Pitch Black

I'll be going to Hong Kong in a few weeks on the first leg of our honneymoon and was wondering if anyone had been, or lives there?

First thing I need to know is where the best place is to get myself a new digital camera, (was thinking of the Sony DCS-T1), as I don't want to take my current brick with me! We're staying at the Renaissance Habour View on HG Island so could do with somewhere close to there?

Also we are hoping to go to the Happy Valley Races as there is a meet on whilst we are there. Has anyone been and would you suggest going on one of the tours or just winging it on the night?

Lastly, for now, is it worth getting any talioring done whilst we are there? Is it as good/cheap as Thailand or should we wait until we get to Bangkok?

Thanks in advance

what would scooby do

I've been..always get terribly drunk and end up in the dodgy bars in Causway Bay so never really explored the place.

With regards to purchasing stuff - be carefull - many dodgy shops.. I think you will find bangkok cheaper.. I did..

boxst

Hello

I used to live in Hong Kong. One of my favourite places in the world. I don't know why, I think it is just because I it is the first "exotic" place I went to.

Anyway, for the digital camera go to Kowloon and walk up to Nathan Road. Make sure you know the cheapest you an buy the camera on the internet, and bargain heavily. They are there to make money, and are happy to charge tourists as much as possible.

If you like computer software, go on the tube to "Sham Shui Po", and go to the Golden Arcade. You will also see a market where you can buy frogs, snakes (if in season) and turtles.

Actually, writing that, I want to go back !

I didn't find the tailors that cheap, and the watches (fake) are certainly cheaper in Bangkok.

Steve.

Pitch Black

Thanks for the replies.

Boxst, what is Kowloon like for walking around. Do we need to be careful or is it quite safe?

Paul.

juan

Hong Kong is the safest city I've ever been to (Lived there 3 years +)
That was PRE handback but I don't think its changed too much.
I've been on my tod in pretty much every area at all times of day and night and never even felt threatened once, unlike UK or even Thailand which can get a bit spooky in the wrong places.

The Triads are the main bad boys but very much keep to their own and you will have to seriously p1ss them off for them to get into anything with a foreign devil! More likely to get grief from some p1ssed up Westerner.

Think the tailors are cheaper in Thailand as wellas the watches.

Have a good walk round Mong Kok (Kowloon side) as thats the most densly populated place on earth (or used to be anyway ). Can't rememebr road names but off the main road there are certain streets chock a block with one kind of retail shops. One street is all sports shops, another all electrical and cameras etc., a big market down the middle of the next street too

boxst

Hello

Hong Kong is generally safe to walk around. Certainly Nathan Road and the Temple Street Night Market as you will be with lots of other tourists. There is the normal pick-pocketing type stuff, but no worse (and probably better) than a lot of big cities.

Steve.

Leslie

You can go out to one of the islands, I forget the name, on a ferry boat for an outstanding chinese meal. Keep shopping around for the camera to get the best price. Never had any trouble walking around when I used to go there. Friendly people there. You could easily get a suit made in a couple of days or so for an excellent price and good quality too.

Les

B4 Boy (at work!)

I love Hong Kong!

We spent some time there a couple of years ago and we have always wanted to go back!
We stayed at the Kowloon Metropole (I think it is the cheaper end of the scale!) and found that walking in Kowloon is the best way!! The Underground system is superb and absolutely spotless and dead easy to use. We found that everything in Kowloon appeared to be in districts, i.e. clothing district, shoe district, model car district and so on! It really is a great place!
We felt very safe walking around in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island usual tourist rules applied! Shopping was always fun most electrical items can be haggled for to the delight of the missus! (ok me!) and most shops appear reasonably priced although if you're going to Bangkok you will probably find most items cheaper.

One tip, find the Spring Deer restaurant in Kowloon, I can't remember where it is exactly only that the decor was somewhat 70's, order the duck!!! This was the highlight of my time there!!! I'm dribbling while typing this!

If anyone has any travel tips for KL or Penang let me know off there in 7 days!

Matt

Katana

Make sure your baggage limit is quite high. You might end up buying loads of computer components there as its cheap as chips (haha a pun).

