Temple Street in Kowloon
This is, and always have been one of my “must go” places when I visit Hong Kong. Temple Street is one of the busiest night markets I have come across. You can eat the most authentic Hong Kong delicacies there (from ducks tongue to roasted pigeon), buy the cheapest yet most “realistic” branded items, and more intriguingly have your fortune told too!
The easiest way of getting to Temple Street is probably by MTR. If you’re going from Hong Kong Island, you’ll have to change to the Kowloon line at Central station. Otherwise, alight at Yau Ma Tei station. There should be signs all over the place telling you which exit to go in order to get to Temple Street, but either way once you hit the surface it should be relatively easy to spot. Check out my earlier post on the MTR route.
Food Stalls Along Temple Street
Temple Street basically consists of three different parts. One section has an endless number of “Da Pai Dangs” (street side food stalls), where you’ll find the most authentic delicacies and have a feel of how the locals have their meals. Some of my my all time favourites include Duck Tongue, Roast Pigeons, Tea Leave Eggs, Skewered Food Items, and of course Authentic Hong Kong Wanton Noodles.
Temple Street Hong Kong
Another part consists of stalls selling almost anything under the sun. You’ll be able to find all the imitation goods like Prada Wallets, Burberry Scarfs, Hugo Boss Shirts, Oakley Sunglasses, Soccer Jerseys, etc. You name it, they have it. All courtesy from China. If you look hard enough, you may find interesting items too. I once bought a “bugging device” from there. Basically I can just stick it below a table, then use a radio tuner to tune into the frequency and listen in.
Fortune Tellers Along Temple Street
And finally at the other end of Temple Street, you’ll see rows of Fortune Tellers. To what I know they can be categorised into three main types. Some read the lines on your palm, while some looks at the lines and patterns on a turtle shell to predict your future. The most interesting ones I though was that a small white bird would come out from the cage, pick up a slip of paper which (so called) contained your destiny.
In general there isn’t any opening hours for the hawkers here. Stalls open daily usually from about 6pm (when the sun starts to set) all the way till 1am – 2am in the mornings. If you want to avoid the crowd, try to get there by 6pm, and finish your shopping by 8pm. Weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends as well.
Point to note though, is that there isn’t any shelter. So if it rains, good luck. Also, as always do take extra care of your personal belongings especially when you’re engrossed haggling the prices.
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