blocks and blocks; time for a respite

From the Flower Market, we walked down Nathan Road, which we had walked up on our previous visit to Kowloon. The sidewalks were packed with people strolling and shopping, or in queues for the city buses that filled the streets. We decided to duck into one of the Public Square Street Rest Gardens to finish what remained of our picnic and rest our feet. When you have a city of masses of people overflowing at the seams, these types of respite are more meaningful than they would otherwise be. Plus, this time there was no Buddha to make us feel guilty about the meaty goodness of our sandwiches. In the garden, we saw groups of men gathered around watching chess games. 

After our rest, we made a brief tour through the covered Jade Market before jumping in a taxi back to the W. Eric opted for a nap and Karen took off for the roof, where she sat in the spa and read Marie Claire while the sun set over Victoria Harbor. It was glorious. We were fully recharged for what came next – our much anticipated visit to the Temple Street Night Market.

In a place known for its markets, Temple Street is the king of all the Hong Kong markets. The stalls usually open around 4 but things really get going after dark between 7 and 9. It is known for its clothing, shoes, accessories, designer fakes, copy CDs “and a generous helping of junk.” Add to that the fortune tellers and tourists from all over the world, and you have an unforgettable scene. Haggling is encouraged and a critical eye for quality is not.

We started off around 8 with dinner at Temple Street Spicy Crabs, an open-air restaurant taking up four corners of one block of Temple Street. Restaurant has a different meaning in Temple Street. It means plastic tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk and in the street, and storefronts with nothing more than cooking devices turning out huge quantities of food. It is patronized by locals and tourists alike which makes the tourists feel better about themselves. It was crowded and a bit overwhelming. We snagged a table just as another couple was getting up. We perused the menu, and Eric ordered a San Miguel beer from the Hong Kong equivalent of the St. Pauli Girl; seriously, boots and the whole outfit with an Asian flair. A more stout woman took our dinner order; we didn't notice her shoes. We ordered...

Fried spicy pork

Fried string beans with XO sauce and nuts

Curry chicken pot

Pork fried noodles

Full from dinner, we set out to explore the market. We didn’t have anything in particular in mind to shop for, though quickly found the item to have – Chairman Mao watches. Temple Street is oddly known for its Mao memorabilia. Priced at $35 HK each, we bargained the purveyor to $60 HK for two.(We'll save you the trouble, divide that number by 8 to arrive at USD). You’re all going to be very jealous when you see them!

Karen looked for sandals but didn’t find anything she liked, and Eric struck out looking for belts. We called it a night around 10:30 and caught a cab back to the hotel, feeling tired but very pleased with our most awesome watch purchases. We settled in for our last night at the W. We would spend Sunday in Hong Kong and then fly to Singapore in the evening.