 | Hong Kong is a great city, full of interesting things to see and do, nice people, and food for every palate. It’s a surprisingly safe and manageable place to get around in, too. Here are some tips to help you hit the ground running. |
It’s hot. For eight months out of the year, Hong Kong is really, really hot and humid. For the other four months, it’s quite pleasant. If you go during the hot months, which you probably will, wear natural fibers or moisture-wicking fabrics, as skimpy as you can maintain your dignity in. No maxi skirts! Streets are gross, and you’ll come home with ick all over your hem.
Cantonese is the traditional dialect of Hong Kong, but since 1997, when Great Britain’s lease ended, mainland China has been trying to get Hong Kongers to switch to Mandarin, the official mainland dialect. It’s not going very well. Plenty of people speak English, so you’ll be fine. If you want to go the extra mile, get a Cantonese speaker to teach you how to say thank you so you can grease the wheels with clerks and waiters. I could write it down here, but there are tones involved which change the meaning of the words and I don’t want you to get in trouble on my account. Ask that nice seatmate on the flight over.
Use public transportation. Buy an Octopus card, the official public transportation card. It’s good not only on all forms of public transportation, but in convenience stores, drug stores, etc. Very handy for snacks and water bottles! You can refill the card in shops when it runs dry. Taxis are rarely a good option, because the subways and busses can get you there first. Hong Kong has a modern subway and busses (some double decker--always ride on the top deck!), ferries ancient and modern, outdoor escalators, streetcars, trams. If you have trouble walking, don’t worry about getting down the stairs to the subway--there are escalators everywhere, with a lot of moving sidewalks. Your bad hip will be fine.
Cantonese is the traditional dialect of Hong Kong, but since 1997, when Great Britain’s lease ended, mainland China has been trying to get Hong Kongers to switch to Mandarin, the official mainland dialect. It’s not going very well. Plenty of people speak English, so you’ll be fine. If you want to go the extra mile, get a Cantonese speaker to teach you how to say thank you so you can grease the wheels with clerks and waiters. I could write it down here, but there are tones involved which change the meaning of the words and I don’t want you to get in trouble on my account. Ask that nice seatmate on the flight over.
Use public transportation. Buy an Octopus card, the official public transportation card. It’s good not only on all forms of public transportation, but in convenience stores, drug stores, etc. Very handy for snacks and water bottles! You can refill the card in shops when it runs dry. Taxis are rarely a good option, because the subways and busses can get you there first. Hong Kong has a modern subway and busses (some double decker--always ride on the top deck!), ferries ancient and modern, outdoor escalators, streetcars, trams. If you have trouble walking, don’t worry about getting down the stairs to the subway--there are escalators everywhere, with a lot of moving sidewalks. Your bad hip will be fine.
 This ferry isn’t scary as in, “Oh, no, we’re sinking!” It’s scary getting on and off--it pitches around while you step from the dock through a little gate on to the deck. |  Someone decorated these stair railings with knitting. Or is that crochet? I never can tell. |
Shoes. Even though it’s stinking hot, don’t wear sandals. Hong Kong’s streets are nasty in many places, and you want your feet covered. Breathable shoes like boat shoes or lightweight sneakers work best. The streets are in good condition, but you’ll be climbing on and off of ferries, busses, stairs, and escalators, so get ready to hustle.
Purses. Backpacks are just too hot--find a purse that touches as little of your body as possible. Don’t hang your purse on the back of your chair in restaurants--keep it in your lap. That’s what the natives do, so I’m going with them. In that purse, please carry...
Purses. Backpacks are just too hot--find a purse that touches as little of your body as possible. Don’t hang your purse on the back of your chair in restaurants--keep it in your lap. That’s what the natives do, so I’m going with them. In that purse, please carry...
|  My glasses fogged up every time I went outside. |
Restaurant etiquette.
- Burping, slurping, elbows on table, and talking with your mouth full are all permissible. Spitting bones on your plate is necessary because there’s nowhere else to put them.
- Napkins are rare in smaller restaurants, so aren’t you glad you have tissues in your purse?
- Learn to use chopsticks before you go--waiters are pretty gruff already, and if you look like an ignorant foreigner that makes it worse. Chinese waiters don’t have specific sections; rather all waiters cover all tables, so if you want something, wave.
- Smaller restaurants might have little plastic stools instead of chairs to save space. Embrace your inner preschooler.
- There will be bizarre food you’ve never seen before--just roll with it! One taste won’t kill you.
 Eat the tentacles. They’re delicious! |  Don’t eat the chicken head. It’s just for decoration. |
- Restaurants are loud, so enjoy it--you can sing, solo or ensemble, and nobody will even notice. Enjoy!
Hong Kong is a nice mix of Chinese and English cultures, so enjoy the juxtaposition. The English instilled in Hong Kongers the ability to form a line, be polite on public transportation, obey the well-organized and polite white-gloved police, and put out a killer tea every afternoon. They also drive on the left. Public gatherings are orderly and respectful. Enjoy it, because when you go over the border to China, none of that happens.
Street scenes. Hong Kong’s streets are very interesting, but shocking. Brace yourself, and enjoy the diversity. You might see men peeing on side streets. They also tend to spit. Vigorously. With astonishingly good aim. This is why I said don’t wear maxi skirts. Hong Kong beggars have misshapen or missing limbs, burns, all kinds of deformities you never see in the US or Europe. It’s horrible. You can’t do much about it, but seeing it might change you. Then you can do something about it.
Street vendors are quite aggressive. Just march past if you don’t want to shop. If you do, you must haggle. I stink at haggling, but it must be done. Start at 10% of what they asked for. Good luck.
Domestic workers. Hong Kong employs thousands of women from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Most send their earnings back home to their families. Many are mothers, seeing their children only on their yearly vacations. While it is true that they chose to live and work in Hong Kong, it does make you wonder what humanity is doing to itself by creating a system where borderline slavery is the best a woman can do for her family. You’ll see these women taking care of children, walking dogs, running errands, and gathering in parks and public places by the hundreds on Sundays, their day off.
Makeup. Forget it. I have yet to find makeup that stands up to Hong Kong’s humidity during the hot months. Your hair will do whatever it does in humid weather, times two.
Toilets. Hong Kong is pretty good with public toilets, but if you pass a nice bathroom, take full advantage of it even if you don’t think you need it. Just in case. Larger restaurants, department stores, and malls will almost always have standard toilets, sinks, mirrors, toilet paper, soap, and paper towels. Smaller restaurants will have a squat potty and tiny sink. Maybe paper towels or toilet paper. Maybe not. Either way, armed with your fully-loaded purse, you’ll be ok!
Are you ready? Plunge in, and discover Hong Kong!
