19 Feb 09 A Few Hong Kong Travel Tips
Travelling to Hong Kong can be a completely different experience for you, especially if you’ve never been to the country before. It’s a very interesting mixture of cultures, one that is very fun to experience. Here are a few tips if you plan on travelling to Hong Kong.
During the winter months (December – February), Hong Kong can experience temperatures in the single degrees. You’ll certainly want to pack heavy coats. Even between March and May, temperatures rarely rise about 30 degrees, although the humidity is fairly high. Summer can be pretty warm, however, as can the beginning of autumn. It’s often almost too humid for a coat, especially during the warmer seasons.
If you easily get cold, however, you may want to take a long-sleeved shirt or jacket for when you’re inside your hotel or eating at a restaurant. That’s because they tend to have the air conditioning set on high, making them very cold. While this may feel good at first, by the end of your meal, you may be freezing.
When you plan your travel dates, you may want to avoid April through October if possible. This is Hong Kong’s busy tourism season, and while it is a fairly lengthy part of the year, you’ll also find a lot to during the rest of the year. Also note that hotels in Hong Kong are much more expensive on the weekends, and you’ll certainly want to book in advance, especially if you’re visiting during the peak season.
You won’t have to worry too much about the language barrier—Hong Kong’s officially has two languages, English and Chinese (Hong Kong was actually a colony of Great Britain until about 15 years ago). Note, though, that not everyone speaks English fluently, and some signs and restaurants feature Chinese characters only. If you’re uncertain how to find your destination, you may ask your hotel staff to write the address for you in Chinese just in case.
Tags: Chinese, Hong Kong, hotel, hotels, travelling
17 Sep 08 An evening in Hong Kong
With more and more people starting to travel more towards Asian countries, people are discovering some of the age old relics and mysteries that are associated with Hong Kong. For centuries people have always been awed by the mystery and magic that is associated with the Asian countries and Hong Kong in popular. There are those who want to know more about the country who martial arts have been made famous all over the world and some of these tourists also visit Hong Kong to know more about legends like Jacky Chan. The quaint market shops, the noodle shops, the hustle and bustle of the bazaars plus the opportunity to haggle over seemingly antique items mixed along with the latest in electronics is what makes Hong Kong a league apart from the other tourist spots.
Few people know that Hong Kong is one of the most popular tourist spots of Asia and the main reason for this is that people have a biased opinion about this city. They cannot imagine that such a small city can be so popular, but when they take a look at the city for themselves they are left wondering. With a night life that can be compared to many other cities and a culture and religion that is based on Buddhism, Hong Kong is a doorway to the East. If anyone is planning to visit Asia, they must include Honk Kong in their itinerary. The populations of Hong Kong are well versed in English and the English education of this country is second only to the Philippines and India in the Asian region.
This alone makes traveling in Hong Kong a great pleasure since the tourists do not face any communication problems. If you want to ask directions to any place or if you want to haggle over the price of any bric brac there are no problems since most of the natives are well versed in English. The Chinese culinary is a must for those who love Eastern foods and one will be amazed at the low rates that they have to pay for purchasing these foods from the roadside stalls. However, if you thought that Hong Kong is all about cheap stuff, you have missed out of some research. There are quite a number of luxury hotels in Hong Kong where you can lead the most luxurious of lives.
If you are a McDonald’s aficionado you can find them in Hong Kong and if you would rather prefer the local food then you might well try out Chinese specialties like fried whole trout, tong cho oysters, tofu dishes, Peking duck, soft shell crabs, stuffed scallops among many others. There are eateries that are dedicated to serving western food so that you will never be alienated. Check out the Buddhist Monasteries and the pagodas. Chant some Buddhist mantras like `Buddham Sharanam Gachchami’ (Buddha I bow my head to you in reverence) and feel the peace of heart in Hong Kong, a city where myth meets modernization.
Tags: Food, Hong Kong, Tourist Guide
