Walking Tour: Goldfish Market

This week I am taking you on a tour of a magical place, the goldfish market in Mongkok. Goldfish, which are notoriously difficult pets to keep alive, are considered good luck in Chinese culture. They soak up all the bad luck and when they die you get to remove the bad luck from your house.

Start the tour in busy Mongkok.

Any MTR station will do.

Make your way past street vendors and shops until you reach Argyle Street.

Cross Argyle Street...

...and walk straight.

You'll pass little noodle shops...

...Japanese candy stores...

...and windows full of refreshing mango desserts.

When you reach Fife Street turn right...

...where you'll see the overpasses...

...along Mong Kok Road.

Cross the road beneath the overpass.

You'll find a street with food vendors.

Stop for some of Hong Kong's famous street food if you're hungry...

...or grab an ice cream from another local favorite.

When you see fish tanks sitting by the side of the road you'll know you've come to the right place.

This is a street full of pet shops.

You'll see shop after shop of reptiles...

...and some very strange turtles.

You won't be the only person staring at the the tortoises from the street.

There are hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits here too.

I thought it was ironic to find roast poultry here.

Keep walking and you'll find your first fish store.

The fish hang in rows of plastic bags everywhere you look.

There are plants and supplies to brighten up your aquarium...

...and other pet supplies, like little outfits for dogs.

Oh, and I saw a few more tortoises.

I've never seen so many fish displayed like this.

I even spotted more goldfish shops across the road.

Cross Tung Choi Street...

...and pick out a few fish to take home.

It costs $3-5 US for a bag of fish, depending on how big they are.

You can also buy living plants and other sea creatures.

Pick out an arch or a little pirate ship to keep them company.

There are some big fish too.

Or you could buy a colorful crab instead.

Cross Bute Street...

...where you'll find more fish...

...and more fish.

Walk past shops selling pet supplies...

...and stop to take a picture of the street reflected in an aquarium.

Some of the buildings even look like aquariums.

Don't these tanks look like paintings from this angle?

I still like the fish in bags the best...

...and so do all of these people.

You could buy some tiny yellow frogs instead of fish.

Check out the extra colorful salt water tanks.

Or make do with the extra colorful fake topiary.

Don't forget to look up at the buildings every once in a while as you make your way through Mongkok.

This area is always crowded. Step out of the way to check on your fish.

We went a little overboard with our purchases.

Hopefully they're all safe in the bags.

These little red guys ended up trying to bite the other fish, so we had to separate them again.

Pick up a few fish care supplies...

...walk past the last few shops...

...the last few racks of fish...

...and the displays of aquarium pebbles.

Say goodbye to Mongkok...

...and get the fish settled in their new home.

Thanks for joining me on this tour of the goldfish market. I hope you'll come back next week for another Hong Kong walking tour!