Alright /trv/, I'm thinking Hong Kong. Thinking of going

I'm planning to go there on March for about one week, I should make the decision next week or the week after that.

I have yet very little idea to what to do there, other than eat and just feel the atmosphere

didnt you make this exact same thread a week ago? anyways, as someone who lvied there for 5 years ill try and help out a bit

>accommodations
check airbnb first and foremost, doesnt matter where you stay since you'll be able to take the worlds best train anywhere very quickly. airbnbs run around 45 USD a night, if you want hostels or cheaper you'll have to do the research yourself. everything is fine besides from CKM

>money
transpo is pretty cheap, food is relatively okay assuming you dont eat at nice places a lot. you could go to restaurants in the main cities like in the malls and on random streets and not pay that much, it really does fluctuate a lot. still, nothing like euro prices. parks are pretty expensive, although if you do Ocean Park you can buy a seasons pass which is the cost of basically 2 times and you can go unlimited for a year, depends how much you wanna go. avoid disney land, rest of the stuff is medium price. shopping generally cheap if youre going to tourist places since you can haggle and whatnot.

>english okay
yes, everyone there spepaks near fluent english believe it or not since it used to be owned by brits. 95% of signs have english, you'll be fine

>packing
you could head down to ladies market (mong kok, touristy but fun) and buy cheap tshirts for dirt cheap to use for a few days then throw out if you wanted to. hong kong is such an easy place to travel to and stay for a few weeks you'll be fine, it's not like going to china or anything. it's chinky shit at the end of the day but it's very western influenced in a lot of parts.

lemme know if you have any other minor questions or whatever, i'll try and remember to check this once a day or so

>>1179085
To be honest, I actually kind of wanted more insight on hotels, but your explanation makes sense. I've read some reviews for many different hotels, and they all have an almost even mix of good and bad reviews. Hell, even the Chungking Mansion hotels managed to get good reviews that contrasted starkly with the highly concerning reviews. I'll try to do more research myself.

Some more questions:
Any reason to avoid Disneyland? That was actually one of my destinations, and though I'm nervous to ask why you feel this way, I figure it would be better to know now than later.

Is Sky100 worth checking out?

Is Octopus card a good idea?

>>1179085
>everyone there speaks near fluent English

When did you live there? The 1980s?

This line is such BS. You can get by with English, yeah, but 99% of people are not fluent and there's a great number of shops and restaurants you'll get no where in because they're 100% Canto.

>>1179085
How much money (in $HKD) could an average tourist expect to spend in a given day? Could I get a ballpark estimate in terms of essential spending (food, transportation, etc.)?

Of course, I'm not including anything "big" like tickets to parks and major events. I'm also not including hotels due to price variances plus the fact that I'm still planning on pre-paying for the whole stay.

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>>1179120
ah yes, guess the 5 years i spent there + 2 years recently back and forth for business was a dream! funny!
>>1179107
disneyland is alright but it's mega mega small, like.... really fucking small and if you wanna do an amusement park, ocean park is 5x bigger and 1000x better. managed to find an old pic from disneyland, rained but was still fun for a few hours

CKM, while i've never personally stayed there, were bad many years ago but i've never really heard anything too crazy from it in the past 10 years, for what its worth.

sky100 never done it or even heard of it until now, most people just do the Peak and then that's it for high-level stuff. if you can budget it into your schedule that's fine but i'd probably avoid it, up to you tho! as for octopus hell yeah might as well, just saves time buying individual tickets and it's pretty cheap anyways to get one. the prices and fares change a lot so it's hard to remember if you really need one off the top of my head, but go ahead.
>>1179127
small restaurant in mall for ramen and small apps may run you $10, transpo one way around 2-3? and thats going FAR. it's really hard to say for food since there's so much shit there, but on average pay around 6 bucks a meal. good rule of thumb is to expect to pay about 15% less for what you currently pay now for 90% of normal activities

sorry that aint much help but it really is hard to guestimate. you can be pretty consiverative with your money and eat at little hole in the wall places and street snacks for dirt cheap though, and buy booze/snacks in 7/11 when you get hungry.

