HONG KONG is very much ‘abroad’. Now that the near continent is easily accessible, countries such as France, Spain, Italy seem to merge styles and culture to become one generic Euro-Country. In contrast Hong Kong feels like a foreign country. It also has reminders of a colonial past, so your trip there as well as being a trip to a foreign country is also a trip into the past.
Hong Kong is also a brash mixture of Western and Eastern cultures, a meld of designer clothing, electronic consumables and Chinese superstitions. Modern apartment tower blocks, very Western in style and decor, do not have floor numbers ending in ‘4’ as the number 4 in Cantonese is very close to the Cantonese word for ‘death’.
You will also stand out as a tourist amongst the Chinese rather than being able to blend in with other Europeans as you would nearer to home. And unless you’re an exceptional linguist there won’t be any attempts to converse in Cantonese with the locals. But don’t despair, thanks to its history and a large ex-pat community most Chinese, at least in restaurants and shops, will be able to speak English. Most of the street names and signs are in English as well as Cantonese.
The first thing you will notice about this lively place is its modern, efficient mass transit systems. Arriving at the new airport, Chek Lap Kok, you essentially walk in a straight line from gate through baggage & customs onto a (usually) waiting train that takes you right into the heart of Kowloon, a popular hotel and tourist district. For exploring further the subway system (MTR – Mass Transit Railway) is very cheap and clean with air-conditioned trains and stations.
Taxis are also plentiful and very cheap, thanks to the fact that most people do not run their own cars and rely instead upon buses, taxis and the MTR.
It is a good idea to get the name of your hotel printed onto a card in Cantonese so that you can make yourself understood to the taxi driver when you want to get back to your hotel.
You will also notice the fact that you are in the tropics. The climate is hot and humid, even at night. But air-conditioning is abundant, in fact on some streets you will probably be dripped on by water from the air-conditioning condensers attached to most every window of the buildings towering above the streets.
As a gweilo (‘ghost people’, the Cantonese term for pale-faced Westerners) you will be targeted on busy Nathan Road by the many street salesmen : “Copy watch, sir?”, “Custom suit?”, “Free drink?”, “Jade rings?”. Unless you are happy to part with your money for fakes, or buy clothing with a higher price tag than its quality merits, learn to ignore these people. Even saying ‘No’ is seen as a sales opening.