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Its not like they can use your passport to apply credit card anyway.
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Oct 11, 2018 08:22
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Lanky Coconut Tree posted:Does this let you pay for poo poo with your US card? Cause that would be awesome for me. It's late but you can't. On wechat when you click on Me > Wallet > Money > default payment method you will see the us credit card is gray out. You can only pay w red pocket money. I tried to add a US debit card and there is no way to do it. You can only select from a list of Chinese banks. There is no citibank or Chase. The way I get money is withdraw RMB from Bank of China ATM w my Citibank US debit card, pay the 2.5% service fee and get RMB with real time exchange rate. I hand the Red Mao money to my family and get wechat monopoly coins back.
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Oct 11, 2018 08:38
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Hey China goons, I'm going to be visiting Hong Kong for a few days in mid-December, from Dec 18-23. I was hoping for a few suggestions for stuff from people who are familiar with the city. Sorry in advance for all the questions. I'm planning to spend some time seeing the usual main stuff, but I generally like just wandering around the various neighborhoods of cities I visit and taking photos/getting a feel for them. I love finding cool murals and street art, and chilling in vibrant, artsy/alternative areas of cities. Do any of you have suggestions for HK neighborhoods to check out/stay in that are similar or generally have a cool vibe? Places with cool architecture would be great, too. Is the Kowloon Walled City cool and fun to wander around in? The dystopian cyberpunk future aesthetic seems cool to see but I don't know what to check out there yet. If I want to try to learn some Chinese before coming, is it better to learn some Mandarin, or Cantonese? I'm also really wanting to have good tea while there and find some to bring back home, so any recommendations for good teahouses and tea/teaware shops would be greatly appreciated. Is there a good place to get quality teapots/gaiwans/cups? Secondarily, good espresso/coffee bar suggestions would be nice. I'm vegetarian but love trying new food, so any suggestions for bomb veg food (preferably something Chinese/regional) in HK would be great too. I like collecting posters/prints when I travel as well, anyone know a good local printshop in the city? Finally, I was thinking of making a day trip out to one of the islands if I have time, any good suggestions for where to go/what to do?
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Oct 16, 2018 02:51
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Keret posted:
it is a park now. cantonese or english caberham will storm in the thread within 24 hours to answer every one of your other questions with more detail than anyone else ever could. listen to him.
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Oct 16, 2018 03:10
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Kowloon walled city is dead as hell, it’s just some stones in a hole in the ground now with some pretty decent Thai food nearby
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Oct 16, 2018 03:27
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Welp, that's what I get for impulsively  ing without doing any research!  Is the area still cool to wander around in, or not worth going out to now?
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Oct 16, 2018 04:07
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I’m a little jet lagged so someone else answer for me please. Kowloon city is still a great neighborhood for all sorts of food like Thai and Chaozhou and other stuff. It’s where most of our welcome to hk goon meets happen. When you want cool architecture do you mean high rises or unique historical buildings? I supposed you can go to the island for that and if you want neon just walk along Nathan road. If you want grimy buildings teeming with life and activity then Jordan or Mong Kok is a fun area. As for language English is fine, learn how to say. 唔該 and it’s ok. Vegetarian food? Ummmm there’s Buddhist vegetarian and try happycow.com for global veg friendly listings. Would love to host but I’m out of town during that time and going to NZ
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Oct 16, 2018 04:21
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Vegetarian restaurants are pretty easy to find, openrice.com is the Yelp of HK restaurants, can filter by cuisine, is also in English. There's a Buddhist one next to/within the conpound of Wong Tai Sin temple. Also by the temple next to the Big Buddha. Go to Sham Shui Po to peoplewatch. Nathan Road is all your neons. "Lesser-known" neighbourhoods are all warehousing and factory buildings, or residental highrises. I would say take a coupla hrs and ride the tram from Kennedy Town to Chai Wan, then walk up to the Coastal Defence Museum (check which days it is closed) Islandwise, go to Chueng Chau. Walk around the square grab some snacks, then rent a bicycle for like 30hkd and explore the island. Get Dafu Faa (tofu dessert, cold or hot) from the dude by the fire station, use the orange sugar. You can go through the old pirate smuggler