Life in Hong Kong: Part 1 (The Culture / Life)

North Point

It has been a full three days since my landing in Hong Kong. Being a regular visitor (and citizen to some extent). I find being in a fast paced country as, well, fast paced. I don't get to see this fast paced life in the Philippines. So how does a typical Hongkonger live? Well after observing people for the past 3 days and about 4 years of recurrence to this region of China (since 1997). This post will be divided into three sub topics namely: attitude, transportation and living.

Shabu-Shabu @ Yau Ma Tei (my sis, left and her friend, right)

A. Attitude
At a glance, what would you think of a Hongkonger? Think about it for a while. No, they are not those Chinese you meet on the streets of Manila who spits anywhere and sometimes smells very bad. and NO, they don't have weird fashion here, in fact they are almost westernized (not that it is any better). But here is where Hong Kong people shines.

I. They follow rules - most Hongkongers follow rules even if it isn't THAT important, and that is what makes Hong Kong a successful country. Even crossing a street with no cars, they wait for the pedestrian green light to cross the street (but of course not all people do that). I would not classify them as polite though, they just follow them because it has worked out for so many years. Keep right? yes, when you are lazy to walk the escalator, you must keep right at all times for those businessman to walk pass you. Do I get that on the MRT stations in the Philippines? Well, no. People line up anywhere and blocks passage for those in a hurry. and that is what I admire about their respect for each other.

II. I don't judge attitude - Most Hongkongers live their lives without a hint of judgment, and that on its own is a very very VERY different feeling when you are out. Remember those times when you wear a less eye pleasing tee or you tripped a little on your walk, well I did and what? no one cared. ZERO even that won't earn you a second look. Some (even I) am guilty of judging a stranger for their fats, dress and looks but you will be humbled that they give not a single giggle of when you look your worst.

III. Workaholics - Juan Tamad will be dead in three days if he stayed here in Hong Kong, not just because there are little fruit trees here, but no one can even save up if He/She only has one Minimum wage work. Look at it this way, it is either you are a student, an employed person, or a retired elder. There are no tambays (even if, I bet they are finding work), and especially no jejemons (haha!). They have 2 - 3 jobs and gets most of their exercise from work (that is why they are surprisingly fit).

B. Transportation: 90% of Hongkongers use public transport, why? because its hella fast and efficient and owning a car is like owning a house in the Philippines, parking rates ranges from 5 dollars to a whopping 25 dollars an hour depending if you are on a residential or business district.

MTR Signboard @ Yau Tong station

I. MTR - Aahh, the MTR my ideal transport, my fast way around the city. Looking at it, the Philippine LRT would really look like a third world transport (clean and efficient, yes but less thought out). Yup, MTR is the most efficient transport in Hong Kong, not only is it long and wide, it is also fast and reliable. Trains every minute, and the long and wide body (mga 1.5x longer than the LRT new trains) It also has automatic system which tells you what will the next station be and maps with LED dots that indicate if the station has been passed or not. But fare wise, this is also a upper class transport (at least comparing the the LRT) If you want to travel 1 station, it would cost you 3.6HKD or about 18 Pesos. add a dollar for the next three stations and when traveling the whole line, about 7 dollars or 42 pesos. That's almost riding the LRT for 3x! A fair trade off for a clean, spacious train and big underground stations.

Typical HK Bus

II. Buses - See those famous double decker buses? Aside from London and some European countries, Hong Kong also adapted double decker buses to accomodate more passengers, their seats are spacious and their buses don't stop just anywhere, it is like trains which has a route and bus stops. It is the cheapest way to go around Hong Kong but also the most complicated transport of numbers and timing. Buses typically dispatches once every 10 - 30 minutes depending on how high the the demand is. The fare is cheap, from 3 - 6HKD, it is cheaper than the MTR and will most likely drop you off nearer your destination.

HK Taxis
III. Taxi - This is the MOST convinient and MOST expensive transportation in Hong Kong, going from the Airport to HK Island would cost your about 300-400 dollars a great deal if you are 4 in a group but a pain if you are traveling alone. This will get you ANYWHERE you want and most likely just outside the door of whatever building you want to be in.

IV. Trams - The century old tram is like the ones we have in Manila (before WWII). except it is the only double decker tram in the world. The cheapest but also the slowest of all the available transport, at Just 2HKD a ride, you can enjoy the scenic view of Hong Kong Island as you travel through the major road of Hong Kong. Witness being from a major residential area to a business district with people walking briskly.

High-end shopping mall

C. Living - The cost of living here is Hong Kong is staggering, second only to Tokyo, Japan. Prices of commodities here can get very expensive. A Tall Starbucks Fappe would cost about 31HKD or 180 pesos as opposed to getting it 40 pesos cheaper in the Philippines. They don't have TAX so prices of electronics is indeed cheaper than in the Philippines but living here is another story. I would not go into details about this but I hope you can imagine how getting 3 jobs is a requirement.

Watch out for Part 2: Foods!!!

*This post will be updated with MORE pix*