>>1179461
I'm sorry, but are those Hong Kong dollars you're guesstimating? A lot of the prices you've mentioned sound absurdly low. Not that it's a problem, but I had to do a double take?

>>1179461
>I'm sorry, but are those Hong Kong dollars you're guesstimating? A lot of the prices you've mentioned sound absurdly low. Not that it's a problem, but I had to do a double take?
You're right. He talks in dem American smackaroos.

>>1179472
That's still pretty good, actually.

>>1179704
The only thing that's expensive in HK is accomodation. The rest is pretty cheap on Western standards.

>>1179463
aye sorry always forget theres no flags here, yep it's USD

like otheres have said, shit is surprisingly cheap there and you can make your money go pretty far if you eat at the right place.

have any more questions?

>>1179787
I actually just booked my flight and hotel not too long ago. I would say I'm about 33% prepared right now.

I've heard that most people stay no more than a week in Hong Kong. I've booked myself for two weeks*. Will I have enough to do for two weeks? Many people make it sound like only one week is good enough.

>* More like 11 days if you don't count arrival/departure dates; just in case every single day counts

>>1179790
Stayed in Hong Kong for 5 weeks this summer and had more than enough stuff to do. If you're into history then there are quite a few interesting museums to visit, some of which are free on certain days, such as the maritime defence museum. Plenty of temples to see as well. If you got time and are interested then I would give the Nan Lian Garden en the Chi Nunnery a shot, it's easily reachable with the MTR. You can also visit the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, which is near the Nan Lian Garden, it's pretty busy in my experience however. You can also check out Sai Kung and the nearby islands or the New Territories and their villages if you need a break from the city. Really couldn't get enough of HK, but then again I'm somewhat of a cyberpunk buff so just walking through the city itself was exciting for me.

BTW, a good place to eat is Joy Hing Roasted Meats, it's in the Wanchai district, on the corner of Steward Rd and Hennessy Rd. The BBQ pork is really nice, payed around 35 HKD for the BBQ pork, rice, vegetables and a lemon tea. Believe they got a Michelin star for it.

>>1179107
> Octopus card
If you're staying for two weeks then yes. You can also use it to pay at 7-11 and some supermarkets and restaurants. You can also let your change be transferred to your Octopus card at the 7-11, which is pretty handy because almost no-one seems to accept the 10 and 20 cent coins and you will end up with a fair amount of them, along with your "normal" change.

> Sky100
If you got some cash to burn then I would say yes, the view of the city is really nice and the elevator is pretty cool, goes up a hundred floor in around a minute. After 20 minutes you've pretty much seen the entire thing tho, unless you want to eat at the overpriced cafeteria or buy some overpriced souvenirs. Tickets are around 170 HKD I think.

>>1179790
yeah two weeks is enough time to do everything a few times over again, and just go exploring. dont be scared to use the ferries or trains to go far and get yourself lost and explore around

the MTR is your best friend

>>1179994
Is a two week trip with minimal redundancies possible?

I don't exactly want to revisit any particular place unless it was really really awesome.

>>1180242
it depends what you do, how long you stay there, etc. my suggestion would be to look at those shitty tourist websites where they list 20+ things to do, compile all the ones that look interesting, and then budget your time for that. a week is pushing it while 2 weeks may be too much but honestly i'd go for two if you can afford it

Since this is looking to be the de facto Hong Kong general, are there any diseases I should be immunized for?

>>1180293
nope youre fine

I've heard that HK has some pretty strict rules/laws on their flags. Will I be able to buy a flag as a tourist? I was planning on buying a full-sized flag and a shirt depicting the flag.

How's the internet over there? Is it censored like Mainland China's internet?

Is the wi-fi reasonably secure? Might have to read a few e-mail and do some online banking.