cave too if you aren't stereotype-goon-level obese. If you eat seafood there are lots of restaurants (local style not posh style) that are apparently good. Skip Lamma unless you really like old white-peole hippy commune vibe. Last time I was there there were things like a dude on a picnic blanket selling a giant oil painting on canvas of "Bush Did 9/11" that he'd obviously made himself. If you like tea, there's a tea and teaware museum in Flagstaff House in the park above Admiralty. Has a surprisingly reasonably-priced gidtshop with artistic teasets too. Or you can pixk up what everyone else uses for the Authentic HK thing at sidestreet shops that sell all kinds of crap like seives and pliers and poo poo for very cheap. Lady Market has some sets too, chopstick and bowl sets too, but like negotiate. You won't pay what ppl speaking cantonese pay, but you can still get a good deal. "Gay Cheen ah?" means "How much money?" But then lol you're doing bargaining on Cantonese and it'll become evident you don't have enough cantonese to carry on. Plus most Lady Market stall vendors are south-east Asian anyway so Cantonese is like a 3rd language to them too. Don't worry about "what they'll go down to", that's just gonna end up unsatisfactory to everyone. Work out what you want to pay and stick to it or conpromise as you wish In fact Lady Market, walk the whole way along before you buy. Prices are higher at entry points and a few owners own all the stalls along it, several each with the same goods. They'll get a calculator out to type in the price. You can type your counteroffer in too. Try to see what others are paying over their shoulders as you walk through at first. Same goes for Temple Street Night Market. Plenty of shops selling tea - Eu Yan Sang is the chain that springs to mind, plenty of choice there. There's also a herbal tea place in a historical building in Sham Shui Po, in the bottom of a HKBU TCM. But herbal tea is sold from shops along sidestreets in Kowloon and the New Territories not uncommonly - it's the black stuff in bowls with glass lids, and usually some sort of samovar type thing on view. Unless that's turtle soup. As you can tell tea isn't my forte. Cantonese: (you won't be understood for many reasons, not least of all my crap transliteration and telling you not to bother with tones, but it shows willing). I'lm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on these. "Mm Goi" is please/thanks/excuse me "Mm goi sai" thanks a lot "Yi been" is "here" for when you want to get out of a taxi somewhere - bear in mind it may be illegal for them to stop right there so they may drive a bit further. Also taxi drivers are bastards and sometimes just straight up refuse fares in breach of their licence. Most people prefer Uber. "Yi gor" + pointing = "this item" Learn your numbers: Yat yee sam say mm lok tat bat gau sap 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Yat bat 100 "Bat Lat Tung" is the Octopus Card Oh yeah get an Octopus card. You can get one from the Airport Express desk at the airport. Or any MTR station. Hand it back at the airport express desk when you leave. You can get the remaining value back less a 9hkd admin fee. If your balance is negative dont bother, keep it as a souvenir. Octopus is used for mtr, buses, green minibuses (not red ones - actually as a newbie dont take red minibuses, most first timers even avoid green as you generally need to call stops in cantonese), as well as other stuff like 7-11 and Circle K and random crap like cinema tickets and McDonalds (and their HK fast food equivalents, MX and Fairwood and Super Super) but not "real" bars or restaurants. E: Man Mo Temple is in tourguides but is often overlooked. I like it because it's a hundreds-year-old temple in the middle of skyscrapers. simplefish fucked around with this message at 10:30 on Oct 16, 2018 |
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Oct 16, 2018 05:08
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Keret posted:I'm planning to spend some time seeing the usual main stuff, but I generally like just wandering around the various neighborhoods of cities I visit and taking photos/getting a feel for them. I love finding cool murals and street art, and chilling in vibrant, artsy/alternative areas of cities. Do any of you have suggestions for HK neighborhoods to check out/stay in that are similar or generally have a cool vibe? Places with cool architecture would be great, too. If you drink, it's legal to drink in public in HK. As such, I really enjoy just grabbing a cold beer from a 7/11 and wandering around the city drinking it. Once you finish it, toss it in a bin, swerve into the next 7/11 (they're literally everywhere) and buy another. probably $2-3 a beer and one of the best ways to see the city IMO. If you want the Kowloon Walled City feel, probably the closest experience I can think of is Chungking Mansions. Expect to get absolutely bombarded with touts trying to flog off restaurants and suits though. Do some prior research as to the layout, too.
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Oct 16, 2018 06:06
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Nam Taf posted:
And drugs. But they aren't pushy if you just say "no thanks". Best Indian food in HK is there, surprise surprise because they're all Indian imnigrants. Also African food for the same reasons.
