Last weekend I was showing around some friends and I took them to the Temple Street Night Market that begins in Jordan and ends in the Yaumatei neighborhood of Kowloon. The night market is a must for tourists. It’s easily accessible by taking the MTR to Jordan station and walking a few blocks west on Jordan Road until it intersects with Temple Street. The market consists of several blocks with stalls forming a corridor in the center of the street. You walk through the narrow space between stalls and check out the merchandise.

For sale you can find souvenirs, weird gadgets, action figures, some knock-off products, small home necessities, clothing and many other things. At the middle of the market there are scores of fortune tellers who sits at small tables and peddle their services. The end segment close to the Yaumatei MTR station has more stalls set up selling “antiques” as well as food stalls and even more gadgets.

Near the beginning of the market, I discovered a CD shop called HIP HOP that has an excellent selection of CDs. Although I’m not much of a CD person (I prefer vinyl,) the selection of music was much better than other shops I’ve seen in H.K., with very cheap prices. There were many special Japan releases of CDs, and an especially good selection of Hip Hop, Dancehall, and Soul music. The address is: 179A Temple Street.

True Hip Hop fans wishes have come true because this Wednesday, D.J. Premier of Gangstarr fame will be playing at Dragon-i. Wednesday night at Dragon-i is already one of the busiest and best parties in town. Occasionally big name d.j.s also make their appearance on Wednesdays, such as when D.J. Cash Money played, but D.J. Premier is on a totally different level. Premier is one of the top Hip Hop producers ever. His music has given birth to literally dozens of top songs. I’m hoping that he doesn’t dilute his music for his Hong Kong performance.

It seems that many more top d.j.s and music acts have been hitting Hong Kong recently. Over the last month we’ve had Ultra Nate and Joe Caussell performing at Dragon-i, James Lavelle at Tribeca, and Franz Ferdinand played a concert here. The quality of life is going up!

Ap Liu Street in the Sham Shui Po neighborhood of Kowloon is part flea market, part electronics graveyard, and part junkyard. You can find used electronics, old remotes for out-of-date T.V.s and all sorts of parts for electronic goods. If you arrive by MTR, take the Ap Liu Street exit. When you surface from the station the street is several blocks long in either direction. Rows of outdoor booths are lined up along both sides of the street. In back of these booths are mostly electronic shops selling everything from the latest mobile phones to used power tools to transistors. The outdoor booths - which give the street its distinct character, range wildly. Some are well optimized while others have their wares haphazardly strewn across the ground. It’s a fun place to browse, as you never know what you’ll stumble upon.

I’ve mentioned the MTR in several of my previous posts. The MTR (Mass Transit Railway,) is Hong Kong’s subway system that stretches to 53 stations and is used by over 2.4 million people each day. Every car is extremely clean, air-conditioned, well lit, and completely safe. They are likewise graffiti free, although they are occasionally covered in advertisements (some of which are actually innovative and cool). The train’s cars are open, with no doors in between, so you can look down the entire length of the train for as far as you can see. Many of the platforms are enclosed which keeps the tracks clean, and prevents accidents.

Hong Kong’s MTR system is less complex than other subway systems around the world, which makes it easy to get around and simple to use. There are several different lines that intersect, but nothing as complex as New York or Tokyo. Should you have a question, there are station manager booths with people to provide information or address any problems with your ticket. Announcements of stops are made after the doors close. All announcements are made in Cantonese, English, and Mandarin. Maps of the system are located above the train doors in every car. There are five major lines, plus the Airport Express. Each line has a different color theme. Trains run from 6am to 1am. There is even a new Disneyland Resort Line with specially customized trains. Mobile phones work perfectly throughout the system. Click the image below to see a map of the MTR system.

In many of the stations there are 7-11 or Circle-K convenience stores (although no eating or drinking is allowed on the trains.) Each station has ATM machines, and many also feature small bank branches. A popular place to select to meet friends is usually at the bank.

There are two ways to get through the turnstile (more like a small gate) to catch a train. One way is by purchasing a ticket, the other way is by using an Octopus card. To purchase a ticket, simply go to one of the ticket vending machines in the station. You pay a fee based on your destination. Just press the destination, and the machine will calculate your fare. You can pay either by coins, or small bills - as some of the machines take ten and twenty dollar bills. However the preferred method of payment is via Octopus card.

Octopus cards are stored value cards that work by radio waves. You don’t need to take them out of your wallet or bag, simply touch it to the right place on the turnstile and you can proceed. You can use your Octopus card (or the even cooler - in a geek way - Octopus watch,) to make small transactions as well as pay for your fare on everything except taxis including: the MTR, busses, ferries, trains, trams, and mini-bus. You can also make purchases from convenience stores, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the two major grocery stores chains (Park N Shop and Wellcome.) The rechargeable Octopus cards can be purchased for $150 HKD and are available at the station booths.