Do NOT attempt to buy drugs. You'll end up being accused of a drug smuggler and will get hung especially if you're a foreigner.

A 4-5 star hotel will be quite cheap. I stayed in Park Royal Hotel in KL 5 years ago and merely paid 25 quid a night. For a 4 star, thats brilliant.

Pitch Black

This is valuable stuff guys, thanks and keep it coming!

Anyone been to the races?

Paul.

juan

oh yeah forgot baout that bit.

Lived in Fo Tan near Sha Tin for a while but never went to Sha Tin racecourse.

Have been to Happy Valley though. Didn't even know they did tours. I would imagine you'll be fine without one.

Being a tight fisted blighter (or should that be skint) I went for the cheapest option which was to go into the area inside the course itself (not sure of the offical name for this area). Laid a few bets, what do they call em - quinellas and the like. They seemed keen on combination betting - pick a couple to finish in the first 4 or so - It was a while ago - I forget.
Anyways - it was very cheap to go into this area and you could stand right by the inner rail as the horses thundered past - Awesome. The speed, the dirt track everything.

Won bugger all though

The Chinese are massive gamblers and this is the only legal form of gambling so its very popular. You should have a good time.

The other thing they do is pop over to Macau (1 hour on jetfoil) as there are a lot of casinos over there. Good place to spend a day/evening/night. Got restaurants / clubs / casinos etc.

Its a portugese colony (or has that been handed back too now?) - quite a bit different to HK - Portugese slant on the nightlife n stuff (when I was there anyways - we're talking 7 and 10 years ago for Macau now)

Depends how much time you have and what you want to do I guess.

B4 Boy (at work!)

Sorry to hijack the thread!!

Cheers Katana, looking at getting a new camera in KL, what are the prices like compared to UK and am I better exchanging money over here or in KL?

Thanks.... Hijack over!!

Hong Kong..

Do the tourist thing, go to the Jumbo Palace Floating restaurant in Aberdeen Bay, I know there are loads of mixed reviews on this but we went one evening and had a great night.
The Star Ferry is a must!!
And someone can help me here because I can't remember the name of the hill/mountain on HK Island but the train up, and the views from the top are excellent and a great touristy photo oppurtunity!!
Also, again (terrible memory) there is a park in Kowloon about 10mins walk from the star ferry terminal (can't remember the name) get up one morning about 6am and go to the park and watch the tai-chi, seems to go on most mornings people aged 5-100yrs!!
Sorry For rambling on!!

We'll probably go back next year.

Katana

Best to change it in Malaysia to be honest. They don't charge you with stupid amount of interest and the best thing is, you can haggle. As for camera prices, it should be cheap too as most of them are manufactured there (including our computers). Best still, if you can somehow visit their factory and buy it from there.

Oh i you're buying ****, dont bother with the duty free there as it'll cost less on the streets.

boxst

Hello

The train is called "The Peak":



And it is definately worth doing the 7 minute near vertical train ride.

Steve.

B4 Boy (at work!)

Cheers Katana!

Kevin Groat

Did HK 4 ago on the way to Thailand, bit disappointed with HK, once you've seen the sights it's just another big city. Star ferry crossing during a heavy thunderstorm was impessive. 3 nights there then on to Bangkok for one night then two weeks in Nothern Thailand - fantastic place, very friendly people and stunning scenery. Megacheap to stay and eat, Chiang Mai has everything and easy access to all the tourist trails.

juan

its called Kowloon Park

same in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on the island.

HK is a great place. A real 24 hour city. Used to catch the minibus home at 3,4,5 am after a night out and parts of the city would be almost as busy as day - loads of street restaurants (to call them a polite name) etc.

The MTR (tube) stops around 1ish but buses, minibuses and taxis run all night.

Its a great place but does do your head in a bit if you stay toolong without getting away for at least a weekend.

I didn't do the typical expat scene (well excpet the odd bar/club). Usually I was the only westerner where I worked and after a quick stint in central district worked more in the industrial areas such as North Point and Quarry Bay. Had the use of cars and vans and used to hang out a lot with locals so got to see much more of the city than an expat or tourist and eat in the real workers restaurants rather than the more touristy ones. Can get some amazing food out there. A great city. To say its the same as any other is a big disservice. The sights are just a small part of it.