>>1181348
Internet is OK. As a matter of fact, the Internet network in HK is one of the most advanced in the world, because the density of people connected simultaneously in such a cramped space is unrivaled in the rest of the world.
In practice, it's the same speed.

No major censorship that might bother your in any way.

You can read your emails, as if anyone gave a shit about some random mf checking his interpals notifications. Same for banking.

Is Hong Kong really as cyberpunk as I imagine?

>>1180819
yea there's tons of that shit there
>>1181348
internet is perfectly normal, no censorship whatsoever. wifi is good, available in most parts of city but you have to pay for most of it (not expensive)
>>1181407
nah not at all, except for maybe one small part of a disctrict

if you've played sleeping dogs you've been to hk pretty much

>>1178170
When do you plan on being there OP?
I've recently booked an AirBnB in Hong Kong for a full month (got a fucking fat discount, ended up with a full room & private bathroom in a Mong Kok high-rise flat for $20/night) over December and the holiday season.

>>1179790
Read some books, do the usual research. After a good bit of study I've got dozens of sights and activities bookmarked. I've heard the same, that HK can be done in about a week, and I don't know what to make of it. I'm not sure I'll be able to get to everything I want even over the course of a month.

>>1181427
sleeping dogs was pretty cyberpunk though

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>>1181407
Chungking Mansions isn't that bad. I stayed at Mirador Mansions (which is basically the same thing a block ahead) last July and the hostel was very clean and never felt unsafe there. Tiny rooms tho, of course.

>>1181407
I think some mainland china cities like Shenzhen feel more futuristic than HK now, as those cities developed quite recently (and are still fully developing) while HK still has lots of older skyscrapers. But HK is still the densest and most vertical city on the planet I think. And the neon in the streets is the best. Guess it's kind of more of an 80's style cyberpunk city in a way.

Pic related, made with shitty phone camera near Temple Street night market.

>>1182117
to an extent i suppose but there are parts of the city that are "cyberpunk" or whatever that word even means nowadays

>>1178170
>really want to try and avoid the Chungking Mansions if at all possible. Money is an issue, but I'm not outright destitute (if I were, I wouldn't be traveling). Small rooms are okay, as I'll probably be outside most of the time anyway. Not picky with the location, though I'm sure it'll be Tsim Sha Tsui anyway
I can understanding wanting to avoid CK

Urban Pack is a nice hostel quite close to CK but it's not too cheap, about $200/night.
You can get better cheap hotel rooms that aren't in CK up in Jordan, about the same price I guess.

Wan Chai has Check Inn Hostel, which I often stay at, it's not bad, slightly cheaper than Urban Pack but it's a few blocks from anywhere useful so you'll walk a little. It does have a tram stop opposite though so that's something.

>>1182122
>I think some mainland china cities like Shenzhen feel more futuristic than HK now, as those cities developed quite recently (and are still fully developing) while HK still has lots of older skyscrapers. But HK is still the densest and most vertical city on the planet I think. And the neon in the streets is the best. Guess it's kind of more of an 80's style cyberpunk city in a way
Cyberpunk is about mixing the old and new. Like Mike Pondsmith says: "The street finds its own uses for things".

So I think of HK as being kind of cyberpunk. Old decaying apartment towers with half-broken neon-lights advertising in chinese while the ground floor of the street is lit up as if daylight and selling luxury goods and around the corner there's a noodle bar with people eating on stools.

That's basically cyberpunk, hell a few shops around the Temple Street area actually have noodle bars that Deckard could be sitting at.

>>1182117
>sleeping dogs was pretty cyberpunk though
It really wasn't, it was just a gangster game set in asia.

>>1181427
>if you've played sleeping dogs you've been to hk pretty much

Although Sleeping Dogs is sensationalised but I like how basically everything in it is really stuff that happens in some way in Hong Kong. I don't think there have been big massacres in years and years but it all either happens or used to happen or happened once to some degree. Most of the triad stuff is true enough and still happens today, more or less. You just never directly see any of it because it's hidden in board rooms and stuff.

