A traditional street market in Hong Kong. Only a handful of these are still in existence. So in addition to the bargain items, they are also good for sight seeing. The photo is of 花園街 (Garden Street) in Mong Kok, which is much preferred by locals than the nearby 女人街 (Lady Street), as the latter place has become a tourist trap. The buildings at the side are worth mentioning too as they are also from a previous era. I don't know much about these buildings although there are probably some history behind them. The only fact I know is that most, if not all, of them are without elevators, so they are a lot cheaper (almost half) than newer units. And because of the fact that they're old, of course. Considering that Hong Kong's real estates are fairly expensive in most standards, these buildings are preserved because of demands from low income families. Nevertheless, the government has been very active in upgrading low income families to safer and cleaner buildings. There are countless government subsidised properties throughout Hong Kong for people in need. However, even with the many social assistance available, you're bound to run across a beggar or two in Hong Kong, just like any other metropolis of the world. But I have never once been approached by a panhandler in Hong Kong, which is completely opposite to what I experience here in Toronto. In Toronto, I've seen young, able bodied, and cleanly dressed "panhandlers" on the street of downtown Toronto. Most of them evidently don't look like they're in poverty, yet, they have the audacity to ask me for change. Everytime, I have to hold the urge to just tell them to "Get a job, pal!" as they're obviously exploiting the kindness of strangers. Noting that minimal wage here is about $7/hour and people have tendancy to leave at least a dollar or two, this is definitely a better "job" for these lazy people that have no moral. But, I digressed.