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| Emergency Numbers: |
| Emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) |
999 |
| Police Hotline |
+852 2527 7177 |
| Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong |
+852 2807 0707 |
| Hong Kong Tourism Board Visitor Hotline |
+852 2508 1234 |
| Hong Kong International Airport |
+852 2181 8888 |
| Hong Kong Immigration Department |
+852 2824 6111 |
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| Customs and Excise Department 24-Hour Hotline |
+852 2815 7711 |
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| Telephone directory enquiries |
1081 |
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| DO’s and Don’t: |
| Hong Kong is the perfect blend of ‘East meets West’. There’s vibrancy, colour, noise and lots and lots of people. There are also colonial buildings, you can go for afternoon tea and you can buy anything you want in the supermarkets.Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR, not to be confused with SARS) and what that means is that it’s part of China, but equally it’s independent. It’s like a country within a country, or how it’s officially been coined is: ‘One Country, Two Systems’.And that brings me onto my list of things not to do in Hong Kong. If you ever come here, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. |
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| 1. Don’t forget your wallet |
| Unlike many countries in Asia, where you can get a 3-course meal for the price of a coffee ‘back home’, Hong Kong is a major player and has prices to match. From hotels, to meals, to drinks; everything is expensive. |
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| 2. Don’t spit |
| Believed to ward off evil spirits, it’s still acceptable to spit in many places in China. If you’re travelling to China, never (and I mean never) put anything on the floor that isn’t a thick-soled shoe. However, in Hong Kong it was already becoming less tolerated, but after SARS (2003) spitting was strictly prohibited. Now you can be fined up to HK$5,000. |
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| 3. Don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere |
| Firstly, the crowds will prevent you walking at any speed. Chances are even if you manage to find the tiniest gap to slip through, your companion(s) won’t and you’ll end up losing each other. Secondly, even in the winter the humidity can be pretty high and result in you sweating if you decide to walk too quickly. |
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| 4. Don’t come here in July or August |
| Because it’s too damn hot. Not to mention the humidity. You’d be crazy to want to be here in those months. You only need to step out of the air-conditioning for a nanosecond and you start sweating. Not nice. If you are crazy enough to come in those months, don’t forget a scarf or jacket as inside the temperatures are sometimes up to 20oC cooler than outside and you can freeze. When we hadn’t been here that long, my husband and I went out for lunch. We had to leave the restaurant early as we were so cold. |
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| 5. Don’t be squeamish |
| Hong Kong is an array of sights, sounds and smells. Most are good, but every now again there’s something that will totally blow your head off. And not in a good way. Try to remain open-minded and not yell out what immediately springs to mind (which is usually “Yuk!” or “Euch!”) |
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| 6. Don’t try chicken feet and don’t eat pizza |
| Considered a delicacy in Hong Kong and China, chicken feet can be meaty and fatty, or hard and dry. No matter what any local will tell you, they’re not nice. I’ve tried both types and trust me, just don’t. Contrary to the above, you should try to eat (more) local food than pizza. However, be aware if you do decide to get a pizza as the idea of toppings can be a little bit random. Here are a few examples:
o Avocado Prawn – crabmeat, onion, avocado puree
o Seafood Pizza – prawn, clam, mussels, squid, spring onion, olives
o Spicey Chicken Pizza – roasted corn, olive chilli |
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| 7. Don’t forget to learn a little Cantonese (not mandarin) |
| The local dialect in Hong Kong is Cantonese. For the most part people also speak Mandarin (the form of Chinese spoken in mainland China) and English. But beware: the people I’ve found to speak the least English are taxi drivers, so if you can be prepared with googlemaps, a printout or an address of where you’re going, that would be best. As with any country you go to, the people really appreciate it when you speak a little of the local lingo. Hong Kong is no different. And out of the three most important words to learn, two of them are really easy.
Hello - lei ho (sounds very similar)
Thank you – Ng Goi (this is the tough one)
Bye - bai baai (simples) |
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| 8. Don’t forget to buy an Octopus card |
| This is like the UK Oyster card but a million times better. If you’re going to be in Hong Kong for more than a day, it’s really worth getting an Octopus card. It’s the size of a credit card and you need to pay a HK$50 deposit. You can buy it in any MTR (metro) station and then top it up in any underground station too. You can use it to get on any form of public transport (so you can’t use it in a taxi). You can use it in convenience stores, such as Circle K and Seven Eleven, to buy drinks and snacks. |
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| 9. Don’t forget to haggle |
| If you go to the local markets, never accept the first price they offer you. Cut it in half, then again and start there. They’ll obviously not accept that, but then you might eventually meet somewhere in the middle. If you can feign a lack of interest in actually buying anything, you stand the best chance of being offered a good price. |
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