The writers for the game took inspiration from a lot of really big scandals that proved that everything people suspected was going on but they didn't really change much.

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How's the water quality in Hong Kong?

I think most people are aware of the atrocious water quality in China, and I was wondering if this problem extends to Hong Kong.

Should I be only purchasing/drinking well-known bottled water brands? Or hell, should I actually buy one of those fucking Life Straw filters?

>>1183787
i wouldnt drink the tap water, youre fine with any bottled water you can find in 7/11

How easy is it to travel from Hong Kong to Macau, then back to Hong Kong? I've thought about going to Macau for at least a day, then going back to Hong Kong to resume my trip.

I do know that entry requirements for Hong Kong are pretty weird. As soon as you first land in Hong Kong, you have to prove to Immigration/Customs that you have a place to stay, as well as enough money to stay there.

Do you have to go through that song & dance again when you re-enter Hong Kong via ferry?

>>1184070
Ferries are convenient and relatively fast.
Yeah, you have to get another one of those little tiny 'traveling visa' paper squares again.
At least it's all on the entry card though. Little questions asked if you account for everything.

Don't go up through the mainland, around the Pearl River delta, then back down to Macau.
Don't go up to Shenzhen then take the ferry to Macau.

>>1184095
I plan on avoiding the mainland altogether.

My nationality has no visa requirements for Hong Kong and Macau, but it does for China. Obtaining visas sounds like a pain in the ass, so if I were to travel between Hong Kong and Macau, I would try to make it direct.

>>1184099
Great! You're all good to go then.
You'll definitely have a great day trip to Macau.
It's small enough that even half-assed planning will net you a decent experience.

>>1184070
>prove you have a place to stay
i did some work in china and would go to hk every weekend and just write "aaaaaaaa" as my residence to fuck with them, no one actually checks that shit

>>1184070
>you have to prove to Immigration/Customs that you have a place to stay, as well as enough money to stay there
Do they actually check this for everyone, even those whose nationality doesn't require a visa? This seems like the sort of thing you would have to prove when applying for a visa, but to verify the financial standing of every single tourist entering the country sounds a bit excessive. What kind of criteria do they use to determine if you can afford to stay there? How strictly is it enforced?

>>1184174
they dont do that lmao

>>1184174
Even simply having a credit card is considered sufficient proof.

try taking a tram tour
it runs from east to west on the coast of hk island
its very cheap (~2hkd) and covers most of the city on the island
for Kowloon i recommend Sham Shui Po

English is fine esp for young people
source: am hker

How low/high is the risk of pickpocketing? Which cities are the worst for it?

I imagine TST and adjacent areas are pretty bad.

>>1184861
no risk at all
never got pick pocketed all my life
but of course you have to apply basic common sense

What denominations of Hong Kong dollars will an average tourist use?

I just had some currency exchanged for an upcoming trip, and I have a feeling that I have way too many hundreds. I couldn't request different denominations because the place I got the currency from doesn't normally carry HKD.

I do realize that $100 HKD isn't actually a whole lot of money; it's only about $12 USD. However, people keep saying how shit is incredibly cheap in Hong Kong, so I have a feeling that I'm still carrying too large. How right or wrong am I?

>>1185143
$100 is fine
a McD meal is around HK$30 here
I suggest buying an octopus card it can be used pretty much anywhere

>>1185145
So I'm probably okay with at least commercial transactions. Restaurants and stores will take my money just fine, as I expect them to.

But I still can't see myself faring well with marketplace transactions. Stuff is supposedly very cheap there. I'm assuming that something like the Mong Kok Ladies Market are mostly cash-only stalls that sell dirt-cheap wares.

I can't imagine being a tourist carrying mostly hundreds, and handing a $100 bill over to an old Chinese lady just for a $6 trinket. Sounds like a recipe for some stink-eye; flashing around my money like that when I intend on spending so little of it, then expecting her to pony up the change.

