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Moving to HK from London

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by static:
    It was not so long ago that Starbucks claimed its milk came from Australia when in fact it was from Indonesia. As an Australian, I know the difference.
    You mean that as an Australian you believe that your country can do no wrong?

    Australia's never had any tainted food has it?

    And why shouldn't milk come from Indonesia anyway?
    Last edited by PDLM; 02-04-2010 at 01:31 AM.

  2. #12

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    Oh no here we go...these forums really would not be the same without you PDLM.

    In between your cynical/arrogant/condescending and misguided attempts for debate on geoexpat, you do provide valuable information at times - so I'm happy to just break even. Retirement must really be treating you well if trolling these forums is your only avenue of entertainment.

    At risk of continuing to feed the troll (and receiving the wrath of his spell/grammar checker), the point was to mand&dave and anyone moving to HK to be on alert for allergies. This includes food that you (and especially your children) previously had no issues with in your home country (ie. dairy products).

    RE: Milk in cafes. Just because the franchise logo is the same, does not mean the ingrediants are the same. While I don't suspect 2-yr olds will be drinking espressos and complaining about the quality of the coffee beans, they may however be accustomed to a Babyccino or two. If the big corporations can fool the great PDLM on the true source of milk at Starbucks, then they can fool mere mortals like us. While the tainted milk from China is one concern -- its not where the milk is from per se -- its the fact that the milk maybe *different* to what the body is accustomed to. (Allergies to milk are associated with hayfever, eczema, etc..)

    You might get better advice on GeoBaby where the posters may take these type of issues a little more seriously. While the real cause for eczema has not fully been determined, I personally do not know of many infants/toddlers suffering from it due to what was suggested - "psychological reasons"...

    Geoff likes this.

  3. #13

    [QUOTE=static;582831].[*]MSG -- while local food is cheap and delicious, the MSG content is quite high.[*]Pollution -- the pollution at the moment is quite high (I've heard - the worst its been for some time). Try to imagine living in the London Underground, because it does feel that bad.[*]Air conditioners -- the locals love their air cons as much as their MSG. These things suck all the moisture from your skin causing dryness.[/LIST]
    So I'd recommend to load up on some good Eczema remedies from London (there was one mentioned that is not avail here in HK - its like tea tree oil).
    QUOTE]

    MSG - Nonsensical generalization about a city of ca. 10,000 restaurants and arguably one of the greatest cities in the world to eat.

    Locals loving their AC as much as their MSG – How many locals do you hang out with? Or are you just generalizing? Ever eaten in a local home? Seems like you have no idea what you are talking about.

    Eczema remedies from London – False. HK doctors are more than capable of treating any skin condition. If yours is not, change doctors, there are plenty around. Also, you may not realize many ointments and medicines are kept behind the counter in HK pharmacies unlike in the UK where they are placed in the general shopping area. Sometimes you just have to ask. You can also get medicines and ointments directly from the doctor’s office without taking your prescription to the pharmacy like in the UK.

    If I was you I’d learn a little more about HK before giving false information to people.


  4. #14

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    Wow - I think your amusing response wins the OTT award.

    You seem to have taken a posting identifying obvious sources of DEHYDRATION - which aggravates eczema, and turned it into a Hong Kong versus London argument. (You might want to get that chip on your shoulder looked at at some point)

    Dehydration can easily be caused by the blast from ACs and MSG content in food - both of which are generally inescapable in HK (next time ask for the non-MSG menu at your favourite local haunt and travel there by the modes of public transport that dont have AC). People from overseas may not be aware of the effects -- but they will when coming to HK. Skin Dehydration + Pollution is not good combination.

    Your remark about London remedies versus HK doctors is highly amusing. Firstly note that there is NO cure for eczema...so HK doctors being able to treat any skin condition is a stretch. There are lots of lotions/ointments and chinese medicine -- but one thing to note is they all have steroids which thins the skin. Fantastic for young kids (NOT!) Since the OP is currently in London, they can source known remedies there for preventive measures. Not all brands will be available in HK - but that is not indication of better/worse. Some of the expats here in HK swear by the brands back home - each to their own.

    BTW: The reason I commented in the first place is you don't often hear about the kids eczema problems in the "Moving to HK" forum -- in my view, that's more of a false impression of HK that what you suggest.

    Last edited by static; 02-04-2010 at 05:38 AM.