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Oct 16, 2018 07:45
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Oh and almost everything 'artsy" in HK has a corporate heart but yeah there are some cool street art and "alternative" stuff regardless of who paid for it E: look on facebook for "hk urban canvas", might be up your alley simplefish fucked around with this message at 10:06 on Oct 16, 2018 |
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Oct 16, 2018 07:48
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Lots of local independent coffee places but they don't open til like 10 or 11am (lol but true). They really sprang up after the Community Company initiative. And apart from Mong Kok and TST there are practically no starbucks or pacific coffee in kowloon, fewer as you go up into the new territories. Look up what a chaa chan teng is, its UN Cultural recognised as a HK thing. "Gaa Fay" is coffee, "Doong Fei" is iced coffee, "zao teem" or "zao tong" is no sugar/syrup. The most popular drink is "doong ling tat" which is iced lemon tea, usually served no milk but with syrup. If you ask for "ling tat" they may ask hot or cold, "yi" is hot. Some may insist you order food, not just take up table space with a drink. If you're feeling British Heritage and are pescatarian, White Beard is the only half-decent fish and chips in HK. It's NZ run and down at the Central Ferry Piers. There's apparently a good one halfway up the Central-Midlevels Escalator but it's (even more) expensive and I haven't tried it. simplefish fucked around with this message at 10:18 on Oct 16, 2018 |
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Oct 16, 2018 10:15
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Here's a post you can easily quote for all my scattered bollocks
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Oct 16, 2018 10:16
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I mean, if strange neighbourhoods is your thing just catch a bus and get yourself lost, then find your way to an MTR or bus station wihout Google maps. It's what I did when I got here.
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Oct 16, 2018 10:20
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Wait what there’s a bajillion Starbucks in all of HK, Maxim’s, one of the local Hong Kong fast food operators is the sole franchisee. You get one in major areas along all subway stops. Maybe far less deep in the new territories but at least one in each east rail stop.
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Oct 16, 2018 10:24
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Nah mate no starry B's in SSP or Prince Edward, once you're over there you gotta go to the mall near City U to find one. There are only really some at major shopping centres from there out. Look on google. E:  The No-Starbucks Zone E2: I only know this because sometimes I work up there and my coworkers always complain about it simplefish fucked around with this message at 10:54 on Oct 16, 2018 |
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Oct 16, 2018 10:32
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I just checked google and even looked at their official website, there’s even one in sheung sheui that’s why I mentioned east rail. You can find them easily in some sort of mall which Hong Kong can never get enough of. Shum Shui Po is like the only urban dead zone which doesn’t have one. Heck even the city of sadness tian shui wai has a Starbucks. Anyways if you want coffee in Hong Kong there’s coffee academics which is better than Starbucks at the same price. Fart Simpson knows a few roasters in mid levels . Actually don’t drink coffee here, try out a few places for tea 英記 stocks good tea. Try peninsula afternoon tea, that’s fun and their scones are great.
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Oct 16, 2018 10:52
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E: ninja'd look above E2 Yeah we are in agreement simplefish fucked around with this message at 11:02 on Oct 16, 2018 |
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Oct 16, 2018 10:53
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Oh gently caress lol "choi" is vegetables. Even if it's not on tje menu almost everywhere will be able to serve you a plate of boiled/steamed leaves with soy/oyster sauce. And 食齋 (copy those characters in a large image on their own to show people because you will mangle saying "Sik Zaai") means "vegetarian" That'll be important.
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Oct 16, 2018 11:47
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If you want to experience "Kowloon Walled City" we can recommend some films and documentaries
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Oct 16, 2018 12:25
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More like Kowlgoon Walled City am I right
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Oct 16, 2018 18:32
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sincx fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Mar 23, 2021 |
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Oct 16, 2018 18:37
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Nam Taf posted:If you want the Kowloon Walled City feel, probably the closest experience I can think of is Chungking Mansions. Expect to get absolutely bombarded with touts trying to flog off restaurants and suits though. Do some prior research as to the layout, too.
