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.
I ordered rice with Japanese curry and fried fish fillet. Simple but delicious – and quite filling.After lunch, I asked around for the bird market. Everybody pointed that way.And so I went. I walked up to this garden.There was no big sign saying this was a ‘bird street’ or anythingAnd lo and behold, a bird market it was!
Just like the ‘Goldfish street,’ this ‘street’ is choc full of birds and bird supplies
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?It’s just… when I saw the more exotic birds, I began to question the legality of it allAnd stuff like this
Wonder how these macaws got hereIf you are an animal right activist, you probably won’t like this place
Plenty of live bugs to feed the birds on sale as wellI 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 stadiumI simply walked aroundEntered a public parkNice to see facilities like this open to allThat’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.
Take exit A2 or C2 and you land at Apliu Street flea marketI was going to check out the flea market first, before going to Golden Computer Arcade and Dragon CentreInstantly I was amazed by the stuff you get here! Lights? Sure.Magnets? Sure!Telescopes? Sure!Porn? Sure… why not.If you love DIY electronics, this is the place to stock upYou got stores behind the stalls as wellWhat I was interested in were all old cameras and lenses on offerBut despite checking out a few shops, I still couldn’t find a proper macro lens for my Canon mountI crossed over to the other side of Cheung Sha Wan RoadThough it looks like crap on the outside, wait till you see what’s in store inside!Down in the basement, along these narrow lanes were several electronics storesEven though the air conditioning was ‘on,’ it was still rather comforting they had computer fans blowing cool air to passersbyThe bigger stores had more space to walk around inYou want any part of a PC? You’ll probably find it here.If you look behind the stickers, it’s mostly Girls Generation videos playing Golden Computer Arcade is awesome if you want to build your own computerNever seen graphics cards displayed in all this glory before You have a ton of choice hereSeriously!I found prices in Hong Kong lower to that of SingaporeUpstairs were stores more dedicated to video games
I bought the TP-Link adapters my brother asked for and left.
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.
This nine-storey shopping mall has a lot catering to Japanese pop culture fans on the upper floorsThis was a store choc full of Gunpla model kits (Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most popular mecha animes)
None of this was on sale, so I’m guessing it was more like a hobby shopThis 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.
TheAranyani
05/07/2016Very 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.