{"id":887,"date":"2018-06-21T20:22:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T02:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenenorth.com\/writings\/?p=887"},"modified":"2024-04-22T02:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T02:46:14","slug":"a-lively-and-diverse-affair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/2018\/06\/21\/a-lively-and-diverse-affair\/","title":{"rendered":"A lively and diverse affair"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

The entrance to the Temple Street Market.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Temple Street Market<\/a> in Kowloon is a few subway stops away from our hotel, but it is not a place where I would normally go. It is one of the busiest flea markets around.<\/p>\n

It begins at the intersection of Temple Street and Jordan road, ending five blocks north at Kansu Street and is a cornucopia of items for sale and interesting people. Low-rise tenements surround the market, adding to the feeling of being densely packed in a place where you are going to be separated from your money for a few trinkets or it will be separated from you.<\/p>\n

Touts hawk everything \u2013 condoms, counterfeit watches, toys, jeans, and a variety of second-hand goods.<\/p>\n

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These things cost $1 HK at the Temple Street Market. That is 12.7 cents in America.<\/p><\/div>\n

Outdoor food stalls offer you a good price, but I am not tempted. Food sitting out in the heat is a good way to get sick. Yet, the market is famous for its snacks and dining in the middle of the road. Local street cuisine and local delicacies are on offer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I’m not sure I want to buy anything this lady is cooking.<\/p><\/div>\n

As we stroll down the streets, seafood was the most common item being offered for sale. The shops on the edges of the market are busy making traditional foods with their own unique touch for customers who come and go as they wander through the market looking for a good price and a bargain on the wares for sale here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

This guy is a messy eater.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Some of the food on offer at the Temple Street Market.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Two restaurants in the Temple Street Market.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Ladies make food for customers at the Temple Street Market.<\/p><\/div>\n

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These ladies are preparing takeaways for customers. The bowls of rice sit outside the restaurant.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Egg waffles wrapped around ice cream. A diabetic delight. The waffles come in a variety of flavors to go with your ice cream.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The waffle shop.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Another shop selling waffles. Here you can see different flavors of waffle as well as flavors of egg puff.<\/p><\/div>\n

As the night wears on, the market becomes busier with tourists, locals, prostitutes, and people watchers. Stalls are illuminated with blinding lights that entice would-be shoppers to stop.<\/p>\n

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Jade items for saleinclude bracelets and small trinkets in the shape of Buddha, elephants, and other animals.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Jewelry for sale at the Temple Street Market.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

These cats are for sale everywhere in Hong Kong.<\/p><\/div>\n

Rows of fortune-tellers set up their stalls at the edge of the concrete square. As we walked by, an unlucky couple had already been parted from their hard earned dollars.<\/p>\n

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Fortune tellers line the street for those willing to pay to learn their “fortune.”<\/p><\/div>\n

A group of men gather around two gentlemen playing games in the concrete square near the The Tin Hau Temple. The temple was built on the shores of Hong Kong in 1864. The land around us has all been reclaimed from the sea.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Playing games in the concrete square.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Temple Street Market is not the type of place I typically go. I don’t like to haggle. I can’t guarantee what I’m buying is the authentic thing. It just reeks of seediness and desperation. But there is a liveliness to the people and the characters who attend.<\/p>\n

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I’m not sure what this guy at the Temple Street Market was doing, but he was happy to walk around with his shirt up and showed his belly to anyone who wanted a look. The poor guy in the middle just wanted to walk by.<\/p><\/div>\n

People stroll past stand after stand, looking at what is available while the shopkeeper in the stall is busy reading a newspaper, looking at her cell phone, or talking with customers. A passing interest in fidget spinners and the owner makes sure every single on is spinning. These ones have lights and it’s a dazzling show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fidget spinners for sale. So many cool options. Many of them light up.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I seriously contemplated getting this one. It’s got skulls. And they spin.<\/p><\/div>\n

We wander past stalls with clothing. Although we are staying on Nathan Road, famous for its shops, I didn’t travel here for clothes. I have more than enough already. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I almost purchased one of these t-shirts.<\/p><\/div>\n

I haggle with a woman over the price of a coin purse. I’ve been looking for one for several months. I knew I would find something good in Hong Kong. I hate haggling and my efforts don’t last for long. I really can’t complain. I paid $25 HK, a little more than $3 for both. I’m sure a better haggler could have managed a lower price.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Two coin purses I bought at the Temple Street Market in Hong Kong.<\/p><\/div>\n

We wander away from the market. It’s getting late. On the way out of the market, two things catch our eye.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Just a Ferrari. Also, the French Grand Prix is this weekend.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The sex shop is up these stairs.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Temple Street Market in Kowloon is a few subway stops away from our hotel, but it is not a place where I would normally go. It is one of the busiest flea markets around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[183,361],"class_list":["post-887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories","tag-hong-kong","tag-temple-street-market"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3844,"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887\/revisions\/3844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}