After our visit to Victoria Peak we headed down to Nathan Lane and started walking north with a plan to stroll through the various open air fruit and vegetable markets, and to see the sea food stalls.  We were using the TripAdvisor mobile City Guide to help us find our way around.  The app worked reasonably well and we only got slightly lost, once or twice.

I really enjoy these open air markets. They are so different from what we have in the US.  I’m use to getting my meat from the butcher counter or the freezer section – not from a stall on the street with the meat being stored at room temperature.  It is my American upbringing that makes me very nervous about this type of market.  I’ve never purchased food at a market like this, but I still love strolling down the aisles, listening to people haggle (even though I don’t understand what is being said).  I love seeing the little old ladies picking up their food for the day and for their families.  So much fresher and it seems so much more healthy (despite the questionable storage techniques).

This woman has worked a long day in the market. Look at all those choices.

Look at these prawns.

Fresh fish waiting to be your dinner.

Very large carrots and other root vegetables.

Dozens of bowls containing small shellfish including snails

Hong Kong Meat Market

Fruits and Veggies

Aubergines and Cabbage

The crowded market in Kowloon

We’ve visited these type of markets in Shanghai and various points in Vietnam and even though I never purchase anything here, I love visiting.  The sights, the smells, the energy – it is such a departure from what we see in the western world.  Do you make a point to visit these markets when you travel or do you try to stay away?