Leslie

Victoria Peak is the name of the mountain railway-pick a clear day for the magificent view.

See if you can identify "The building of 1,000 A'holes "

Les

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

My favourite site in the world that I have experienced is going up The Peak Tram at dusk. When you get to the top, you can watch the sunset on Hong Kong and see Hong Kong in all it's night time (and neon) glory!! It's the stuff that postcards are made of!!

If you want a larger luggage allowance, buy your ticket from any of the bucket shops in any China town. You'll find the prices slightly cheaper or about the same as the internet, but you have the advantage of getting 30-35-40Kg luggage allowances compared to 25kg standard!! (These flights are normally with BA, Cathy Pacific, Virgin, etc, so no need to have EasyJet or Britannia 2000 worries!!! )

Pitch Black

Sounds like we've picked the place to go

Can't wait now, just got to get the small matter of the wedding out of the way first

Paul

B4 Boy (at work!)

Congrats mate, we're getting married on the 17th April and picked Malaysia for our honeymoon destination I just hope it's a good choice!!

You'll love HK

Matt

boxst

Hello

Watch out for those crocodiles though...

From http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040408/323/eqlqn.html.



Steve.

Katana

Try to get hold of lokekee. He lives in KL and is also a scooby owner. I'm surprised why he hasnt been on this thread yet.

clarence

The 'crafty croc' (as we call it) has turned Yuen Long into a tourist site now. That thing has embarrased 2 professional croc catchers already (one Aussie, one Chinese).
As for sites & sounds of HK, head towards Mongkok for digital camera stuff. A cluster of shops that deal in electronics are in Sai Yeung Choi Street. That's where the locals go shopping for their electronic goods. U can try to bargain & ask them for free accessories, but it's best to compare prices 1st. Also make sure u can distinguish between Japanese grey imports & official HK imports (shops usually show 2 prices - lower one for greys & higher ones for official stuff), as some brands offer international warranty (I think Sony, Nikon & Minolta do). For computer stuff, head towards Golden in Sham Shui Po. If u're lazy & want to stay in HK side, u can visit Wanchai Computer Centre & Computer 298, both situated in Hennessy Rd. Prices are a bit higher there than KLN side, but sometimes the difference only amounts to the cost of a rtn MTR journey. Genuine watches are also very cheap here, most shops offer 30-35% off rrp. Causeway Bay/Wanchai is the place to go for. Hobby goods (i.e. model kits) are probably the cheapest in the world here. Mongkok is the centre of hobby goods here.
As for Thailand, I think they can make suits a bit cheaper than in HK, but if u talk abt electronics, it's more expensive than in HK.
There are quite a number of restaurants that I can recommend both here & in Thailand.
U don't need to worry much abt personal safety in HK, but just make sure u're careful with ur wallet & mobile fone (I would recommend u buying a pay-as-u-go simcard here rather than roaming, as it's much cheaper). Most of the petty crimes here are committed by mainland Chinese 'tourists'. I would be much more careful in Thailand, cos it's less safe there. Remember to lower the windows a notch if u're travelling by taxi at nite in Thailand, there are tales of drivers using gasses to rob passengers. Also do not leave drinks unattended.
Both HK & Thailand have their own unique character, & in some ways they're the polar opposite with each other.

Ray_li

I cant believe so many of you love or like HK.
Iv been there to many times and Im bored of the place. I have family there and I could easily get a ell paid design job in HK but I will not.
I guess I see there place differently being Chinese.
Go Mong Kok for all ya mota goodies

Ray

clarence

Everybody has different opinions of different places. I've lived in London & Bangkok before (now living in HK), & I found that they appeal to different ppl in different ways. I know some Chinese who've lived in US for the whole of their lives hated HK, cos they found the pace here too hectic, too noisy, or too crowded.
If I have to choose between living in those 3 cities, HK will be my 1st choice, then London, & lastly Bangkok. On balance, HK is the best out of those 3.

