To continue my story about shopping (and sandals)…

Since my trip to Chatuchak, the big weekend market, didn’t yield anything to show for all my troubles, I decided to go to the Bangkok Night Bazaar for a second go at getting some Thai memorabilia.  I instantly liked the place better – even though it had a smaller selection, it had more of the things I like.  I managed to find some adorable little elephant keychains that would be perfect gift items.  I came across a stall with the type of lamps that I’ve always wanted to get once I have my own place – it was a pity I couldn’t purchase them yet!  I treated myself to a purple stone ring and a pair of earrings and I even got Panda a leather wallet (which I felt he needed as a symbol of professionalism).

I had heard that there was a fish spa at this market, so I asked around until I found one.  It was pricier than the girl at the hostel had told me, so I decided to keep looking.  (Plus it was decorated with way too much pink – I don’t think I could have sat in there for very long.)  I eventually got directed to the right place and happily stuck my feet in for a 15 minutes.  The fish quickly came along and began to gently nibble at my feet and ankles.  Since the skin around ankles is very thin, it tickled a lot when they targeted that area, so I was chuckling to myself quite often.  After a few minutes, I got more used to it and no longer had to wiggle my feet to shoo the fish away for a moment or take my feet out entirely to recover.  I was tempted to go for another 15 minutes, but decided that for the first time, that was plenty.  My feet felt softer and refreshed afterward, though I’m not sure if it was because of the fish or just soaking my feet in water.  I’m pretty sure the dead skin that the fish got rid of for me was a major factor though.  Too bad there aren’t fish spas where I live!  They’re supposed to be good for people with skin conditions, like eczema and psoriasis, and though I don’t think I have those, I do have strange skin conditions sometimes.

Now as for Hong Kong, there was quite the variety of markets available!  I spent an entire day going from the Bird Market to the Flower Market to the Goldfish Market to the Ladies’ Market to the Jade Market and finally to the Night Market.  It was a little tricky to find the Bird Market, but when I got there, I felt like I was walking into my childhood.  The gates were of a traditional Chinese design, the bird cages were the bamboo types that my grandfather uses, and there were some Chinese men sitting around enjoying the chirps of the birds.

Right next to that was the Flower Market, true to its name with a lot of flowers and plants in general.  Actually, a lot of what they sold were just plants, but hey “Plant Market” hardly sounds as appealing, right?  This place was a treasure trove, with brilliantly-colored flowers, plants shaped to look like little green creatures, bouquets bursting with all kinds of species, huge lily flowers, and even lotus flowers, complete with buds!  My favorite were the vases that eat flies.  I’ve always wanted a Venus flytrap, so any “carnivorous” plant will do!  Oh, and I also liked the kitty who was sitting in one of the shops.  😛

A bit of a walk away was the Goldfish Market, which was more of an amazing animal market.  It was mostly aquarium type animals, but I did find some adorable little kittens and even this crazy HUGE beetle that was about the size of a child’s fist.  It was still true to its name though, with a huge variety of goldfish for sale, often put out in rows and rows of plastic bags, ready to be taken off the rack.  Some were the normal goldfish you think of, but many were these cute globe-shaped ones, so plump they were practically spherical.  I also came across some unassuming shells that turned out to be hermit crabs!  I’d totally spend my weekends on this street if I lived in Hong Kong.  I wish I could have gotten new pets, but alas, international travel with live animals is either a big no-no or is at least extremely troublesome.

Next up was the Ladies’ Market!  At first I was afraid I’d miss it, but once I got to the street bordering one end of it, I discovered how silly that idea was.  There was NO mistaking the dense market that suddenly appeared.  I happy began my shopping spree, getting dresses and flip flops for myself, a tie for Panda, cuff links for the men at C&S, and compact mirrors for the ladies at C&S.  I did a decent job bargaining (or at least I felt like I did) and I found some great stuff, so I was very happy by the end of it!  Just for kicks, I dropped by the Jade Market and Night Market, but by then I was back to just window shopping.  I did go by this one area that sold adult toys and such, which was completely random.  I also managed to get a Lonpos set for only 10 HKD!!!  After waiting a year and a half, it was completely worth it.  The only other set I had found previously was around $100, so this was a fabulous deal.

All in all a great shopping experience!  🙂  My wallet even agrees, albeit reluctantly.  ;-P