Hong Kong Guide

This is a small, but growing Hong Kong Guide by Jonas S Karlsson BuddhaHacker, for the purpose of NoisebridgeChinaTrip7. Please feel free to add.

Overview

Hong Kong may be consider to be on Chinese Land, but it does not have any of the restrictions of China as it is it's own territory. The principle is "One country - two systems", in practice it's probably "1 Country 7 systems". For all practical purposes Hong Kong is "like a country", it's actually the territory in the world which is the most like a country, but isn't. There is even a Hong Kong passport.

Arrival

Most will arrive to Hong Kong at the airport. After immigration, where you fill out a note, you'll get a slip with a date, you need to keep this in the passport at all times, also you need to keep the passport on your person at all times when outside. It'll show how long you can stay in Hong Kong.

Octopus card

Yes, get one! It's available at the airport after the arrivals. It cost $150HKD, $50 is deposit, and you'll get $100 credit. Getting this card is NOT optional. If you take bus, you need exact change, or just give more money than the actual cost and loose your change. Also, you'll be staying in TST (Tsim Sha Tsui), where there are many tourist and buying tickets is a nuisance.

The octopus card makes for speedy transport, and is accepted on MTR (subway), busses, boats, minibusses. You also pay in 7-11, minimarts, MacDonalds (all 24h) and sometimes even for beer!

Top-up easily at 7-11.

Travel from Airport

Type in your hotel in google maps and get directions from Hong Kong international airport. You need octopus card as per above!

For most hotels you're in TST so A22 or E23 bus its about ~25HKD! It takes about 1-1.5hour.

Much faster: MTR Aiport Express, go to Kowloon station: 100HKD, take to hotel in TST: ~24HKD.

Alt 2, avoid taxi: Go to last MTR Aiport Express Station, Central, then change to MTR to go from Central to TST. There is a bit of walk to get between these lines, but you'll arrive near the hotels.

Mobile Phone Card

You'll need internet in Hong Kong to get around (google maps), as well as keep in touch with the group and last minute changes on WeChat. See HTTC_Internet_Tips for info about cards to get.

Internet

Works fine.

Sightseeing

Various guides you can find on internet.

Big ones:

• The Peak
• Giant Buddha (near airport)
• Garden of Stars (Bruce Lee statue)
• TST Ferry to Central/Wan Chai
• Beaches (Sai Kung minibus from Dundas)
• Science Museum

See more from official site.

Here are the local fun ones:

• Tin Hau Temple & Street night market (MTR: Yau Ma Tei)
• Women Clothes market (MTR: Mong Kok, Prince Edwards)
• Chung King Mansion (TST)

MTR Prince Edwards:

• Women Clothes market
• Gold fish market
• Flower market
• Bird Garden/market
• Dim Sum: Tim Ho Wan (walk from PE, in Sham Shui Po)

Electronics

MTR: Sham Shui Po

• Golden Computer Center - everything new
• Apliu Street electronics market, spy cams, second hand mobile phones
• Capital Building, Un Chau Street - second hand computers/laptops (cheap Thinkpads)

Other areas

• Computer Center (MTR: Mong Kok) - new computers, mobiles, parallel import
• Sin Tat Center (MTR: Mong Kok) - games, second hand iPhones, iPads
• Wan Chai Computer Center (MTR: Wan Chai)

Nightlife

Hong Kong cluster bars at certain streets in certain neighbourhoods, here are the main ones:

• LKF (Lan Kwai Fong, MTR: Central) - western style bars/clubs - a must go once for Fri/Sat
• Wan Chai (MTR: Wan Chai) - "legendary for its exotic night life" (bar district/hostess bars)
• Mong Kong - cafes/late night eating/some local brewery bars
• TST - two bar districts (Hart Street, Ashley Road)
• Scheung Wan (MTR) - 3 gay bars, near DimSumLabs, ask locals
• Tung Choi street, behind Mong Kok Police station (MTR: Prince Edwards)

Bars, Taprooms, Microbreweries

• Tap Room (TST, ashley road)
• The Ale Project: Kowloon Tap room (MTR: Mong Kok)

Foods

• Cha Chan Teng - local chinese/west food cooked with western ingredients
• Lai Cha - hong kong super strong milk tea! MUST TRY
• Yin Yang - Lai Cha mixed with Coffer!
• Dim Sum
• Vegetarian, in Hong Kong the speciality is fake meat!
• Snake soup (MTR: Sham Shui Po)