Am I still overthinking it? Please tell me I'm overthinking it.

>>1185149
>Please tell me I'm overthinking it.

You're over-thinking it. HKD100 is USD12.50 or Euro11.25. It's not a large amount of money -- Hong Kong isn't some African shithole. Literally nobody is going to be angry if you pay for some cheap trinket with a hundred.

>>1185149
>>1185188
to be fair, as someone who lived in HK for 6ish years, there is SOME truth to what he's saying. 100HKD is really nothing in the majority of places, but there's probably some very minute non-touristy areas that arent popular where having a 50 would be better than a 100. i'm sure every place can make the change but if you grab an ice cream cone off the street thats like 2.5HKD you'd look pretty dumb handing over a 100.

carry a couple of 50s on you and you're set. the bills will get broken since not a lot of things (besides clothing etc.) straight up cost 100+ so you'll have lots of bills in your pocket. good way to break bills? order some food off the side streets in big quantities

>>1185408
>an ice cream cone off the street thats like 2.5HKD
>$2.50 HKD
>$0.32 USD
Are you shitting me? Even if the ice cream cone is smaller than usual, that's still absurdly cheap.

You do bring up something interesting though. I heard that coins are rarely used in Hong Kong. And Hong Kong coins have dollar values, not just cents. If smaller dollars are rarely used, what are the odds of seeing cents in your change?

>>1184070
There is a hydrofoil ferry that goes between Macau and Hong Kong, the terminal is in Sheung Wan, close to central. It takes about an hour. The customs wasn't anything unusual.

>>1185546
coins are not rarely used
coz prices commonly end with .9 here
one thing to note is some places don't accept the cent coins (mostly restaurants or market stalls)

>>1185546
you'll get some dollar coins which are pretty cool, i forgot the amounts but keep the ones that are a full dollar

probably overthinking it m8yroo

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Hey /trv/, I need your help.
I'm leaving for HK tomorrow, but I have no idea what to do. I'm going with my dad, and we both have a passion for museums (art/history/millitary) but nothing too ching-chong. If you're could list anything interesting to visit, that'll be great. My dad can speak Cantonese, so we won't have a problem navigating. Much appreciated.

>>1185857
We're also going to the maritime museum too

>>1183787
The tap water is fine. Hong Kong is a separate country from China in all but name.

>>1185857
>cant read the thread
>cant google the big and fun things to do in the city
how do you manage to breathe desu

>>1185996
I've read the thread and I don't want touristy shit

Since this is Hong Kong general,

I'm going to be in Hong Kong for 5 days, is it worth it to take a day trip to Shenzhen? I'm mostly interested in visiting the electronics markets. dat $140 visa though

>>1186680
i know it's blasphemy to say this in a hk thread, but to me shenzhen > hong kong, so i would say yes.

i don't even have anything concrete to say about it, it's just the people seemed much nicer in the mainland i guess? also hong kong food was too western (sugary and/or bland) for me.

there's not only the electronic markets, there's a huge market or mall for every product category. like an entire neighborhood for teapots. then another hood for cutlery. there's a neighborhood for everything you can think of, so know what you want to buy, and look up which neighborhood has it, otherwise you'll waste a lot of time.

>>1186718
They are different
If you are more into history stuff hk def got more
But if you are more into the dystopian future blade runnery stuff I would say sz is more "dystopian" than hk

Thinking about going to hong kong for a few days during my trip to Japan, partly because it seems like an interesting place and partly for the prostitutes. Anyone have experience with prostitutes there? Seems pretty straightforward from what I've read so far.

