Relocating to Hong Kong from Canada!

[J Walker]

Hello, My husband and I are moving to Hong Kong from Canada in September...Does anyone have any general tips or advice about starting life in Hong Kong?

[tex]

not that i live there yet, but we are moving there soon from singapore and this is what i've gathered:


count on paying a lot for housing (seems like ny prices)
expect pollution
get ready to travel lots, it's much cheaper in this region (we're in singapore now, originally from ny) and fabulous
from my experience bringing electronics from north america is a big pain, you can get better stuff for less that works without converters in asia
it's a food adventure in a mostly good way especially if you're not a vegetarian
great place to achieve career goals, meet people from all over
it's as chic and urbane as asia can get
not as dirty as you might have heard, but its no singapore!
great nightlife
incredible diversity of environments: beaches, forests, hills, city, countryside, islands, suburbs

once you get closer to your arrival date i'm sure you'll have specific questions which this board is very good at answering. good luck!

[berryplucker]

On the pollution question, yes there are bad days when a sort of haze (which is partly just tropical haze) sits over the city. With 7 million people in a very small space, and tens of millions around the Pearl River delta you can't fail to have some pollution.

But on the other hand we have had the most glorious clear days for the last couple of weeks now, albeit somewhat warm ones!

My subjective perception is that over the last 5 years that I have been here the number of bad pollution days (at least from the visibility point of view) is decreasing.

[Bandit]

HI J Walker,

I am from Canada too. The most important thing is accomondation, if you get this solved, settling down in HK isn't too difficult at all. There's everything in HK except no hockey on TV (unless you get ESPN2 in your building).

any questions you may have, don't hesitate to ask..

Welcome to HK

[JJexpat]

From Canada here, too. Hkongers seem to like Canadians for the most part--strong connections. The people are friendlier than you may have heard, after a year or two, you almost get used to the heat, and there is MUCH more to HK than Central & Island-side. Explore!

[Walkz]

tex, berryplucker, bandit and jjexpat:
Thanks for your help!
Joanna

[gs400]

Just imagine everywhere is downtown there in hk.

anyways, dont expect to drive there in HK .. unless you are willing to pay $12 hkd / litre ( $ 2 CDN / litre ... and we are screaming like hell now that the gas price is 899 here in the lower mainland. )

and if my memory serves me right, there is a Canada Day celebration on June 31st at Lan Kwai Fong organized by UBC Alumni and U of T Alumni every year or something like that.

Bandit: even ESPN2 doesnt broadcast NHL hockey anymore... cuz Cable TV now has a special Pay Per View channel for NHL hockey and I think it's like 500 bucks for the season.... what a rip off -_-

Go Canucks Go

[sbking]

Hi there,
I'm American but grew up in Canada. HK is the 6th country I've lived in. It's very interesting here, but it can be isolating. When you get here, join the American Women's Association. It's open to any female from any country and has great articles in its magazine, great get-togethers, etc.
I know you'll settle well here.
Sandie

[Bandit]

Bandit: even ESPN2 doesnt broadcast NHL hockey anymore... cuz Cable TV now has a special Pay Per View channel for NHL hockey and I think it's like 500 bucks for the season.... what a rip off -_-

Go Canucks Go

oh really? that really sucks. That's the only thing i missed when i am in HK. I see you are a Canuck fan too. Can't wait for World Hockey Championship starting in 2 weeks.