The First 3 Weeks in HK

Where to start! I guess at the beginning. I apologise now if I begin to ramble - there's so much to share to give you a feel for my new city.

Hong Kong ('fragrant habour') is a city of some 7 million people, crammed into just over 1,100 sq km. The main areas are Hong Kong Island (where we will live), Kowloon and the New Territories. Just last week it was ranked as the most expensive city to live in (out of 325 places and Sydney came second....). The cost of living is of course high due to the small land mass and the large people mass. A high rise building is classed as that which is over 13 stories - HK has about 9,000 and NYC has about 5,000 - so that gives you an idea of how densely populated the HK group of islands are.

Forgetting the fact that it feels like NYE on steroids ALL THE TIME on the streets, and the fact that rent is outrageously expensive (I'm talking REALLY expensive) - HK really is an incredible place for so many reasons (keep reading).

Besides rent, everything else is either very reasonable, or very cheap. Going to the movies is about AUD10, transport is dirt cheap, broadband and cable TV is cheap, groceries are reasonable and depending where you go, eating out is not that costly either. Of course, the gym I want to go to is not cheap :-) - but it's all about the experience - not just the exercise!
http://www.pure-fit.com/en/hongkong/

The cope with the large numbers of people, the transport system here is very extensive, efficient, cheap and clean! The MTR (Mass Transit Rail) is the cleanest I have seen anywhere in the world. The trams (http://www.hktramways.com/en/home.html), which are very frequent and cost HKD2 (USD25cents) no matter how far you go, are great, albeit a tad rattly and at times packed beyond belief - but that's all part of the way of life. There are countless bus companies, all double deckers, super modern and super clean. Then there are the ferries - typical ferries in terms of cleanliness but they too are regular, efficient and cheap. Taxis too are cheap and most the time pretty easy to flag (but the other systems so great you rarely need a taxi). Lastly, there are countless mini vans that run the streets and take you wherever you need to go pretty much.

HK has an Octopus Card which you load money on to and can use at so many places - grocery stores, Starbucks, 7 Eleven, transport, getting into the races, the movies etc. Absolutely brilliant - makes transactions super fast and negates the need for carrying cash.

I have been here 3 weeks. Staying in Causeway Bay (CWB), opposite Times Square Shopping meca (http://www.timessquare.com.hk/2011/) which is right next to Happy Valley (HV) where we are going to be living. Juz arrives Tuesday night and we move into our great little apartment on Wednesday - in time for Vegas' arrival Wednesday night (very, very excited to see them both because as much as I don't mind being by myself, it is a tad lonely when you don't know anyone, so I can't wait to see them). They are both flying QANTAS - but I dare say Juz's seat will be more comfy than our boys' :-(

Vegas' travel crate - this was the first time he went into it.

Our apartment is in an old, walk up building of only 6 apartments, which we really do prefer over the mammoth high rise complexs that are everywhere here. It has a great little balcony where we will fit a BBQ and it has loads and loads of storage. Will post some pics once we get in and get it set up. We don't own one piece of furniture or anything electrical here, so the next week will see us shopping (thankfully it is a 4 day weekend next week)!

Our new lounge room

Main bathroom

Except for a very few cold days I spent in Shanghai in the snow last week, I have been walking around a lot in HK - getting to know HV and surrounds, mastering the transport, getting lost, sussing out the best supermarkets etc. I have of course been doing my share of dumpling tasting and getting into the local feel.

The snow covering Shanghai last week - it was so cold

HV race track is a brilliant facility - they have races every Wednesday night http://www.happyvalleyracecourse.com/. I went on Australia Day (26 January) for a few races and it was great fun. The middle of the track is filled with running tracks and sporting fields so I have enjoyed a few mornings there from about 6am running, along with the many who arrive to do Tai Chi.

Happy Valley Racecourse - our apartment is over behind
those tall brown blocks on the right

The view from The Peak really is fabulous and not something anyone should miss when they come to HK. http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/home.asp. Not really knowing the hiking paths yet, I embarked on walking up to the Peak early one morning along the road. Of course, it is not designed for this, so the sections without a path saw me running short sections of road... that is until I got to a section that was simply too dangerous to walk on - thankfully a cab came and took me the last km :).

View from the Peak - 8am Sunday 16 January

There are so many great little islands to visit which are accessed by short ferry rides from Hong Kong Island. Last weekend I took a trip to Cheung Chau Island http://www.cheungchauhk.com/. It is a tad touristy, but still a lovely afternoon. About 23,000 people live here. There are no cars and everyone gets around on bikes. Lots of little restaurants dotted all the way along the sea front offering cheap Chinese, Thai, dim sum etc.

