What's it really like in Hong Kong?

[hullexile]

I was born in Scunthorpe....

And you can read and write?

[ArKay]

...left when I was 5.

[Boro Boy]

...i would've left sooner...

[Rachel_UK]

Well I'm a Lake District girl now living in Chester. I love the UK but there's so much more to the world than this!

[Boro Boy]

...ah...i miss my Hollyoaks Babes...used to get their calender for Xmas every year...

[shadows]

My thoughts:


pollution is atrocious but not as bad as Beijing or LA.

stinking (literally sour) for 7 months of the year

very close for travelling asia - I thought HK was in Asia???

great food - I disagree, food is localized for local tastes (Corn and Tuna Pizza). Try to find anything thats not bastardized will cost you an arm and a leg. Even local hole in the wall places that serve supposedly award winning noodles does not make the ingredients themselves but subcontract to another vendor. I saw a restaurant in Aberdeen that had great writeups and raves in a Chinese newspaper, walked by in the AM before they opened and a delivery truck brought over these precooked slabs of beef, delivering to all the noodle places on the same street.

rental costs are ridiculous
pollution is atrocious
schooling (if you have kids) can be a headache
stinking (literally) hot for 7 months of the year
small flats

very close for travelling asia
great food
good money
amazing public transport
VERY safe
nice lifestyle

[carang]

well, duh! of course we are in asia... but there is a hell of a lot more to asia than hk! (in case you haven't noticed) and travelling to all of these places is fairly cheap. i know lots of people that go away for at least one weekend per month! one month phuket, one month beijing, one month taiwan... you get the idea... much easier to travel internationally than if you live in, say, Iowa.

i gotta say that for the most part, i think people relocating here have a difficult time with. if you want to eat the same as you did in your "western" home, then YES, it will be expensive! again... DUH! they have to ship it here as a luxury item!
if you are a little more adventurous, then you can have fantastic food for very little $.

dim sum
hot pot
chinese seafood
dumplings (i'm partial to beijing dumplings more than cantonese dumplings ~ all of the BEST dumpling shops i've been to have made their own dumplings from scratch. i've talked to the people while they are making them)
i LOVE the rice boxes (siu yuk, si-yau gai fan.... MMMMMMMM!)

like i said, live a little....

for pollution, i'm comparing to where i come from in canada.... haven't been to beijing or LA for over a decade, so no comment on what it is like there now.

[carang]

i'm very glad my reply to the OP has generated so much discussion....

[shadows]

You mean much cheaper to travel within Asia, thats a given given the geographic location. On the flip side its more costly to travel to the other side of the pond (North and South America)

How much Siu Yook and Yau Gai can you eat per week before you get sick of it?

I am an omnivore hence I like to explore and sample foods from all countries. I ate Chinese my whole life, its not an adventure when I can make better Chinese food at my flat than at the restaurant.

The quality is not there, foods that are so sweet they can qualify as candy and should have a diabetic warning on them.

much easier to travel internationally than if you live in, say, Iowa.

[carang]

coming from north america, i know that i can be on a plane for 6-8 hours and still be in north america... 8 hours flight from hk can get you to dozens of places, not just in asia (but of course easier and cheaper than further afield). THAT is my point.

let's see... i eat rice boxes about 3-5 times per week. have done for YEARS... still not sick of it... mcdonalds on the other hand....ewwwww!

considering you are asian (chinese?), i'm surprised that you are so euro-centric. i've been here a LONG time, i'm canadian, but i'm nowhere near as tied to it as you seem to be.