New To HK

[waggavonn]

Hello!

This is another of those new to HK posts. I just have a few questions, hope you'll be kind[:biggrin]

I will get there in November and stay for about 2 years. Though I've read up on the place, I'd appreciate a few tips.

Accommodation - I've lived in Japan in the past and I'm hoping that the apartments in HK are of a better quality (for example, walls that aren't made out of paper!). I have about $6/7,000 to spend a month on a flat. I'm gonna be working in and around central and I don't mind a 30min/45min trek to work. I'm stuck on which island/area to try for. I'd prefer somewhere that is chilled out with access to nature but still has bars and places to eat, and also somewhere where I can get back to from the clubs and bars of central at 3am in the morning without it costing a fortune. Lamma seems a good option - what do you reckon?

Practical - yep, a lazy and boringly practical question, but here it is: what's the voltage over there, and can I use British appliances (for example, laptop)?

Sport - any recommendations on a gym or course to learn a martial art? what's the deal when I want to buy a mountain bike and go cycling regularly? what's the situation with Pool and Snooker over there?

Music - how expensive are the guitars?

The Groan List - what do you wish you had bought with you?

Travel - my holidays will be in the peak times (xmas, easter, high summer etc) and what's the TRUE story about the price hikes in ticket prices during the popular periods? In Japan it was huge!

Is there anyone there who has lived in Japan who can give me a comparison of the two places?

Ta!

From slash/lad

[FOTH]

Welcome to HKEx!

Just to be clear - when you say $6/7000 per month is that US$ (i.e. plenty) or HK$ (i.e. not a lot)?

Living - Getting to Lamma at 3am is a taxi ride to Aberdeen and then a rather nausea-inducing ride in a haggled-for sampan across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. That isn't a good option in my book!

Practical - Everything electrical is British standards.

Sport - Mountain biking off road is officially controlled - you need a permit and there are limited numbers of trails where you are even then permitted to ride. Pool is reasonably widespread but you need to get used to international rules rather than British ones. (e.g. http://www.joesbilliards.com ). Snooker is a little less widespread but still easy enough to find. There are plenty of gyms to choose from, from the Municipal ones (apparently not bad for serious trainers), through the ones associated with general social clubs, to the posey ones like Pure and California.

Music - don't know, sorry

Groan List - nothing much - pretty much everything is available here.

Travel - not too bad if you plan ahead - the problem tends to be availability rather than price.

Japan - no, sorry.

HTH.

[The Cerne Abbas Giant]

You can get a small flat in Western, North Point or Kennedy Town for HK$6-7000 a month. It will most likely be in an older building though. A better bet might be to share.

[beebs]

Hi waggavonn and welcome to the site!

I'm afraid paper-thin walls are standard here for flats in high rises but not sure about village houses.

Will have to disagree slightly with FOTH regarding ticket prices during peak seasons cos I think they're unbelieveably high, but I'd go with everything else FOTH has said, although there are usually some food/ drink items that can't be found here, e.g. Vimto, UK Cadbury's (not always available)...Another thing is that vitamins here cost a whole load more than back in the UK, so if you take em, you may want to "stock up" on them.

[FOTH]

quote:Originally posted by bbcgirl
Will have to disagree slightly with FOTH regarding ticket prices during peak seasons cos I think they're unbelieveably high

They aren't if you book ahead. For example, you can currently book a fare to various UK or European cities using CX to LHR for HK$4880+tax. The travel dates can be any time between now and the 31 March next year, but you have to book it by 5 October. That fare is currently available on 2 or 3 HKG-LHR flights every day in the period 20-23 December for example.

You can also get very good packages through http://www.cxholidays.com if two of you are travelling together.

And for some regional destinations there are great deals on minor carriers, particularly if you can cope with one flight per day at odd times. http://www.zuji.com can be good for finding those.

Australia and New Zealand can be a bit pricey at peak season. The markup tends to be around 30-50% from low season.

[waggavonn]

Cheers for the replies! I appreciate it! I will have a few more questions soon. Not being lazy, and have read all the Guides, but it's better to get a truer picture.

The dollars are in Hong Kong cash, and if I need to I can pay more to get walls that are thicker than soggy bogroll. What estate agencies do you recommend? The tip on the vitamins is much appreciated, too [:biggrin].

I forgot to ask - what's the score on Broadband internet connections in your apartment? And, if possible, what's the situation if you want to download stuff?

Once again, without grovelling, ta very much!! I look forward to getting all the practical stuff out the way and contributing the sillier stuff in my head to the forums.

[beebs]

I stand corrected FOTH.

[beebs]

I think broadband speed in HK is faster than in the UK. From what I remember the main broadband suppliers are Netvigator, Hutchison and i-cable but I could be wrong. Hutchison is cheaper than Netvigator but it isn't available in all areas if HK but in most places. Things I've heard about i-cable aren't positive.

[FOTH]

Broadband is cheap - for HK$290/month or so I get 6MB broadband + IPTV with HBO, Star Movies, BBC World, ESPN, Star Sports, Cinemax, and all the free channels.

Downloading is all the rage here, but people are getting prosecuted for seeding torrents of copyright material.

A 6MB connection doesn't really give you 6MB download speeds from outside HK - reckon on 1.5-3MB achieved most times.

Personally I have never had a problem with thin walls, except in one place where the problem was scraping chairs and a bouncing ball in the apartment above.

For finding apartments: http://www.gohome.com.hk

[FOTH]

bbcgirl,

Happy to offer a reasonable amount of advice on fares and availability on Cathay - I have access to their travel agents' site.

[pedant]The company is called Hutchison.[/pedant]