Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok

When I first moved to Hong Kong, I thought that Mong Kok's Sai Yeung Choi Street was the most amazing place I'd ever been to in the city.  I think I'd been to dinner around the area, but this street was open near midnight still.  That was probably the most attractive part.  The lights, the crowds, the street entertainers…everyone was still shopping, strolling, dining, and coming out of the cinema.

We were out in Mong Kok for dinner last night, which made me remember the good old times when I was enamored with the glamor of Sai Yueng Choi Street.  

How To Get Here:

1.  From Mong Kok's MTR Station, take exit D3

2.  And you are there!

NOTE:  Exit D3 brings you out near Nathan Road and Sai Yueng Choi Street.  It's a good place to start exploring.  Another option is to take the MTR exit E2.

 ***Views of Sai Yeung Choi Street and the general area at night***

Sai Yeung Choi Street is popular with locals and tourists.  For tourists, there are loads of pharmacies/dispensaries, electronic/camera shops, beauty/cosmetic shops, accessory/watch shops and clothing shops to check out.  For locals, there are some awesome cafes, eateries, clothing shops, and salons splattered throughout the area.

There is a constant upgrading of shops in the area, like the semi-new Innisfree shop!

Since it is still quite warm these days, though not blazing hot, the Mobile Softee truck can still be found with a line of customers in its wake.

I think it was around 9 pm when we started strolling around, but it was still quite crowded.  The crowds, in this case, I love.  The people add to the excitement of being down in the heart of Mong Kok!

If you are in need of cash, then there are exchange kiosks around the area that are open quite late into the evening.

We took a walk over to Sai Yee Street and stopped to check out Ladies Market.

Along Fa Yuen Street and Sai Yee Street, both of which run parallel to Sai Yeung Choi Street, you can find a myriad of sport/camping/outdoor shops.  It's where you can find all sorts of gear all throughout the year.

Hope you enjoyed this little view of Mong Kok!

This is definitely a great place to go when visiting Hong Kong!

Traveling Tuesday: Streets and Markets of Mong Kok

Mong Kok is always buzzing with things to do.  Today, we did the touristy thing and checked out most of the street markets:

1.  Goldfish Market

A good starting point for checking out the markets of Mong Kok can be starting with Goldfish Market on Mong Kok Road and Tung Choi Street.  They open relatively earlier than the other markets, so if you are jet lagged and are itching to get out and around, it's a good place to start.

2.  Fa Yuen Street
From the Goldfish Market (which sort of ends around Nullah Road), take a right and you'll hit Fa Yuen Street.  The Fa Yuen Street Market runs from Nullah Road + Fa Yuen Street to Mong Kok Road + Fa Yuen Street.  So, it is parallel to the Goldfish Market.

Here you can find housewares, toys, souvenirs, and some of the latest street fashions at incredibly sensible prices.  Make sure to check out the shops along the sidewalks because you might miss them if you just walk along the main street market.

We started out around 10 am and some of the shops were already open!

Fa Yuen Street Market

Shops along the sidewalk

The Fa Yuen Market continues across Bute Street and ends at Mong Kok Road

This market is one of my favorites because, if you walk back up it, in the direction of Nullah Road, then you'll see a Pacific Coffee across the street (Prince Edward Road West).  It's a good place to stop for a coffee and pastry.  And it also takes you in the direction of the Flower Market.


3.  The Flower Market
If you are exiting Pacific Coffee, turn left and you'll see Sai Yee Street in front of you.  Around you, you'll start seeing a bunch of flower and plant shops.  You will also see the famous Brighten's Flower Shop at the corner.  This is where Christmas Trees can be ordered and Chinese New Year ornaments can be bought (in their respective seasons).  It's such a wonderful store to check out...all three levels!

The Flower Market is such a beautiful little area to walk around.  A lot of the plants are similar to those found in Hawaii.  So, my parents had a great time going through and identifying Bird of Paradise, hibiscus, anthuriums, and all the fruit trees.  A lot of the shops are beautifully decorated and allow you to wander to your heart's content.

The Flower Market runs a little bit along Sai Yee Street, but most of the shops run along Flower Market Road, which you'll see when you walk a little ways up Sai Yee Street.


4.  Ladies Market
If you make your way back to Sai Yee Street, you can walk South (in the direction of Victoria Harbour) past Prince Edward Road West and past Bute Street to Arglye Street.  In front of you, on the second floor, you should see Starbucks.  It's always a good landmark point for Sai Yee Street + Arglye Street.

Turn right and you'll see Ladies Market.

This market is always an adventure!  There are a lot of copied/pirated/designer things that can be found here:  handbags, watches, belts...boardgames (SERIOUSLY!!!!!) and UNDERWEAR (SERIOUSLY!!!!!). There are also a lot of fun things to see:  like THE MAGNETS OF BAD TRANSLATIONS,  MINIATURE DIM SUM KEY CHAINS, "ANCIENT" CHINESE SCROLLS, CUT OUT PAPER CARDS, BEDAZZLED JEWELRY BOXES, SWIMSUITS, I <3 HK TEES and some of my favorite secondhand clothing shops (Mee & Gee).

Like the Fa Yuen Market, make sure to check out the sidewalks because you'll find some of the coziest little restaurants in the Kowloon District here.  Ladies Market runs all the way to Dundas Street...where you'll bump into another Starbucks (in the Gala Centre)...which makes another good landmark.

5.  Sai Yueng Choi Street

A good way to end the afternoon is to join the herds of other tourists along Sia Yueng Choi Street!  It runs parallel to Ladies Market and Nathan Road.  It runs from Dundas all the way back up to Argyle Street.

There are a lot of great shops here if you are in that mood:  Camera shops, phone shops, Body shops (!), brand shops (Espirit, Sasa, Bonjour, Pricerite, Izzue, IT, Giordano, Broadway, Fortress, Suning and the Cinema).  At around 5pm, you'll also start seeing street entertainers come out and set up their little stages.  This makes this street really LIGHT UP in the evening hours.

Today was such an incredibly fun day...

I end this blog post with this lovely photo of a family of striped tee-shirts on Sai Yeung Choi Street.  I have seen this particular look in so many places, but was fortunate to capture it on film today!  Here you can see a grandmother, father, baby girl, and mother all dressed in B&W stripes!  Things like this make me smile!