Hong Kong at Night - A Photo Essay
We explored Hong Kong at night, strolling through the Temple Night Market and then taking a double-decker bus through Kowloon.
After our first day in Hong Kong exploring on our own, we joined a Regent-included, two-hour evening tour called OPEN TOP BUS & TEMPLE STREET AT NIGHT to “explore the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon in the evening when this northern part of mainland Hong Kong is vibrant and beautifully illuminated.”
It was a low-key tour, with our guide first introducing the market area and giving us some general guidelines—”Don’t go in the Mah Jongg gaming palace.” “Hold tight onto your belongings.” “Don’t go into the massage parlors—they offer more than massages." With that, we were turned loose to wander the four-block strip of merchandise stalls and street food.
The best part of Temple Street at night is all the colorful lights. The second best part is watching the people. The stalls are filled with knock-off clothing, cheap electronics, and plastic toys—nothing we wanted or needed.
The food stalls were busy. Our guide explained that nearly everyone lives in tiny apartments — 250 to 500 square feet for families of 4 to 8 or more. There’s little room for a fancy kitchen and dining space, so many folks come to the night market after work for their evening meal.
Noodles, meals-on-a-stick, desserts, glazed fruits—enough choice to satisfy all appetites. A few people from our group sampled some fo the food, but with our limited time to visit—30 minutes—most of us just looked.
Following our visit to Temple Street Market, we boarded a double-decker bus for a nighttime tour of the city and we traveled “through a sea of neon lights as the guide describes the landmarks.” Sherpa and I took seats on the top deck, hoping to get better views.
We certainly traveled “through a sea of neon lights," and the recorded narration offered in-depth information about the sights we were passing. However, the night was cloudy, and many of the taller buildings were wrapped in a cloak of mist.
One of the most obvious aspects of the streets of Hong Kong? The glaring disparity between the living and shopping spaces for most of Hong Kong’s population and those designed for the wealthy.
We’re glad we went on a night tour; we saw places we would never have explored on our own. We were expecting a more robust market, but what we did see was interesting. One plus: Sherpa stopped at a corner 7-Eleven to survey the local beers, and he found a new-to-him Tsingtsao Wheat Beer, which he’ll review on our next sea day. The drive through the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon was also fine. I’d hoped to capture a few more photos, but the dark night combined with the bumpy bus ride was too challenging for my iPhone camera, and I’d chosen not to bring my Canon.
Overall, Sherpa and I rate the tour a 5/10. We are docked overnight in Hong Kong, so we’ll explore more tomorrow! We’re hoping for sunshine!