Coming to HK - SOON- info needed!!

[AKD]

Hey Shri
first and foremost..great website!! and very informative..kudos!!..i am coming to hk in mid Feb 04 , and would definately like to get more information on properties,.. have gone to the website you suggested, and have really learnt more in one day , than i could ahve by calling friends and people up! ..here's a couple of questions..would be great if you guys could pitch in...
1> I would be working in One harbourfront, 18 tak Fung St , Kowloon,so whats the ferry terminal nearest to that called?

2> If i were to live in Discovery bay, that would mean that i would have to take a ferry to central and then Kowloon?..is that a good idea..i know to central its 25 mins, and then to kowloon is howlong?..do i make sense here?

3>Whats a good alternative place to live in..kowloon side?..whampoa gardens..any good suggestions?
(budget is MAX 7000/- HK DOLLARS)

4> Any good service appartments around that area for rental for a month?

5> How much do the agents charge as commission, if 7,000 HK D is my budget? they wouldnt try to swindle u would they? and is bargaining a norm, and if to bargain what to keep in mind?

whew!!..thats the start...hey keep up the good work...man this site has been a great eye opener..hope to catch up with you guys for a drink, once i am there..
thanks so much and appreciate all the help
cheers
AKD

[KnowItAll]

>> One Harbourfront

No clue where that is. Best place to start would be http://www.ypmap.com (yes, I'm being lazy)

>> Disco Bay Ferry

Why not take the ferry to TST?

http://www.hkri.com/cms1/DBTPL/DBTPL54.html

[AKD]

Thanks paul...wanted to ask you..how is whampoa gardens area to live in..is it very congested and very honkie..excuse the term..or is it a decent enough place to chill and good places to go out and hand out etc?

[AKD]

yes thats not a term to use in this context..what i meant was is whampoa a place which is predominently expat, but i guess hk doesnt have a big cluster , except for discov bay i guess..hmm..well wisdom or not, its a great palce to go to and i would do it just for the experiance of it, as well as singapore is placid and great..if u are 40!!..well who knows..but i am definately excited and hey maybe living in kowloon will give me the freedom to spend on other things..travel is a killer ..well will look around..and find out more..hey if u do come accross any info ..any help is appreciated

[shri]

is it very congested and very honkie..excuse the term..
<snip>
good places to go out and hand out etc?

>> hand out etc?

Hand out what? Your mobile phone? Your money? Any place is fine! (see the cartoon about the recent trend in HK .. apparently people have been handing out their phones and money to strangers....)

To be honest, Whampoa is a bit of a family place, but has easy access to several places where you can hand out your hard earned money and hang out.

By the way.. what is it with you Singaporeans and the 'honkie' thingy? Don't even get me started...

[AKD]

sorry dude
typo..but hey cyber nuts are always awake late..enter the matrix..hey hey, i was just being inquisitive..i aint singaporean..but yeah living here, i got that term repeated to me quite a lot recently, but hey you know what, people are people...hk, singapore or anywhere, so my mistake, but i do gather that english everywhere might be a problem, yeah for my budget whampoa sounds good..any other suggestions>?...and hey i thought the appratment rentals in hk had gone done, so 7 is ok right?

[Max]

Yes AKD, rentals have fallen, but not drastically as you'd expected. 7K is enough for a decent sized apartment for one person. Places in Whampoa go for around that much as it is. If you're looking for something close to Harbourfront without too much of a commute then how about places in Yau Ma Tei or Ho Man Tin in Kowloon? The can be easily accessible by bus (or even minibus, if you're the night owl), or taxi (with a fare that's also reasonable). Worth a look.

[AKD]

Hey many thanks..now i was wondering..if the harbourfront - kowloon area..which part of kowloon is that considered?...and do any of you guys know of good gyms and whats an average gym membership in hk like?...is whampoa gardens better or Laguan Verde at Tai Wan Road better<-- is Tai wan Road walkable distance from Harbourfront?..and it mentioned that it has gym and swimming pool facilities..is that true..or is that a sommunity facility shared by everyone?