>>1186847
>shenzhen is more dystopian than hk
>blade runner
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA holy FUCK do not listen to these goddamn people talking up the living shithole that is sz if youre not a business man.

sz is good for nothing. you want "authentic" HK/Chinese/Han food? there's 1000s of places in Hk to do it without entering that fucking city. you want a shitton of electronics that aren't fake and aren't gouged out the ass? visit 298 computer zone or (my favorite) wan chai computer centre

i cannot fathom why someone would in good fath recommend a tourist to go to shenzhen and waste a day there, jesus fucking christ

>>1186853
if you like filipinos go wan chai
but imo macau is better generally

>>1186853
According to my buddies, it's not as clear-cut as people would make it seem. I just did a google search and i guess hongkong happy massage website has the places listed, but it's very hush hush in the city. Prices seem to be generally quite high, which is funny since people who have got it done on the border in China tell me it's the exact opposite there - cheap, everyone's open about it.

>>1186853
HK is great for prostitutes if you are not a poorfag. There are massage parlors etc, but I prefer picking them up from bars. Just go to Wan Chai, there are plenty of hookers of mostly asian nationalities there ready to be taken back to your hotel room.

>>1187864
>>1187784
Define expensive, massage parlors where I am run about USD 220, and most of the girls on go141 seem like they're much less than that. Thanks for the info.

>>1187868
The viets and flips in Wan Chai usually ask for 2000hkd a night. You can bargain it down a bit.

>>1187784
prostitution is illegal in hk for the prostitute only
its legal for customer
in china its illegal for both the customer and the prostitute, and you know how bad china can be in legal matters
in macau its legal afaik

>>1187884
In hk as far as I've read about so far prostitution is legal, but only in very defined ways (one girl to one customer, no brothels, etc.)

>>1187884
In practice in HK nobody gives a fuck if you bring a hooker back to your hotel room. Including hotel staff.

>>1187868
there are 2 buildings famous for prostitutes
香檳大廈 <-tsim sha tsui
富士大廈 <-wan chai
mainly chinese/thai hookers
just take the lift to top floor and walk down

>>1182122
>Chungking Mansions isn't that bad. I stayed at Mirador Mansions (which is basically the same thing a block ahead) last July and the hostel was very clean and never felt unsafe there. Tiny rooms tho, of course.
Seconding Mirador. Dusty but clean, better lit, mostly Chinese with one floor of Indians.

Since this is the de-facto HK general, I'm studying abroad there next semester, and I'm arriving a few days before the lunar new year. Anything you guys recommend to do around the area for that time?

>>1188236
there are new year fairs and the biggest one is in victoria park
dont go on chinese new year eve tho its packed with people
go before or in daytime

I m native HK, here for a week, if y'all need translation, wechat: me parasanmike

>>1187868
I spent some time in HK, prices for "141" girls vary mostly with the location.

In Kowloon the most expensive places are near tsim sha tsui. Mong kok is less expensive and sham shui po is even cheaper.
The island is generally more expensive.
You can go almost everywhere in less than an hour with the metro and the boat for about 2€

You should not be disappointed on all the sites like go141 if you assume the pictures were taken 10 years and 10 pounds ago.
Don't book, or at least not for the first try. Find a building with a lot of ads and try all the door until you find a girl that fit your taste.

>>1187884
your part about china is very, very wrong

it is now legal to enter a masage parlor and have a handjob, boobjob or blowjob and not be an illegal activity. however, no one really gives a shit about that stuff over there

if you want to not feel like youre doing something mega sketchy, just google "hong kong happy endings" and there's lists of dozens of places that offer full services for about idk 900HKD?

Good thread.
I work in sports gambling industry and would like to visit HK and Macau, any recommends related to gambling part? What can you tell me about it?
Anything helps!

>>1188959
no casino in hk, only mahjong parlors
but you can bet on horse races and football games
there are 2 horse racecourse in hk, shatin and happy valley you can watch races there

>>1188959
>macau

bro it's the vegas of asia

>>1188984
What can you tell me about football betting in HK? Specifically football. Are there any big agents/bookmakers etc?
ANY info helps desu. Much appreciated bros.

t. Asian handicap pro

>>1189237
the jockey club is the only legal agent/bookmaker
i dont like football/gambling so i dont know how it compares with foreign countries