So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!

We set out with the best intentions to blog our new life here in Hong Kong. It started kind of OK, but soon it tapered out. But now, well, nothing has been written here in quite a while and it starts getting more and more like a yoke weighing us down.

So we decided to officially stop.

We might start again some day. Maybe. Don't hold your breath.

On Public Transportation Fares

We have been complaining about the Stockholm public transportation fares. It's a very stupid system they have implemented there. But it's consistent.

In Hong Kong it's not.

There are six different types of public transportation here:

• MTR - the subway
  Nine lines, very long train sets, stations spread out. Built for mass transport, and very good at it.
• City buses
  Mostly double-decked, frequent, stops are often far between.
• Mini-buses
  All over the place! Small buses, capacity just 16, scuttles around almost non-stop.
• Tram
  100+ years old trams, frequent, a lot of stops.
• Light rail
  Used far out in Tuen Mun. Only read about them so far. Will be ignore for now.
• Star Ferry
  Across the harbor.

Of the five we care about right now, there are no less than four different ways of calculating and charging the fares!

• On MTR, you check in and out and get the fare calculated on how far you actually have traveled.
• On buses, both big and small, you check in and pay a fare that depends on how far into the bus' route you get on the bus.  Same price, no matter how many stops you travel.
• On the tram, you check out when leaving, paying a flat rate (HK$2.30).
• The Star Ferry charges you before boarding, flat rates. On the upper deck, the fare is slightly higher (HK$2.30).

On at least one of the subway/commuter lines, the one heading towards the Chinese border, they have first class cars. The fare is doubled for travelers in first class, and you have to check in for first class at the platform, not the turnstiles, before entering the car. 

Maybe the Stockholm system isn't so bad, after all?

A Little Bit About Hong Kong

Hong Kong - Fragrant Harbor

		Hong Kong		Sweden
	Population	7,061,200	101st	9,555,893	89th
	Area	1,204 km²	179th	449,964 km²	57th
	Density	6,400 /km²	4th	21 /km²	195th

Geography

Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Norther Territories. plus almost 300 islands. Since the area is very hilly, only some 25% of the land is developed, mainly in Kowloon and the northern side of Hong Kong Island. This must mean that the actual population density is four times higher!

Demographics

About 94% of the population is of Chinese descent, the rest a mix of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Nepalese, and some Vietnamese). A number of expats from Great Britain, USA, Canada, Japan, and Korean are working in the commercial and financial sectors. An estimated 250,000 domestic helpers are from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Languages

Cantonese is Hong Kong's de facto official language. English, also an official language, is spoken by slightly less than 40% of the population. As a visitor or an expat, there is no problem getting around using English.

Eating

Whatever cuisine you want, you will most probably find it someplace in Hong Kong.  All Chinese cuisines are represented at restaurants, with Cantonese being the "local" kitchen. Beside the Chinese restaurants, you will find all East and South East Asian cuisines everywhere. And of course American and European. A true Hong Kong experience is yum cha (飲茶), drink tea, i.e. dim sum with tea.

More on what and where to eat in out blog Eating in Hong Kong.

Why Hong Kong?

We are both big city people, preferring to live in the city and to go to cities on vacations. We both love big cities like London and New York. For a long time, San Francisco was our absolute favorite, having been there a number of times in the eighties and nineties, much because of it being a cultural melting pot where everyone is accepted. There is an air of tolerance that permeates the entire city that we really appreciate.

In 2006, we came to Kuala Lumpur on our first trip backpacking in Southeast Asia. KL is also a big city with a very diverse ethnicity; Malays, Indians, Chinese, Arabs, and others, live side by side in tolerance. Another factor making KL our favorite city is all the good and exciting food! Plus, of course, very friendly people.

Early 2011, I went to Hong Kong the first time. Visited ORC's Hong Kong office to spread the gospel of performance testing. Hong Kong almost instantly dethroned KL. It is a cultural melting pot of epic proportions. Its architecture is breathtaking with 40+ story high-rises with a-room-and-a-half footprint next to shacks. The food is so diverse with all the Chinese cuisines, all of the rest of Asia (even found a Nepalese restaurant!), and of course the ubiquitous European and American restaurant (which I avoided). And all the people filling the streets, the sidewalks, and the walkways!

When home again, I started a campaign with the goal of going to Hong Kong with Yvonne on a vacation. In September the goal was reached as we landed on Hong Kong International. I was somewhat wary that I might have over-sold it, but my fears came to rest at once: Yvonne loved Hong Kong as much as I do!

But everything is not due to Hong Kong's virtues, our friends Aily and Erik (Erik is a colleague of ours) helped making us feel both welcomed and special. We hope to repay them when they, in a few years, move to Sweden.