Living in Hong Kong

If you intend to live in Hong Kong even for a week, here are some things to make life easier.

1) Get maps: Buy a street directory, or use an online map service like Centamap to show you the way around Hong Kong.

2) Get a prepaid phone card: If you need to call back to your home country, consider the People's IDD Talk Prepaid card. Phone charges are cheap in Hong Kong.

3) Get a Octopus card: This is very useful for travel on the MTR and public transport. You can keep it for your next visit to Hong Kong or refund it 3 months later at no charge.


4) Open a bank account: Open a HSBC Hong Kong dollar savings account and select the "Easy Savers" option. This will exempt the account from minimum account charges. However, you will be charged a fee if you withdraw money from the bank counter.

To open the account, you must bring identification that shows your home address or have a friend who is an existing customer of the bank to vouch for you.

Ensure that you also apply for Internet Banking, since you may need to access your account from your home country.


5) Apply for PPS: With your HSBC bank account, you can top up your phone card every 6 months indefinitely to retain its number over the Internet.

6) Find cheap accomodation: This is a major challenge as even the cheapest hostels charge HK$400 per night. It is best to find a friend who could lend you his or her sofa.


7) Find cheap food: Food prices go for HK$30+ or above for a full meal. To find reasonably priced food, you must walk around and visit the small stalls in hidden in the minor streets. The ability to read handwritten traditional chinese characters is essential since the storeowners usually cater only to locals.

I ordered rice and 2 vegetable within 5 minutes walk from Chueng Sha Wan MTR for HK$17. It was sited next to a noodle stall. [Should be located at the middle of Cheung Fat Street.] To my relief, the stall owner could speak a little Mandarin. The meal was relatively filling for me. I ordered a take-away packet so that I do not have to subsist on bread the next morning.

I also ordered HK$24 fried rice from a small stall hidden in the corner of Landale Street within 10 minutes walk from Wan Chai MTR. The shopkeeper was very friendly and conversed with me in Mandarin. The fried rice was so delicious and the shopkeeper generous with extra servings that I ordered a take-away. The only issue I have are the numerous cockroaches crawling openly around the stall.

Macao Ferry Services to Hong Kong

The ferry trip between Macao and Hong Kong takes about 1 hour. Macau residents, seniors (above 60 years old) and children (below 12 years old) may obtain discounts.

The ferry companies have a standby queue. If you arrive early, join the queue. You will have an excellent chance of getting onto the next departing ferry ride.


----- TurboJet ------

http://www.turbojet.com.hk/eng/schedule/prd.html

Turbojet the most popular ferry company in Macau. Ferries usually depart every 15 minutes from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong island. I have heard that some casinos give complimentary tickets to regular customers.

Operating Hours: 4am - 2:30am (next day)

Weekday: HKD$134 - MOP$142
Weekends & Holidays: HKD$146 - MOP$154
Night: HKD$168 - MOP$176
(Rates are given as: HK > Macau - Macau > HK)



----- First Ferry ------

http://www.nwff.com.hk/engtext/schedule/route.asp

You can travel directly to the Kowloon peninsular in Hong Kong. Ferries usually depart every 30 minutes from the Tsim Sha Tsui China Ferry Terminal.

Operating Hours: 7am - 12 midnight

Weekday: HKD$133 - MOP$140
Weekends & Holidays: HKD$148 - MOP$155
Night: HKD$168 - MOP$175
(Rates are given as: HK > Macau - Macau > HK)


----- CotaiJet ------

http://cotaijet.com.mo/en/destinations/

CotaiJet has just started operating. (Cotai is the name of island formed from the merger of Coloane and Taipa.) If you are traveling to Taipa or Coloane, you can consider taking this service.

Operating Hours: 7:30am - 5pm

Weekday: HKD$134 - MOP$142
Weekends & Holidays: HKD$146 - MOP$154
Night: Not available yet
(Rates are given as: HK > Macau - Macau > HK)


----- Money Saving Tips ------

1) There are travel agencies operating in Shun Tak Centre that will sell you special tickets. Depending on the shop and time, you can get these tickets for HKD$4 to HKD$13 cheaper than the regular price. Apparently, these are tickets that casinos give to favorite customers. As far as I know, no one will check if your name matches that on the tickets.

2) If you are buying tickets in Macau, you can always pay the ticket price as Macau Patacas even if it is quoted in Hong Kong dollars. This gives you a 3% savings.

3) If you walk a short distance from the Macau Ferry Terminal, you can find the place where the casinos provide Free Bus Services. They stop running at 12 midnight. If you are going to a destination near the casino and do not have much luggage, you can take a free ride. When you reach the casino, you can hop on to another casino bus service to the Chinese border for free too.

