I’m in Hong Kong. Eight experiences that surprised you the most

By chance, the incident occurred in Hong Kong. This city is located on 260 islands and has the largest number of skyscrapers, more than 7650 pieces. This is much more than in New York.

I spent several days in this prestigious eastern metropolis and received mixed impressions. I hasten to share with you]. because basically I liked the vibe of Hong Kong, and I would like to get to this neon city again to explore it in more detail.

1. How to get to Hong Kong

Upon leaving the arrivals area, guests are greeted by a full-size model of a glider under the airport ceiling.

Despite the fact that the city is located 7,150 km in a straight line from Moscow, getting to Hong Kong is very easy. Three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, direct flights from Aeroflot fly there.

One way ticket costs about 20 thousand rublesflight time – 9 hours 40 minutes. It is best to take a Saturday flight, which departs Sheremetyevo at 19.30 and lands in Hong Kong at 10.45 local time. So you will be able to sleep during the flight and get off the plane refreshed and with virtually no jet lag.

The time difference with Moscow is plus 5 hours. So when it’s 10.45 am in Hong Kong, everyone in Moscow is still sleeping.

The airport in Hong Kong is large, but easy to navigate.

Of course, you should get a Chinese visa in your passport before traveling. To complete it, you need to fill out a form with your data and complete the visual and service fees as standard. 2500 and 3800 rubles.

Detailed information about the required documents and addresses of visa centers can be found on the official website.

2. About the weather

This weather haunted me all my days in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has a tropical climate and has a rainy season from April to May. So I found myself in the midst of a rainy, stuffy time of year: at the highest humidity at any time of the day, water suddenly begins to pour from the sky like a wall, and just as unexpectedly it ends on the street, giving way to thick fog.

An umbrella is your best friend; you should take it with you, even if the sun is shining. Because the sky can become cloudy for just a few minutes.

It’s not rain, it’s fog. Only that there was good clarity – and a minute later everything disappeared behind a white veil.

The rooms must have air conditioning that maintains the temperature at 19-21 degrees. After the stuffy heat outside, a drop in temperature can lead to sudden ailments of chills, fever and angina.

Stock up on antiseptics for sore throats and antipyretic powders just in case you make a mistake this way. hardening procedures.

3. About the Internet

There are many skyscrapers in the city, but the mobile Internet works without interruptions. But Google maps are frankly stupid and constantly take over your position.

Locals proudly testify that Hong Kong has the fastest internet in all of China. This seems to be true: hotels have fast Wi-Fi, but most importantly – no Great Firewall of Chinaas in all other cities in China.

That is, Telegram, YouTube and other sites and services work without any add-ons. dancing with a tambourine.

If you wanted, you could buy a local SIM card, but I used one of the options to buy a high-quality SIM card for the passenger. I paid 12 US dollars for 3 GB of Internet and it lasted me exactly 4 days with active use of instant messengers and a browser without streaming services and videos on YouTube.

4. About prices

On average, bars in stores like 7Eleven cost about 200 rubles.

Hong Kong has its own currency called the Hong Kong dollar (HKD). The course is: 1 local dollar costs 11.83 rubles.. There are quite a few automatic exchangers in the city, so if you have a Visa or Mastercard bank card, withdrawing cash is not at all difficult.

Maps of the World are not accepted and cannot be read from words at all.

5. About people

The embankment is quite a busy place. In the second photo there is an automatic station with which you can fill your bottle with drinking water completely free of charge.

There are a lot of tourists in Hong Kong, both among Chinese compatriots and people from other countries. I heard German, English, Spanish and French spoken. There were no Russian tourists at all in two days.

The locals are quite stern and reluctant to make contact, pretending that they do not understand any other language other than their native one, although officially there are two official languages ​​in the city – Chinese and English.

Taxis in Hong Kong are red. The second photo shows a double-decker tram, which is located specifically for tourists. The ticket costs 2 local dollars.

Most residents travel in private cars, in the subway and public transport; there are quite a few people on the sidewalks at any time of the day.

Traffic jams are moderate, no one honks or tries to drive on the side of the road. The driving culture was a pleasant surprise.

6. About nightlife

A very beautiful laser show, they said. Did not impress.

There are many entertainment establishments in Hong Kong that I was not able to visit. However, walking through the center after midnight, you will notice a feeling of safety: there are no suspicious travelers, all the streets are brightly lit, the atmosphere is calm.

There are girls on duty near the hotel, the electricity runs late in broken English suspicious massage. For their peace of mind, nearby you can definitely find a serious-looking thug who pretends that he just happened to be on this bench and is simply studying something on his smartphone.

7. About shopping

In the city you can find all the original premium brands, from Kevin Klein to Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

The city has fairly low prices for food and drinks, as well as for clothing, in the middle segment. The mass market is represented by brands I have already forgotten, like H&M, Zara and others.

But in terms of heavy luxury, the situation is strange. For example, I went to a Balenciaga boutique and looked at the price tag on a shirt: it costs in Hong Kong. 10500 local dollarswhich roughly equals 125 thousand rubles.

In the Moscow Central Department Store, the same shirt is sold several thousand cheaper.

8. About food

Within a few days of the division of Chinese business circles, you will be dreaming of simple scrambled eggs.

Chinese cuisine predominates in the city, represented by countless steamed buns with different fillings, seafood mixed with fried rice and other seafood.

This is constantly impossible, by the end of the second day I was already a warrior for a simple piece of fried meat or a burger from a regular McDonald’s.

Most dishes in cafes and restaurants are served with glaze, and it doesn’t matter what is on the plate – shrimp, sushi or just pieces of fish. Soups are a separate topic; people here like them in a jelly-like form, which personally reminds me very much of jellied meat. Not for everybody, in general.

But if you are not a fan of such cuisine, then you can also find ramen all types. In establishments, menus are usually illustrated with pictures, so it is almost impossible to make a mistake when choosing a table.

9. General impressions

Very beautiful city.

As I wrote at the very beginning, I liked Hong Kong, despite the unpleasant time of year. Here you can have a delicious lunch, there is the South China Sea nearby, in which you can already swim, there are clean free beaches, there are observation platforms and attractions, and most importantly, you can feel the flavor of this city.

I managed to go to a mountain called Victoria Peak, from where you can see the panorama of Hong Kong, and visited the foot of the Big Buddha statue, which you need to climb up an incredibly long staircase.

At the beginning of the ascent it started to rain. On the middle staircase the sky cleared.

If you’re thinking of visiting Hong Kong, consider traveling between June and August or October and January. During these periods there is quite a bit of rain, so you just have to decide what you prefer – sweltering heat in summer or moderately pleasant climate with a refreshing wind in winter.

And if you get tired of Hong Kong after a few days of visiting, you can always take a bus and go to the nearest city of Shenzhen on mainland China, where the culture, behavior of people and weather are strikingly different from Hong Kong. Which is what I did.

But that’s a completely different story.

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