I’ve been feeling sorry for this little blog. Life has taken me for such a spin work-wise that I neglected the poor thing entirely over the past few weeks. Since it’s high time to say hello to those who do drop by, thought I’d share a post about my most recent trip, to Hong Kong.

While there are many aspects to the city that I loved, here’s a photo story about a fascinating browse around Des Voeux Road West, better known as the Dried Seafood Street. On this busy road that stretches along some 200+ shops in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island, you’ll find a spectrum of rare delicacies such as dried abalone, the showpiece of most Chinese banquets.

Other dried seafoods for sale include sea cucumbers, fish maw (or bladder), and controversial sharks’ fins. You’ll also see lots of bizarre-looking fungus and seaweed as well as reindeer’s veins and tails (yikes!), dried snake skin, wild bamboo shoots, birds’ nests, and dried turtles. This ain’t stuff for the quesy or for sensitive souls.

Many of these items are used for cooking in soups and stews while others are consumed as traditional medicine to cure various ailments. Dried snake skin, I learned, is apparently good for joint pain and asthma. Reindeer’s veins boost male virility – hmm…

For someone like me, a wide-eyed first-time visitor to China, the stroll along Des Voeux Road West was a path of curios. It was so much fun to observe the Chinese ladies browsing the stalls for the best black moss and conpoy (dried scallop).

I hear the market is quite a sight right before the Lunar New Year, when all the housewives flock here to find the ingredients for the elaborate Chinese New Year dishes. While I wasn’t lucky to be there on this major holiday, I still loved the glimpse into Chinese daily life. Highly recommended if you’re heading to Hong Kong!

Most of the shops in the area are open from Monday to Sunday, 9.30am to 7pm. To reach Des Voeux Road West in Sheung Wan, hop on a tram from Central heading for Kennedy Town/Whitty Street.