Binoculars telescope optics shop Apliu Street Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Bird Market, Apliu Street Flea Market, Golden Computer Arcade

Date: 3rd July 2012

After yesterday’s very late arrival from Macau, I woke up and decided not to do anything hectic today. I still hadn’t seen the so-called ‘Bird Market’ of Hong Kong, even though the travel guides said it was right next to the flower market.

I walked up to the flower market and had my lunch from a restaurant there.

Japanese curry rice fish fillet meal
I ordered rice with Japanese curry and fried fish fillet. Simple but delicious – and quite filling.
Yuen Po street Hong Kong
After lunch, I asked around for the bird market. Everybody pointed that way.
Way to Yuen Po street Hong Kong
And so I went. I walked up to this garden.
Bird street Hong Kong China
There was no big sign saying this was a ‘bird street’ or anything
Yuen Po market Hong Kong
And lo and behold, a bird market it was!

Yuen Po bird garden Hong Kong
Just like the ‘Goldfish street,’ this ‘street’ is choc full of birds and bird supplies

Yellow bird cages Hong Kong ChinaYuen Po bird supplies Hong Kong

Bird market cages Hong Kong
Is keeping a bird as a pet part of Chinese tradition? I saw quite a few households that did so. Or is it an easy alternative in this space-constrained city where many households can’t keep a cat or a dog?
Grey parrot bird street Hong Kong
It’s just… when I saw the more exotic birds, I began to question the legality of it all
Baby frogs bird feed Hong Kong China
And stuff like this

Bird street Hong Kong ChinaHolding bird cage Hong Kong

Exotic parrots Hong Kong bird street
Wonder how these macaws got here
Parrots in steel cages Hong Kong
If you are an animal right activist, you probably won’t like this place

Sunlight bird market Hong KongBox cages bird market Hong Kong

Live grasshoppers cricket bird market Hong Kong
Plenty of live bugs to feed the birds on sale as well
Yuen Po bird garden Hong Kong
I was done, and left the place after just spending 10 minutes or so. A lot of the shop owners didn’t like me taking photos of their birds as well.
Mong Kok stadium Hong Kong
Mong Kok stadium
Hong Kong park Mongkok
I simply walked around
Mongkok public park dog sign Hong Kong
Entered a public park
Mong Kok public park table tennis
Nice to see facilities like this open to all
Reflection effect building Hong Kong
That’s the reflection of glass from a neighbouring building

I decided to take the MTR to Sham Shui Po, an area famed for electronics and computer parts.

Apliu street flea market Hong Kong
Take exit A2 or C2 and you land at Apliu Street flea market
Apliu street sign Hong Kong
I was going to check out the flea market first, before going to Golden Computer Arcade and Dragon Centre
Remote controls Apliu street Hong Kong
Instantly I was amazed by the stuff you get here! 🙂
Apliu street lights bulbs flea market Hong Kong
Lights? Sure.
Magnets Apliu street flea market Hong Kong
Magnets? Sure!
Binoculars telescope optics shop Apliu Street Hong Kong
Telescopes? Sure!
Porn shop Apliu Flee market Hong Kong
Porn? Sure… why not.
Silicone paste electricals Apliu street flea market
If you love DIY electronics, this is the place to stock up
Apliu street flea market Sham Shui Po
You got stores behind the stalls as well
Old cameras Apliu flea market Hong Kong
What I was interested in were all old cameras and lenses on offer
Old lenses Apliu market Hong Kong
But despite checking out a few shops, I still couldn’t find a proper macro lens for my Canon mount
Old building Sham Shui Po Hong Kong
I crossed over to the other side of Cheung Sha Wan Road
Golden computer arcade Hong Kong
Though it looks like crap on the outside, wait till you see what’s in store inside!
Golden computer arcade basement
Down in the basement, along these narrow lanes were several electronics stores
Wall of computer fans Golden Arcade Hong Kong
Even though the air conditioning was ‘on,’ it was still rather comforting they had computer fans blowing cool air to passersby
Electronics store Golden Arcade Hong Kong
The bigger stores had more space to walk around in
Electronics Golden Computer Arcade Hong Kong
You want any part of a PC? You’ll probably find it here.
Laptops Golden Computer Arcade Hong Kong
If you look behind the stickers, it’s mostly Girls Generation videos playing 🙂
Motherboards Golden Computer Arcade Hong Kong
Golden Computer Arcade is awesome if you want to build your own computer
Graphic cards Golden Computer Arcade Hong Kong
Never seen graphics cards displayed in all this glory before 🙂
Monitors Golden Computer Arcade Hong Kong
You have a ton of choice here
Computer cases Golden Arcade Hong Kong
Seriously!
Computer prices Golden Arcade Hong Kong
I found prices in Hong Kong lower to that of Singapore
Video games shop Golden Computer Arcade Hong Kong
Upstairs were stores more dedicated to video games

Magazines books Golden Arcade Hong KongI bought the TP-Link adapters my brother asked for and left.

Sham Shui Po electronics district Hong Kong
Sham Shui Po is a district to check out for electronics in Hong Kong

I put my camera away as I just wanted to walk hands-free in the soaring Hong Kong humidity. Seeking some cooler atmosphere, I went to Dragon Centre – a famous shopping centre in the area.

One Piece toys Hong Kong
This nine-storey shopping mall has a lot catering to Japanese pop culture fans on the upper floors
Gunpla toy sets Mobile Suit Gundam Hong Kong
This was a store choc full of Gunpla model kits (Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most popular mecha animes)

Gundam mecha robots model Hong Kong

Gunpla model display Hong Kong
None of this was on sale, so I’m guessing it was more like a hobby shop
AKB48 official shop Hong Kong China
This though, ha ha ha… I didn’t know they had stores dedicated to pop groups! 🙂

For those who don’t know, AKB48 is the most popular idol group in Japan (presently) and they have amassed quite a large fanbase the world over. This was the first official AKB48 shop outside of Japan. No photography was allowed inside the shop, but it was like being in AKB48 paradise: merchandise (expensive), handwritten messages from the many members, video playing on screens and photos of the girls all around. Pretty cool if you are a fan!

I went back to my room after doing some more shopping. Went online while I pondered over what to do tomorrow. In the end I chose to go to Ngong Ping tomorrow and kept Ocean Park for the last day. I just hoped for good weather. Can’t believe my Hong Kong sojourn was coming to a close.

Mongkok market at night
The view at night outside my window

Nest posts in this series:

Hong Kong 2012: Ngong Ping 360 cable car, Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

Hong Kong 2012: Tai O fishing village

Hong Kong 2012: Last day in Hong Kong, and one day in Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

One day in Macau: The Venetian, Senado Square and Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral

Hong Kong 2012: Mong Kok’s many markets, and fireworks at Victoria Harbour

Hong Kong 2012: Tsim Sha Tsui, Chungking Mansion, Avenue Of Stars, and Kowloon Park

Hong Kong 2012: Gurudwara, and walking around Wan Chai

Hong Kong 2012: Views from Victoria Peak, day to night

Hong Kong 2012: Getting there

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One Comments

  • TheAranyani

    05/07/2016

    Very helpful. I’m just starting out and it’s cool to know there are some people out there who dedicate time to giving such helpful tips.

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