Hong Kong

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

HK is definately a walking around city for sure. Transit is really good once you actually get into the city. I think between 8am-10am, there is a rush as a people go to school and work, something to factor in.

Correct, rush hour works much less the same as anywhere really. However, if you choose to take the Airport Express train, you won't run into too much of a problem with regards to rush hour as it is too expensive for locals to bother taking to work/school, it's while inside the station and above ground would you be surrounded by a lot of people.

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

STeeLy probably has more accurate information since I was pretty zoned out when I reached HK after a long flight. As I said, its not something I would recommend, but if I were to spend a few hours in HK, it would go like this:

- Eat (best food in the world, even though it looks crammed and dirty, the more crammed the better, as there is a reason why its so crammed - people want to eat there. Just pick one that looks like a hole in the wall but is popular, they'll be everywhere.)

Definitely true, lots of variety everywhere. However, if you are not proficient at reading Traditional Chinese and/or can't speak Cantonese, the hole-in-the-wall places may not be the best idea as they usually don't expect tourists.

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

- Shop (good way to submerge into the HK culture, and everything is cheap. If its electronic, its probably black market too, who knows. DVDs are guerenteed to by pirated. If you can, find a good street market that sells all sorts of interesting widgets. Last year, I picked up a couple pairs of GAP jeans for $5 each, a iPod Nano sleeve for 25 cents and a few dress shirts for cheap as well. I think Tsim Sha Tsui is a popular area for that, or Mong Kok (Ladies Market is what its called, but its not just ladies goods its just the name), both are by the MTR train)

Shopping, another thing Hong Kong is known for. There are extremes though with shopping. If you're don't look like a local, they will either be extremely nice to you or really try to rip you off. You can haggle almost anywhere you shop, especially in the aforementioned Ladies Market and other markets along those lines.

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

- Eat again (any sort of bakery or another hole in the wall place)

You will find that the bakery will be a little different than bakeries than North America. They will have pastries and bread and such, the Chinese style buns are a little different, but do try them, they're harmless and generally very tasty.

Originally Posted by WesternCanadaKing

Is Hong Kong easy to walk around? I arrive at 7:45AM and leave at 3:05 PM, so I'm assuming I can get about 4 horus out of that (if trains really take 30 mins instead of half an hour). Would customs be at all difficult to get through when I arrive at HK?

Hong Kong is a definite walking city as Phanuthier had said. Arriving at 7:45 AM should not be TOO bad when it comes to immigration/customs. There will be a line when you go through immigration (Unless of course, you have a HK Permanent Resident card, then it's quick and easy). That line usually clears pretty quick and since you don't have to pick up luggage, I would say you would be out of the airport within an hour. However, I can't exactly tell you if customs/immigration would be difficult since most times I go back, I bypass immigration officer and use the automated machines with my Permanent Resident ID

Security lines are usually alright. Most of the time, I've gotten through within 20 minutes. Most times for me, I have enough time to browse around in Terminal 2 at the airport and go through immigration and security through Terminal 2 since there is almost no one in that terminal.

Hope this helps.

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

sure is probably ~30-40 minutes from departure to arrival, but I factored in some extra time in case he's not familiar with the surroundings. A few minutes to navigate thru the airport; find the Airport Express station; wait upto 10 minutes for the next train; the train arrives at the Hong Kong station, but if he wants to get to Central, it is connected by underground tunnels, but its a longish walk, again possibly in unfamiliar surroundings with a ridiculous number of people all around you adding to the chaos

if its 40 minutes each way but you plan for an hour, you won't be late, get caught up in security or worse, miss your plane

If you factor those in, then definitely an hour sounds about right. However, I'm not too sure if you can get from the Airport Express Hong Kong station to Central Station via the tunnel... I know you can if you get off from the Tung Chun line, but Airport Express I believe is a different story, since you would have to go out of the turn stiles and back in which u can't do unless you have a ticket for the regular MTR lines. I do agree with you the mass of people does not help much with navigating.

[Phanuthier]

Hole in the wall restraunts - just do what I do, point to what you want

Street markets - I didn't have any trouble getting the deals and you could tell that I wasn't from the area (my attempts at Cantonese, how I walk, interact etc)

If you can BS a little bit of Chinese, and they can BS a bit of English, you can usually get by. Whenever I travel to a country that doesn't speak English (i.e. Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Poland), a pen and paper really help with some international pictures/lingo. Be warned though, I don't find HK people to be very friendly to lost tourists in asking for directions.

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by STeeLy

If you factor those in, then definitely an hour sounds about right. However, I'm not too sure if you can get from the Airport Express Hong Kong station to Central Station via the tunnel... I know you can if you get off from the Tung Chun line, but Airport Express I believe is a different story, since you would have to go out of the turn stiles and back in which u can't do unless you have a ticket for the regular MTR lines. I do agree with you the mass of people does not help much with navigating.

the Hong Kong Station of the Airport Express is connected to the Central station

here is a useful map to plot train destinations

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

If you can BS a little bit of Chinese, and they can BS a bit of English, you can usually get by. Whenever I travel to a country that doesn't speak English (i.e. Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Poland), a pen and paper really help with some international pictures/lingo. Be warned though, I don't find HK people to be very friendly to lost tourists in asking for directions.

Can I ask why you ever went to Slovakia? I was born there, and even I think that place is a morally corrupt crap-hole with very few redeeming qualities (I assume the same goes for Serbia....just with more violence!). Apart from the pretty girls, or to make you feel good about Canada, I'm not sure why a tourist would go there. If it wasn't for family, I'd probably never go back.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Can I ask why you ever went to Slovakia? I was born there, and even I think that place is a morally corrupt crap-hole with very few redeeming qualities (I assume the same goes for Serbia....just with more violence!). Apart from the pretty girls, or to make you feel good about Canada, I'm not sure why a tourist would go there. If it wasn't for family, I'd probably never go back.

I wanted to see something really different, especially one that still had scars of Soviet communism. It was definitely very interesting in Slovakia, seeing a former historical city then slapping bits and parts of Soviet communism here and there. (I went to Trencin and Bratislava) Serbia was also pretty wrecked, with plenty of war scars (including a freshly bombed embassy) and communist scars or crappyness. (I went to Belgrade)

My next trip is also probably going to include another crap-hole as well, as I have a tenative trip that includes a week in Bolivia in June.

[JohnnyFlame]

I don't like rushing around and worrying about being on time for my plane but that's a long time to sit around. I've never had any problems in Hong Kong and found it very straight forward to get around. Language also never a problem though I can speak Chinese(not fluently but enough to get along). Plus it's Mandarin and not Cantonese that I know. I'd head for the Peak myself. The ride up and down is fun(the cars in the parking lots look like they are going to roll out the buildings). The view is awesome and there lots to do up there as well.

I'd plan the heck out of it beforehand. Schedules, maps etc. Sit near the front. Zip out of the plane. Don't fart around looking but ask right away for locations(yes I know I hate to do it as well). The walk around I wouldn't do as it's a lolly gag thing and rushing it just wouldn't be fun. My wife and I, for example, just headed out one day from our hotel with no plan whatsoever. Hung a right, then a left etc. and proceded to just soak it in. Did the hole in the wall for eats, looked in all kinds of shops and paid no attention to the time. That's the way to do a walk IMO.

I'd just head to the coolest spot and take it in and head back.