hong_konger

Very good so long as you can find a place !!

kingdavid2012

You mean a place to live?Oh, this city is packed now.
Have you ever heard that a local resident there can't afford a small house til the end of his life.

hong_konger

I actually meant getting a place in a primary school. Most schools are full these days and have a long waiting list. But yes house prices are crazy here.

Amanda2012

I've just started a search for an apartment in HK. Apart from discovery bay has anyone got thoughts on Park Island, supposedly closer to Central HK!

Thanks!

Amanda2012

One more question. There is apparently a so called octopus card used for electronic payments and travel. Where do you get that issued?

PeteinHongKong

At any MTR station - customer services booth. I think there is a HK$50 deposit for the card and then you can charge up with as much cash as you want. Very useful indeed - you can also pay for things at convenience stores like 7-11 using Octopus. Only taxis do not take it but almost every form of public transport does.

Amanda2012

Thanks Pete. Are they mandatory to use on transport, or can you still pay with coins and notes as well?

PeteinHongKong

Not mandatory but you usually need to pay the correct fare as displayed on by the side of the payment box on buses, trams etc, or the front window of minibuses (actually can't remember if red stripe minibuses accept Octopus as I usually use the green striped ones). I think on ferries there are still places to pay in cash and they will give change but always better to carry around a selection of coins as most fares for short trips are less than $10. If the fare is something like $5.80 I would just put $6 in the payment box (but usually use Octopus of course). Having just 'cashed in' $150+ worth of 10c and 20c coins I can assure you they are a real pain to get rid of!

Amanda2012

Thanks Pete. Well these fares sound reasonable at least, if they are in local currency as I presume.

What have you been doing so long in HK may I ask and what brought you there? Do you speak the language?

PeteinHongKong

Yes, the fares are in HK dollars which is about 12.2 to the pound - travel costs are much lower than London for example.

I have been working in one of the universities for all this time. Just retired from full-time work and now work part-time and divide my time between Hong Kong and Cebu in the Philippines where my wife and I have a home. In the early 1980s moving to HK seemed like an interesting experience for a few years but like many many did not expect to stay for so long. Picking up some basic Cantonese is not difficult but you can get by without it but it is certainly useful for using taxis, for shopping in some areas (like in Kowloon) and for eating in small neighbourhood restaurants. Local people appreciate the effort if you use even a few words.

Supernoodles

There is no reason not to get an octopus card in HK, it would be a major pain in the arse if you had to get a ticket every time you went on the MTR as it is unbelievably busy at times. I even tell my visitors to get an octopus card, it is so easy to do, you can get one at the airport even and also they refund it when you leave. They even accept it in restaurants often.

hong_konger

If you are living here it is an absolute must to have the octopus card. We are very technologically advanced in HK. We use our HK ID cards to come and go through immigation (no need for passport but of course you need it at your desitination). Almost all major car parks do not accept cash anymore. Must use octopus or visa.

Fire90

There seem to be pretty nice, and reasonably priced, places to still live in Stanley! Make sure to eat at Jumbo!