[The Intense Summer] VANCOUVER DAY 15 (Part 1)

For my last day (or rather night) in Vancouver, my second aunt took me to the Richmond Night Market.
(Among locals though, it is simply known as the 'Night Market'.)

The Night Market is only open during the summer, and since it's quite common for me to visit within the period of time that it's open for, I usually make it a thing to bug someone to take me every year.

You could, of course, just take public transit. But having to fumble with a ticket while lugging large bags whatever-you-happened-to-buy home with you doesn't quite sound like my idea of fun. Plus, there's always parking if you go early.

Rewinding back a couple years though, there used to be two night markets in Richmond: one that retailed cheap, and poor quality goods in addition to involving parking a substantially far distance away from the market, and one that parking within close proximity but very few retailers.
A little while back, the former closed down; the only active night market now is known as the Richmond Night Market and is located right outside the Bridgeport Skytrain Station / River Rock.

Most years, the Night Market consisted of very little besides heavily-seasoned Rotato skewers, bland-tasting roasted corn, overpriced bubble tea, and pricey handmade trinkets. However this year, it proved to be the most lively display of food, shops, and games I've ever seen, making it a true must-see attraction (especially for tourists).

When we arrived around opening hours (7 PM), there was already an exceptionally lengthy line outside the ticket counters.

And in case you're wondering, a one-time ticket is $2, though I do believe there is a booklet of tickets available for $20 that one can share with friends or family members that happen to be frequent visitors.

Anyways, the line moved pretty quickly, and within 10 minutes, we were already walking around inside.

We stopped by the food vendors first, as we hadn't eaten dinner yet and these were the places that were expected to become increasingly busy as the market went on.

After a thorough stroll through all four aisles (Yes, four aisles! The food selection is steadily growing.), we returned back to the Tenryu Hashimaki stall and ordered a Crab Mayo hashimaki and Ramen hashimaki (pictured left and right respectively).

The whole concept of the hashimaki was pretty cool: they placed your choice of filling (crab mayo, Japanese curry, etc.) onto an okonomiyaki-like batter that contained cabbage, and proceeded to roll it up with a pair of chopsticks. They then topped it off with sauces, bonito flakes, and nori.
The vendors described the hashimaki as a "savoury Japanese crepe".

What I really liked about this dish was their use of a tray and chopsticks, instead of just a skewer or the envelopes you receive when you order crepes. Even if the crepe was to fall off the chopsticks midway while eating, you could finish it by slipping the chopsticks out, not having to make any mess at all.

And you have to agree that this art is pretty amazing.

At that point, the night market had already started to fill up with people, and it became increasingly difficult to make our way through to the other side where the shop stalls were located.

We passed by this taiyaki stall, and the guy there was making nutella and marshmallow taiyaki!

Another thing that caught my eye was that they had listed "curry chicken" as a filling choice, in addition to red bean, nutella, custard, etc.
I mean, a savoury taiyaki?! How cool is that!!

I ended up getting a cherry lemonade somewhere along the way.

That and this coconut milk jelly and papaya dessert.

The lemonade proved to be rather mediocre in taste, but the papaya dessert was refreshing  with just the right amount of sweetness.

And then we finally made it to the shops section.

From all my years of coming, I've noticed some recurring vendors, and they always manage to have the same stall location every time.
K-Pop-themed socks are something you'll always be able to find. The same applies to small plush charms and figurines/posters from popular anime series. The collection does expand every year though, and sometimes the prices go up with it.

Read more in PART 2 !

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SUMMER 2014 LINKS

• JUNE 28, 2014 - Mill St. Brewery, Toronto Pearson Airport
• JUNE 29, 2014 - NorthWest Fan Fest 2014
•                                       - Red Star
• JUNE 30, 2014 - Photos N/A
• JULY 1/2, 2014 - Vancouver to HK Part 1 (Vancouver International Airport)
•                                        - Vancouver to HK Part 2 (Flight to Seoul)
•                                        - Vancouver to HK Part 3 (Incheon Airport, Arrival in Hong Kong)
• JULY 3, 2014 - Mong Kok
• JULY 4, 2014 - Macau Day Tour
• JULY 5, 2014 - Shopping in Causeway Bay
• JULY 6, 2014 - Tsui Wah Restaurant, I SQUARE
• JULY 7, 2014 - Arriving in Taiwan + Akazubo (Hankyu)
•                                     - Exploring Eslite
• JULY 8, 2014 - Food and Family Dinner
• JULY 9, 2014 - Ximending
• JULY 10, 2014 - Taipei 101, Ding Tai Fung
•                                       - ATT 4 Fun
•                                       - Birthday Buffet
• JULY 11, 2014 - SOGO, Taipei Underground Mall
• JULY 12, 2014 - Exploring the Area + Shinkong Mitsukoshi
• JULY 13, 2014 - Breakfast + Taoyuan Airport + Flight Back to Vancouver
• JULY 14, 2014 - Mega Sushi
• JULY 15, 2014 - Maji Taiwanese Cuisine
• JULY 16, 2014 - Thai Food + Family Dinner @ The Jade
• JULY 17, 2014 - New Hair + Cattle Cafe
• JULY 18, 2014 - Photos N/A
• JULY 19, 2014 - Garage Sale + MiniComi
• JULY 20, 2014 - Photos N/A
• JULY 21, 2014 - Cattle Cafe + Bubble Tea at Yaohan
• JULY 22, 2014 - Vancouver Aquarium
• JULY 23, 2014 - Lost in Burnaby + Afternoon Tea at Adonia
• JULY 24, 2014 - Journey via Canada Line + Pinkberry
• JULY 25, 2014 - Richmond Night Market (Part 1)
•                                       - Richmond Night Market (Part 2)
• JULY 26, 2014 - Back to Toronto