Goldfish Frenzy (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong is famous for its remarkable array of shops, alive with the enthusiastic hurly-burly of shoppers (both locals and tourists). The area of Mong Kok is one of the busiest where vendors selling the same goods compete as neighbours on price and ability to bargain. Areas include vendors of men's goods, women's clothing and bags, flowers, birds and goldfish.

In Goldfish Street (on Tung Choi Street) over 40 aquarium shops jostle for the attention of folks who adore fish and reptiles as pets in just a couple of city blocks. Walls of plastic bags containing the treasured goldfish line the walls of each tiny store maximising the stock on display. Other shoppers marvel at the fish tanks packed tight with fish that glisten fluorescent colours or the snakes, turtles, corals or jellyfish that may take people's fancy.

The shopping is frenzied (especially in the early evening) with people carefully choosing their favourite individuals as harried staff attempt to scoop out the relevant specimens (keen fingers tracking the chosen fish in a strange marine form of Where's Wally? (or Where's Waldo?) . New shipments arrive every week to match the insatiable desire for marine pets - hardly a surprise given my unusual goldfish experience.