HK: What I've learned

Posted by JohnP 02/16/2008 at 18:06

Ok, so I’ve spent a little over a week in and around Hong Kong now. What have I learned?

  1. Clean drinking water is wonderful
  2. drink more water than you think
  3. showering daily is nice, but not mandatory
  4. Stay to the left doesn’t always work; sometimes you need to stay to the right in traffic
  5. Bring 2 pair of jeans on every trip if the weather isn’t too hot
  6. Bring 3 t-shirts
  7. Sunscreen
  8. You can get a few days of wear out of most clothes between washings
  9. Engrish is confusing – still their English is better than my Cantonese
    • subway doesn’t mean there’s an underground train down there. It could just be a street crossing.
    • Toilet is a wonderful word, but still has many different meanings.
    • Final Sale means all sales final.
  10. Escalators are good, especially in hilly cities
  11. Give some money to the Buddhists
  12. Macau isn’t just for gambling
  13. Water Ferries are smoother than you think
  14. Double decker buses are fun
  15. If it is an animal and moves, chances are the Chinese probably eat it
  16. Coke Lite, not Diet Coke.
  17. Speaking German in a German restaurant in Hong Kong isn’t very useful
  18. Many travelers are completely obnoxious, not just N. Americans
  19. Not all brands of jeans can fit (rough rider?)
  20. Recharge your Li Ion camera batteries overnight, every night.
  21. Layering is key – t-shirt, heavy shirt, shell, light jacket cover most needs
  22. Bring hiking boots if you’ll be walking a bunch
  23. You can buy socks and underwear, but they fit differently.
  24. You are better off ignoring the Indian Hawkers than noticing them. For the last time, no, I do not need a watch or custom tailored suit.
  25. Chinese food can be challenging to eat. Good Indian, Italian, German, Japanese, etc. can be had in HK. Watch out for American at Ruby Tuesdays – hi cost and JH got sick from it.
  26. Mass transit done well is fantastic
  27. Be prepared to walk, climb, and for your feet and legs to hurt at the end of the day
  28. Listen carefully to whatever the other person repeats back to you. Chances are, you or they didn’t really understand your intent.
  29. Ear plugs are great if traveling with anyone else – for both of you
  30. Internet in a room is a luxury; all sorts of protection schemes exist that only work with Windows/IE.
  31. Keep receipts – conversion from HK$ into your native currency is interesting later, not in real-time, but you do get better at it
  32. Ignore your diet when walking as much as we did
  33. You don’t need a plan before you leave, but you do need to plan every day before heading out
  34. Carry your passport with you – ALWAYS.
  35. A HK$20 rolex can be had almost anywhere.
  36. Phones, computers, etc. aren’t any cheaper in HK and usually don’t have a warranty
  37. after a long day, a good shower can make everything ok.
  38. Knowing 10-20 phrases gets you a long way with the locals – I knew zero.
  39. 10,000 Buddha’s is a bunch.
  40. When a line looks long at first, it probably is 2x whatever you think it is. There’s probably another line that you can’t see, but will need to get in too.
  41. Take more pictures than you can stand while traveling, but don’t forget to enjoy the experience at the time too.
  42. Almost anything you can buy in HK can be had cheaper or same price back home … if you can get it there. The value is in knowing it came from Hong Kong.
  43. Brushing your teeth when you can’t drink any of the tap water only took me 4 days to figure out.