Transit via Macau on discount using Tiger Airways

Tiger Airways offers relatively cheap airfares from Singapore to many countries. However, its air ticket prices from Singapore to Macau is one of the cheapest, making it perfect for Singaporeans to transit to other places in the Pearl Delta Region, including Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou.

I have worked out some ticket prices for a sample flight in November 2007. Feel free to make your own comparisons.

Be aware that if you miss your flight, Tiger Airways will neither wait for you nor give another seat on the next flight. You can expect to pay at least HKD$2000 for the next ticket even for non-peak periods. If you are waiting at the airport, you can only book a ticket 2 hours before the next flight.


----- Transit via Macau to Hong Kong (Round Trip, estimated) -----

Air Ticket directly to Hong Kong (including taxes & charges): HKD$1818

Air Ticket to Macau (including taxes & charges): HKD$1000
AP1 Bus to Ferry Terminal: HKD$8
Ferry Ticket (assuming most expensive rate): HKD$344
Total: HKD$1352

Savings: 26%

[Update: Tiger Airways is offering direct flights to Hong Kong from 01 February 2010, which means that the cost savings from then onwards will be minimal.]


----- Transit via Macau to Shenzhen (Round Trip, estimated) -----

Air Ticket directly to Shenzhen (including taxes & charges): RMB$1171

Air Ticket to Macau (including taxes & charges): RMB$967
AP1 Bus to Chinese Border: RMB$7
Bus Service to Shenzhen: RMB$100
Total: RMB$1074

Savings: 8%


----- Transit via Macau to Guangzhou (Round Trip, estimated) -----

Air Ticket directly to Shenzhen (including taxes & charges): RMB$1221

Air Ticket to Macau (including taxes & charges): RMB$967
AP1 Bus to Chinese Border: RMB$7
Bus Service to Guangzhou: RMB$85
Total: RMB$1059

Savings: 15%

Zhuhai Shopping

Zhuhai is a good place to go shopping from Macao. Unfortunately, knowing how to read and speak Mandarin (or Cantonese) is essential to exploring the area. This is what you will see right after you exit Chinese customs. Note the red arrows below, which will lead you to the bus stop.

If you want to buy some delicious small mangoes without traveling far, walk in the direction of the market. You can also buy vegetables, fruits and cheap accessories there. Bargaining is necessary unless you wish to pay an exorbitant price.

If they refuse to haggle, try paying the equivalent amount of Renminbi as Macau Patacas or Hong Kong dollars. [This may not work for long as the renminbi keeps appreciating.]

Warning: The Macao authorities do not like you carrying fruits and vegetables into Macao without permit. Raw meat is definitely not welcome. Pirated disks may also bring trouble. Check the law before importing anything.

If you wish to travel by bus, go down to the basement floor and head in the direction of the red arrow. You will find a nicely hidden escalator to an even lower floor.

Hint: Behind the red arrow are many small shops which seem to sell various goods, but are actually money changers in disguise. They will change money with you at a better rate than the shops and the bank. Be wary of counterfeit currency though!

After you head down the escalator, if you wish to travel within Zhuhai, then go straight. If you wish to travel to other cities, then turn to your right. You can buy tickets to travel to other cities. If you cannot pronounce Mandarin or Cantonese properly, it is best to write the Chinese name for the cities to give the note to the receptionist.

If you go straight, you will enter a dark and noisy place. This is the bus stop for local buses. Have Renminbi $1 and 50 cent notes or coins ready as other currencies are not accepted. The bus fare is usually RMB$1.50 for non-airconditioned buses and RMB$2.50 for air-conditioned buses.


The Number 2 sightseeing bus is popular with many tourists because it reaches many tourist attractions.

As you travel, you will see many other bus stops with signs. Unfortunately, the signs are mostly in Chinese. [Note: The van in front of the bus is a postal service (邮政) van.]

Wan Jia Bai Huo (万佳百货) is a good place to shop. They have big juicy Fuji apples at a reasonable price. I bought 5 of them for RMB$10. They also sell many groceries, drinks, clothes, equipment, cooked dishes, such as take-away meals.


If you don't mind some exercise, you only need to walk for around 5 minutes of walking down the big street directly in front of the Gongbei border. This is the view right in front of Wan Jia Bai Huo (万佳百货) leading to the border. The red building with the pointed roof is the Gong Bei (供北) border building.

Bus Route 2 also goes to the Bai Lian Dong (白莲洞) park. I like the water paddle boat but the rest of the park was not that interesting to me. [High voltage lines are running over the lake and spoiling the scenery, but as you know, this is China.]

After traveling past many places on Bus Number 2, you will see the Wan Zai (湾仔) bus station. This is the place to buy many computer parts cheaply.