HankScorpio

I've done a couple of trips now. For one, my cousin had had his house burgled and all his AV stuff nicked so we were spending the insurance payout in HK rather than in the UK (flight was only 344 with Air France).
One thing became apparent fairly quickly, look out for the HK tourist assoc sticker in shop windows. What was happening to us was that the electronic shops would have an item in the window at an incredible price, you would go in and look and be ready to buy and it would turn out, this was the "last one" or the "display model" so they couldn't sell it to you, they had more in the warehouse but it would be a couple of days to get it. They would however, just happen to have the next model up in the back and you could take that away....

Turns out we were suckered on a video camera but after getting similar stories elsewhere and speaking to someone in the hotel about it, it seems that's the norm in some places.
After being warned about it, we stuck to the stickered shops and had a great time.

I would go back in a flash, I loved the shopping, the markets, the food... basically everything.
Although the flight landing coming in did un-nerve me slightly -
Oh yeah, we're decending now....
ooh, boats in the harbour, cool....
oh, 5 guys working on the deck of that boat....
mmmmhhh, that guys smoking Malboro.....
MMMMHHHH, that's the SEA...!
ARRRRGH.... WHERE'S THE F'KING RUNWAY, PULL UP PULL UP!!!!
Then grass - fence - runway and down, huge sigh of relief.
The runway's only about 40 feet from the sea, not being aware of that fact, it was a serious brown trouser moment...

Oh, and I still get a christmas card from the tailor who did my suits (on the second visit in about 16 hours).

Enjoy it.....

boxst

Hello

To respond to: As I mentioned earlier, know what you want to buy and how much it is. Otherwise they start extremely high, and come down to something much lower, but it ends up being higher than in Dixons let alone some internet shop if you are not careful!

Steve.

Pitch Black

This is great. Keep your tales coming and I'll print the thread off at the end of the week and take it with us! (We fly on the 19th)

Big C

Bit of a ramble, here goes:

You've got to do the traditional 'gwylo' Thurs/Fri/Sat night as well. Start off in Lan Kwai Fong (just up the road from you as your hotel is in Central/admiralty area, i have stayed in the JW Marriott, I think it is not far from there), get a nice meal (I would recommend Wildfire in LQF, but if you get chance save it and go to Wildfire in Murray House, Stanley), hang out at the bars with all the other gwylos and pay £7 a pint, then when totally pissed, head for Wanchai. Dusk 'til Dawn in Wanchai is really good, and open to a silly hour in the morning. There is also a kind of Coyote ugly pub right across the road which as particularly good (can't remember the name now!). Also Carnegies in Wanchai is a good start off point if you are going to end up around Wanchai.

I would also recommendnot in any order):
Get the Airport Express from the airport to HK island (HK$90), and there is a free bus to take you to the hotel
Take the MTR.
Don't take any **** from taxi drivers (there's millions of them all fighting for your business). If you get grief (I have a few times "No Engleesh" etc..) tell them you will report them and they will soon calm down.
Wander around Central, look at the buildings (Bank of China, Luppo, IFC1+2 etc.)
Star Ferry to Kowloon side and back to Central.
Taking a Sampan in Aberdeen harbour.
Jumbo Seafood restaurant (although the food is overpriced, the experience makes up for it as a touristy thing to do)
Go up the Peak whilst light, have dinner in Cafe Deco and watch the sun go down.
Ferry to Lamma Island to chill out with the Hippies, get some nice food near the sea.
Day trip on Lantau Island (see big Budda, monastry, bridges and hills)
Macau for a night (visit the Hotel Lisboa and do some gambling and clubbing)
Stanley Market and Stanley generally (Fish and Chips on the front)
Mong Kok for electrical/computer stuff (especially DVDs/software at the computer centre)
Go down the markets at Mong Kok (Wet market, bird market, jade market, ladies market etc.)
Murphys pub in Nathan Rd (Kowloon) is excellent (always got footy on and special offers on beer etc. if you pop in say hello to Sunny and the girls for me), so is Delaneys over the road. Watch out for the Red lips bar on the way across, I have some scary memories of that place!

There's loads more....I'll edit if I can think of anytihng else!

There is so much to do in HK, I was there for 4 months (on and off) last year and loved it. I still haven't done everything I wanted to (Happy Valley or Sha Tin for racing, Water park etc.).

you'll love it!

C