Kowloon Night Market: Where Men Do the Shopping

The city never sleeps. But I do.  So even though it was a Friday night and there was the potential to party it up with the Hong Kong folks (and by folks I mean by myself), I decided to check out the Kowloon Night Market instead and call it an early night.

The market wasn’t too far from my hotel on Nathan’s Road, so I took a less-than-five-minute metro ride from the Tsim Sha Tsui station to Jordan and walked about ten minutes to find the market on Temple Street. There’s no official sign or anything, so you just kind of…arrive there and realize that’s it.

This buzzing open-air market runs for blocks, and you can find everything here, from wallets and handbags to jewelry, and from clothing to electronics. Kids toys, gadgets, local wear and leather goods are all available here at reasonable prices, and of course, you can always bargain. The exchange rate is about HK $7.70 for every U.S. dollar. Interestingly, because the market offers a lot of inexpensive men’s items, it’s sometimes considered a “Men’s Street,” according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

The market reminded me of the bazaars we have lining the streets in India, like Pondi Bazaar or Luz back in Chennai. This nostalgia brought me to a hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant where I had dinner before heading back to my hotel. I saved the real nightlife, Lan Kwai Fong, for the next day.