  5. #15

    moving to Hong Kong

    Having now been in Hong Kong for two years, moving here with two young and now having a third child, what i will say is that on this forum you do see some great advice but at the same time there are a lot of axes grinding so i will give you my own experience- With regard to child friendliness, generally all establishments are child friendly, however that does not mean you will find it as user friendly with children as london. Most restaurants will have baby chairs but I can guarantee the safety straps will be missing. you can get around this by remembering to take your trouser belt with you. Taxis can be a pain as the idea of a baby seat or a middle seat belt is largely unknown here. But what I will say is you get used to doing it the way it is here. regarding doctors, they are much easier to access than uk and they are everywhere. the one concern i would have is if your ailments are more than minor coughs and colds then you need to be sure that the doctor will own getting you better rather than giving you interventionist advice. You will be given a pile of drugs and the cynic in me says that is because there is a margin in the drugs. Most of the doctors here are internationally trainined so in reality you should have no concerns. Just do make sure that your medical cover deals with pre-existing conditions as everything is expensive here.

    Supermarkets are abundant though you will not be able to get your favourite imported food consistently and it can be very expensive (try 8 quid for a packet of back bacon). You wont starve but you might not always be able to get your preferred brands. dont worry about it.

    Now TV is fine have not tried any others.

    Pollution is an issue but the actual impact is unclear- i think the doctors here often use it as a cause, but sometimes over dramatise their diagnosis, my 4 year old has had pneumonia twice this year - in the uk it would have been a bad cough, but again you get used to it.

    If your child is two i suggest you get their name down for a school now as this is a pain here in HK and there is no state education for you. it is also illegal to home school.

    The one thing i would advise is to go out of your way to make as many friends as possible as there is both a social and practical aspect to this. Socially it will help you settle quickly and make it feel like home. Practically and this has taken us two years to learn is that everything in Hong kong is done by word of mouth and an internet culture does not exist so if you need to know about subject x you are much better to phone a friend than consult the internet.

    most of all enjoy hong kong, go on a junk trip, go to shenzen and buy loads of tat, go to big wave bay, the stoep, flying pan, wan chai, the sevens, sever at the top of the princes building there are loads of things you can do here that you cant at home.

    j


  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson:
    it can be very expensive (try 8 quid for a packet of back bacon).
    this is where knowing the folks that have been here a while comes in handy:

    back bacon imported from denmark, i pay $24/lb little out of the way frozen meat shops located around hk...FANTASTIC buys! i have cut our grocery bill by thousands of $$$ every month since i found the one closest to us. (i used to frequent one on hk island, but it was so far for us to go, was completely impractical).

  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson:
    Just do make sure that your medical cover deals with pre-existing conditions as everything is expensive here.
    Although there's a public health service which, IME, is comparable to the UK's and is HK$100 per visit. Insurance is not a must any more than it is in the UK.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson:
    8 quid for a packet of back bacon
    From where? CitySuper or Great I guess. 200g of smoked back bacon at ParknShop costs HK$22.90 which is GBP9.70/kg. At Asda smoked back bacon is currently GBP7.92/kg. So it's about 20% more expensive there. As carang says, you can get it much cheaper if you shop around.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson:
    there is no state education for you.
    Simply not true - all HK residents are entitled to state education. Getting it in English is possible in Hong Kong. try getting state education in Cantonese in the UK!
    Last edited by PDLM; 05-04-2010 at 03:33 PM.

  8. #18

    As i said getting to know people who can really help- can really help once the axes have stopped being ground!!!

    Health, there is a state system but it will not be the same as UK and unfortunately you will struggle with the quality of English spoken and understood as well as there being a far smaller range of doctors available.

    As far as education is concerned, my understanding is that if your child cant speak Cantonese ( a wild guess that they cant) then there is no state education- would be delighted to be corrected on the last point but having been told this by all apart from previous poster so if it is not true than it would be worth finding out which state schools could entertain your child and work out how to get them registered. You could save a lot of money.- regardless my suggestion is still to get your childs name down for a school.

    What is the name of the shop where you can buy danish smoke back bacon for this price on HK island- very interested.


  9. #19

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    it IS possible for your kids to go to a local school that is EMI (English medium of Instruction), but you have to do your homework to find out how to go about it.


  10. #20

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    there is another thread that has the name of it.... i honestly can't remember the cost of the bacon from that shop as i've not used the shop in ages. the price i quoted was from the shop i frequent in sai kung.

    also, as i said in a previous post, it IS possible to access the free or virtually free education in hk if you can research the EMI schools.

    and now to healthcare: i've been hospitalised here about 16 times in 15 years (13 of the times were pregnancy related, twice for blood pressure/migraines and once for hip surgery). i have NEVER had a problem with the standard of english spoken by ANY of the doctors i've encountered. i do not have any health insurance and as i said, never a problem with any of the hospitalisations or clinic consults (inumerable: all of both children's vaccinations, check-ups, all of my bi-monthy check-ups, A & E encounters included).