Cheung Chau

Cheung Chau

Dim Sum at Cheung Chau

Vendr selling seafood and 3 ducks (top left:)

I ventured to Lamma Island (http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/outlying-lamma-island.html) today - but only for a brief time as I went really early planning to go for a hike but it was simply too cold and I was not attired suitably (didn't bring much with me - our clothes are in transit somewhere). Very different to Cheung Chau. Only 5,000 people live here, no buildings are over 3 stories and it is far less touristy. Having said that, lots of little places to eat and I am told great hiking from one side of the island to another - so we might take Vegas next weekend (yep - dogs can go in cabs and on ferries!).

Lamma Island

Lamma Island

Early morning fruit stall at Lamma Island

Outdoor lounge room at Lamma Island

Hong Kong may not be seen as the shopping mecca it was years ago - but there is still plenty of shopping to be done. Whether it be little side streets and markets, the major malls or the many, many high end stores you will find here. It is sale time at the moment so needless to say, I have already purchase a few new pairs of shoes.... But my excuse is that it is bloody cold and I did not come prepared so I had to buy some boots when I got here (oh and the heels I bought the other night were just too damn cheap and too damn nice not to buy :). There are thousands and thousands of shops here - far too much choice.

I needed these - it is cold and they were on sale!

And these were just too stunning not to buy...
and I paid about 1/3 of their original price!

January is the coldest month here, at the moment the days are between 9 degrees C and about 17 degrees C. The months will start to warm up and as we head toward April and beyond, it will stay at more than 30 degrees C for many months.

There are nearly 300,000 domestic helpers in HK - nearly all from the Philippines and Indonesia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_domestic_helpers_in_Hong_Kong. They have to work full time to be granted a working visa, so the majority of them live in wherever they work. Some of course do work part time too if their employer allows, so we will be looking out for a part timer as we don't want or need a live in. Sunday is their day off, and on this day they gather together to eat, play games, dance, give each other manicures, read, eat and so on. They congregate on the many covered walkways that connect nearly all the buildings in the Central area and in the parks (for now whilst it is not too hot). They set up camp for the full day - they build out their space with cardboard boxes, they take their shoes off and I even saw one today with a cardboard door asking people to remove their shoes - it is quite an incredible set up.

Domestic Helpers getting set up for the day

Shoes off!

We are heading into Chinese New Year (CNY) so many people are already on holidays and there are fairs taking place around the city - making it even busier than normal. New Years Day proper is 3 February, but they have their fireworks display on the harbour on the evening of the 4th. Fortunately our offices overlook the harbour so we can go to my building to watch them versus batling the crowds on the roads.

A particularly busy day on the streets

Traditionally on the first day of the New Year, married people and executives give 'red packets' to single people and people who do work for you - door people, helpers and so on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_envelope. Furthermore, you should pass a red packet to anyone who comes to wish you a Happy New Year (people you know that is). If you do not, it is considered very bad luck for the year ahead. So, I am busy at the moment stuffing these gorgeous little red envelopes with HKD20 (AUD2.60) bills in readiness for 7 February (the first day back at work in the New Year here in HK). No idea how many I will need to give, so I have to be over prepared.

Red Packet

It is very hard to explain how enjoyable simply walking along the streets here is. Even though it is normally a slow walk given the volume of people, there is just so much going on, so many amazing smells to take in from the food cooking everywhere. You could live here a lifetime and not experience all that it has to offer.

The bamboo scaffolding is incredible. So strong. I watched the
workers take it down one day - a great spectacle.

Daily Life in Central

But of course :-)

So, there you have it. My ramblings of my first 3 weeks in HK. As you can tell - there is so much to do in this vibrant city and I have not even scratched the surface. Add to this the fact that it is a great gateway to travel to so many places, Juz and I are looking to make the most of every weekend we have here. Once we find a suitable dog sitter for Vegas, we will do some travelling an are looking forward to long weekends in places like Vietnam, Phuket and perhaps some skiing in Japan.

Oh yes - I have been going to work too :-). Lots to learn and this is the first time I have ever had a 'real' job with a MNC, so it is different...

Juz and I really would love to show you around our new city - so if you can make it by, even for a long weekend, there is a spare bed at our place for you (well, there will be once we go shopping this week).

More once Juz and Vegas arrive and we get settled in our apartment.

G
xxxx