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Oct 17, 2018 05:47
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kenner116 posted:More like Kowlgoon Walled City am I right howlmoon wolf city
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Oct 17, 2018 08:22
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Lots of great advice, thank you! That Cheung Chau idea sounds dope. A friend who teaches English in Guangzhou is meeting me in HK actually and we both are big fans of cycling, so that'll be great. How much time would you set aside for going/returning/island stuff? Nam Taf posted:If you drink, it's legal to drink in public in HK. As such, I really enjoy just grabbing a cold beer from a 7/11 and wandering around the city drinking it. Once you finish it, toss it in a bin, swerve into the next 7/11 (they're literally everywhere) and buy another. probably $2-3 a beer and one of the best ways to see the city IMO. I'm definitely going to do that first one. Are there any HK/regional/Chinese beers I should try while in HK? I like pilsners/pale ales/IPAs/etc. I might check out Chungking, but if it's anything like the medinas in Morocco, it might be obnoxious to the point of being not worth it. caberham posted:tea and coffee stuff Thanks for the info! I'll be sure to check out those tea shops. Tea is definitely the priority on this trip, but I'd be happy to hear about those coffee roasteries as well.
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Oct 17, 2018 21:15
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I’ve got a weekend trip to Chongqing coming up. Probably rolling into town late Friday and heading out by train Sunday night or Monday morning. I’ve never been, and I don’t know what I’m meant to see/eat while I’m there. My Chinese is ok enough for getting around most of the time, but I think I’m going to end up playing guide for a larger group that has none of the language yet. Any recommendations?
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Oct 21, 2018 14:47
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Eat spicy food
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Oct 22, 2018 03:30
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Did someone delete a ton of posts?
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Oct 22, 2018 03:32
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Ceciltron posted:Did someone delete a ton of posts? I hope they deleted yours 
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Oct 22, 2018 05:00
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Minus1Minus1 posted:I’ve got a weekend trip to Chongqing coming up. Probably rolling into town late Friday and heading out by train Sunday night or Monday morning. I’ve never been, and I don’t know what I’m meant to see/eat while I’m there. My Chinese is ok enough for getting around most of the time, but I think I’m going to end up playing guide for a larger group that has none of the language yet. Any recommendations? Get on a train to chengdu, lol! for real I guess eat hot pot. find some 抄手 and 锅盔。 it's basically Sichuan so you'll have to go searching for bad food.
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Oct 22, 2018 05:58
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Magna Kaser posted:Get on a train to chengdu, lol! That’s actually what I’ll be doing. 
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Oct 22, 2018 06:20
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Minus1Minus1 posted:That’s actually what I’ll be doing. I for real asked a friend of mine who is a Chongqing native and she just said eat some hot pot and noodles mostly anywhere will be good, cuz if you're not from Sichuan or Chongqing you wouldn't be able to "appreciate" the best ones anyway.
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Oct 24, 2018 01:16
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On google play store, I see both Alipay and AlipayHK, whats the difference. Does either one let you pay w US credit card? I tried to use my US Visa and Mastercard in GZ, even big stores like Vanguard supermarket and China Gold don't accept them. I read somewhere that Discover is actually accepted where ever 银联 is accepted. Should have taken the Discover. Who could have thought janky rear end Discover card is more accepted. I am going to try my Amex Premiere Gold card next but I have very very low expectation. tino fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Oct 24, 2018 |
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Oct 24, 2018 03:10
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One for hk one for rest of china
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Oct 24, 2018 04:17
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No way to find out what specific collection of credit cards work other than trying Yes, Discover cards often work where UnionPay is accepted even when the cashier person insists "no foreign cards" but you have to try to be sure Sometimes you have to tell the cashier person to insert the chip first, press enter when the error message pops up, then pull the card out and swipe At least the dynamic currency conversion nonsense seems to be much less common than it was three years ago
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Nov 9, 2018 04:14
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Anyone here tried to do a Report of Birth Abroad at the Shanghai US consulate? I sent my request for an appointment 2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything from them. I'm wondering if that's normal or if I need to try again or do something else. The instructions on the website say to email your documents to the address listed to request an appointment. I guess it's done differently at other consulates? Last time I was at the Beijing embassy they had the forms just sitting there so I think it may have been a walk-in thing. Anyway, I'm not sure if there's a problem or not.
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Nov 15, 2018 06:02
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Just call em.
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Nov 15, 2018 12:55
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I guess I was just used to the timelines of USCIS (thanks Trump!); but this isn't that I guess.
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Nov 16, 2018 03:15
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Does anyone know if the authorities have been cracking down on tourists not registering with the police when not staying at a hotel? I haven't done it on previous occasions (staying with family) but I've seen people on reddit saying that they're checking when leaving and banning re-entry.
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Nov 16, 2018 05:57
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Ragingsheep posted:Does anyone know if the authorities have been cracking down on tourists not registering with the police when not staying at a hotel? I don’t know, op.
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Nov 16, 2018 06:10
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