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Long time reader, first time caller here in Ask/Tell. I currently work as an IT consultant for a Big 4 audit and advisory firm and i'm in the process of transferring from my office in New York City to Hong Kong. I've lived in the states my entire life - although well traveled throughout Asia - so the opportunity is equal parts awesome and terrifying. I was hoping to get some anecdotal accounts of any other ex-pats who have gone through a similar move, or any HK natives that could give some advice on living/surviving in HK.
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Jun 11, 2015 22:27
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| # ? May 3, 2024 05:44 |
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Most people speak at least a little bit of english. The first thing you should buy is an octopus card so you can actually get around. You can refill it at any 7-11 or the station. All recommendations are by word of mouth and everyone has their favorites. Bargain for everything.
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Jun 12, 2015 05:45
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Hong Kong Island is the part originally claimed by Britain, and the more outward you go, the less wealth and English there is. You will get by just fine with English but if you are staying long term, sign yourself up to some Cantonese language classes in Wan Chai. Locals love it when you try to speak their language. You can go to most major centres by train or underground. There are many double decker bus routes with high frequency, but it takes a while to learn the minibus routes as their stops are not announced. As mentioned above, almost everything takes the Octopus RFID card as payment. Hong Kong island has the most expensive housing costs, so if you don't have a housing allowance, or if you want to pocket the difference, then consider getting a cheaper place along the Tung Chung line or the Outlying Islands depending on your workplace. If you're in Central you can take a ferry to work! Wellcome and Park'n'Shop are the two main grocery stores, because they collude and then crush competition. They also own many branded stores like Fusion and Taste which pander to different classes (e.g. white expats ). For social activities, there are many to choose from. For drinking and clubbing, Lan Kwai Fong has become increasingly a tourist trap for mainland Chinese, Wan Chai still has Southeast Asian maids and fat old white men, and Tsim Sha Tsui is still expensive unless you're looking for a quiet relaxing drink. There are tons of outdoor activities like hiking and surfing, historical stuff like WWII ruins (we occasionally find unexploded ordnance during construction), movie theatres that show stuff on the worldwide release date, and every variety of food and restaurant, though of course there may be differences compared to what you're used to. For more info, join the goons in the China LAN thread. Edit: Bargaining is only done at the obvious tourist traps like Jade Market, Ladies' Market, shady Indian "tailors" etc. Try to bargain for the price of food at a noodle shop or your bar tab and they will ask what the gently caress is wrong with you. Imperialist Dog fucked around with this message at 09:07 on Jun 12, 2015 |
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Jun 12, 2015 08:57
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Hong Kong is great, I lived there for 20 years (left in 2005 to because of the pollution, for the infant child rather than for me). It's a great place to be an expat, but housing is going to be very small and expensive. Eating out is super cheap and often very good. Imperialist dog covered most of it, I would recommend Lamma if you are working in central, don't mind a ferry commute and want to live somewhere a bit quieter and cheaper. It has a reputation as a hippy island, but really hasn't been for the last 15 years. (There are probably a few casualties still living in teepees in the hills I expect).
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Jun 14, 2015 08:56
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Imperialist Dog posted:Hong Kong island has the most expensive housing costs, so if you don't have a housing allowance, or if you want to pocket the difference, then consider getting a cheaper place along the Tung Chung line or the Outlying Islands depending on your workplace. If you're in Central you can take a ferry to work! Thanks all for the replies so far. What should I expect to pay for a 1 BR flat in Central area (or somewhere close by?). I'm a single male w no family so I was thinking about trying to find a random roommate - is that concept very popular in HK? Is there a craigslist or roommates.com equivalent?
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Jun 14, 2015 23:24
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| # ? May 3, 2024 05:44 |
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Central is the main financial district, so people don't really live there. The closest place would be the Mid-Levels, which has the charm of a really long escalator built onto the side of the mountain, historic buildings, and drunken expats in the alleys. A quick search of the Centaline (main property agency) website for a 450sq ft flat has it as $30 000 HKD per month. They also have a little guide to living here, but they assume you are loaded. Craigslist is here and has some stuff but Geoexpat is the big forum for English-language general discussion and trading. There's a section there to find apartments for rent and share so I recommend that. Or ask your company. https://hongkong.geoexpat.com/classifieds/ Comedy option is to arrive then wander around Sham Shui Po looking for a Room for Rent sign or 租 and co-habit with some drug dealers or triads.
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Jun 16, 2015 06:06
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