Along the way, you will see some beggars such as this lady who wrote her life story in front of her. She is a Primary school teacher who came to this place to work in a factory. Her husband left her and her children for another woman. Now she needs money (RMB$280) to travel back home. Would kind people be willing to help?

I am aware that it is likely that these are frauds who are deceiving people. But if you have a kind heart, what to do?


There are still many places in Zhuhai I have not been to, including the Lover's Lane and Fisher-Maiden statue. I regret that I did not have the time to visit them.

Unoffical Traffic Rules

Upon your arrival in Macau, you may like to know about some unofficial traffic rules:


1) Never wear seatbelts.

Of course, you can try to do that, but the taxi drivers may insist otherwise.


2) Cross the zebra crossing with impunity

Most cars will not give you the right of way. You must boldly step into the road before they consider stopping for you. But do NOT try this in China: the cars may NOT slow down or stop even if you cross right in front of them.


3) Cross the red traffic light with impunity

The pedestrians get their revenge when they cross the red light with impunity just like the zebra crossing.


4) Park your car all over the place

You can park almost anywhere you like, though you may get fined if it is in the daytime.

There is a joke that if there is any space on or near a road, it will be filled by cars. Sidewalks and bus stops are not exempted. The only trick the drivers have yet to figure out is how to park their car on top of another car.

Where I used to stay, drivers may park their car around other cars in order to get a quick drink at the pub. Incidentally, this also traps the victims' cars in the parking space. When the victims return, they start blasting their car horns with vengeance until the obstructing car is gone, even when it is 3am at night. The blasting may be interrupted by the sound of objects crashing onto the ground, ejected by irritated residents trying to sleep. They will make them stop for a few minutes before they start blasting away again.


5) Drive on top of the lane separators

In Macau and Hong Kong, vehicles drive on the left side of the road. In China, they drive on the right. This confusion may explain why the Chinese truck drivers, newly arrived from the border, tend to drive on top of the lane separators.

----- Bonus -----

6) In China, you communicate by blasting your horn. It is common to hear this every fraction of a second.

Macao Bus System

There are 2 main companies, Transmac and TCM. You can see all the bus routes here.

Buses usually run from 6am to 12 midnight. If you miss the bus times, you will have to take a cab. If you have to cross the long bridge to the airport, you can expect to pay MOP$40++ for the cab fare.

To take buses, you need lots of coins, especially $1. The fares are MOP$3.20, $4.20, $5 and $6.40. There will be no bus conductor to give you change, so use the exact amount.

-----

A simple way to get coins is to buy something at a shop and ask for more coins in your change. A cheaper way would be to find a bank that is not busy and ask to change coins. They are probably OK with changing MOP$10 to MOP$30 worth of coins for free.

You can also elect to use dollar notes, especially if you are paying for a group of friends. The bus drivers also accept Hong Kong coins and banknotes, but at equal value to the Pataca. [In other words, you will be paying 3% extra.]

Never ever use Renminbi (Chinese currency). You will get a scolding in Cantonese if you try that.

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If you are taking a bus from Macau to Taipa, you only need to pay $4.20. If you are going to Coloane Village, you only need to pay $5. The full fare of $6.40 is for going to Hac Sa beach. However, you will have to pay in coins to enjoy the offer.

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If you are going to or entering from the Chinese border to Zhuhai, or the ferry terminal to Hong Kong, there are many free chartered buses that you can take. These buses ferry potential customers to the casinos, and they leave whenever they are filled to capacity.

However, they may not accept you if you bring large bags or other luggage. It is best to ask a local friend to guide you if you want to take advantage of this tip.


-----

If you are going to stay for a while or travel frequently, buy a Macau Pass for MOP$130 (with MOP$100 value and MOP$30 deposit). Not only will you get a 30-40% discount on the bus fare plus a free second trip, it will save you from the nightmare of finding coins.


You can buy and top up the Macau Pass from a Royal Supermarket near your home (see logo above) or the Transmac service centers (see photo below of the shop in front of the green car near the Chinese border). Be aware that the service staff speak Cantonese - they may not speak English or even Mandarin!


To obtain a refund of your card deposit, you must go to the MacauPass service center at 美麗街. [For exact location, type "Macaupass CSC" into Google Earth.] You will have to pay MOP$5 if your card is used for less than 2 months old, otherwise you will get the full MOP$30. Be aware that all remaining value on your card will be confiscated.

Below is the original Chinese text from Transmac explaining this policy:
若為新福利出的澳門通咭(即很舊以前)，退咭不用收手續費，並且只可以到臺山退咭退款。若為澳門通全民咭(綠色)，使用不足2個月，則需收費5元，超過2個月則不用收費，退咭方面只會退按金，餘額則不會退還，並且只可以到美麗街澳門通處退咭。