Hong Kong, here I come!

Map of Hong Kong

Common Phrases You Need to Know While in Hong Kong

Cantonese to English Translation

• Nei ho ma? ... Hello, How are you?

• Jo san... Good

• Do je.. Thank You

• M Goi ... You're Welcome

• Gei do chin a? ... How Much?

• Hai ... Yes

• M Hai ... No

• Chee soh hai been doh ah? ... Where is the bathroom?

• Gow meng ah! ... Help!

• Lee goh gay doh cheen ah? ... How much does this cost?

• Dek si... Taxi

• Ba see... Bus

• Joh ... Left

• Yow... Right

• Yoo ... Fish

• Gai yook ... Chicken

Chinese Etiquette

When Meeting Someone…

• The oldest person is usually greeted first

• Handshakes are the most common of greetings

• Call the person by their given name as well as their surname. If they want you to address them on a first name basis they will indicate you to do so..

When Having a Meal…

• Learn to use chopsticks

• Wait to be told where to sit

• The host begins eating first

• Try everything that is offered to you

• Never eat the last piece from the serving tray

• Chopsticks should be returned to the rest after every few bites and when you eat or stop to speak

• The host offers the first toast

• Do not put bones in your bowl. Places them on the table or in a special bowl for that purpose

• Hold the rice bowl close to your mouth while eating

• Do not be offended if a Chinese person makes slurping or belching sounds, they are merely indicating that they are enjoying the food.

When Leaving a Tip:

• Tipping is becoming more commonplace, especially with younger workers although older workers still consider it an insult. Leaving a few coins is usually sufficient.

DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER! Bottled water is readily available all over Hong Kong, so do yourself a favor and stock up!

Some Helpful Websites

This was super helpful..Discover Hong Kong

More about Hong Kong

This ones gives you a good solid back ground on Hong Kong

Since we do not really want to venture very far we are going to hop on the Big Bus tour and see some of the sites we missed during our trip. We decided to take the Kowloon tour, we really enjoyed this part of Hong Kong and wanted to experience it one more time. We got to see a bunch of stuff we missed during our first round in this are we got to see The Avenue of Stars, the Peninsula Hong Kong, Space Museum, Cultural Centre, Harbour City, Temple Street, Jade Market, Ladies Market, Knutsford Terrace & Hong Kong Coliseum. It was pretty amazing and we are all very sad that we're gone. Hong Kong was a huge culture shock of an experience but it is one we would do again in a flash. Zai Jian Hong Kong!

The Big Bus That We Took

Today was stellar! We got up after having a terrific sleep (probably from all of that fresh air yesterday)and headed out to Lantau Island. We did some great mountain hiking and hung out on some beautiful beaches. We also went and saw the Giant Buddha Statue and took the Ngong Ping 360 degree gondola ride, which apparently is a huge tourist attraction. We got to see some stunning views of Lantau Island and got to see the local themed attraction of Walking with Buddah and Monkey Tale’s Theatre. It is definitaly a unique experience. We also got to go and sample a bunch of local cuisine in the many eateries that are found in this area. I am starting to think that I can't eat any more food!

The Giant Buddah Statue

The View From the Gondola

Tonight after we got back from Lantau Island we decided to head over to the wold famous Lan Kwai Fong. What it is, is a collection of bars, resturants and clubs that will suite everyone's taste but you can't find a party like this anywhere else on the entire continent of Asia. If you are looking for a night of club crawling, we were, I reccomend heading over to Lan Gui Fong, its an enitre street, and even the street its self is like a club with every one drinking and having a good time.

Lan Kwai Fong

Another View of Lan Kwai Fong

If you are a fan of seafood, you cannot miss this place. Today, we went to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant. After getting off the bus, we saw this stunning giant boat. It is a restaurant, I couldn't even use words to explain how special that is. It is a very famous place that has been in Hong Kong for years. We had seafood there picked fresh from the tanks, it swam around a few times before it was caught for dinner. Out of the big fish, they made three dishes with it, one steam fish, deboned at the table and taken to the kitchen to make soup. A small fillet was cut out to make stir fry vegetables. It was a good meal, yet the bill at the end is like dinner at a four star restaurant.

We were told by the locals that we could have better seafood at a lot other places in Hong Kong but I think the view and the experience versus the price was totally worth it.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant

it was dark already when we got out

Today we headed over to Cheung Chau on of the outlying islands of Hong Kong. We were lucky enough to catch the Bun Festival that has been held there for over the last 100 years. It started when the island was devastated by plague and the local people set out a sacrificial alter in front of the Pak Tai Temple and prayed for the God Pak Tai to drive away evil spirits! The residents even paraded statues of their deities through the lanes of the village. After that the plague stopped and since then every year the villager have organized this event! Pretty cool huh? We had sweet white buns, saw children in colorful costumes on stilts and participated in the many events that took place throughout the day.

Child Dressed in Colorful Costume

We then headed back to mainland Hong Kong for a late dinner at the Dot Cod Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar, we one of their signature dishes grilled tuna with roast onion, chili, and mint salsa! It was absolutely delicious and I would highly recommend that everyone come here when they visit Hong Kong. After filling ourselves with good food and with a long day behind us we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Contestants climbing up the bun tower the one who collect most buns will be the winner(higher points for higher buns)