Weather outlook had potential thunderstorms most days, though I have yet to see more than a 5-second trickle of of a shower, though it was cloudy and hazy yesterday.
Today (the 2nd day here) it’s sunny so just some quick random impressions of Hong Kong from yesterday so I can get out and explore in the sunshine (more details to come):
- Easy to get around – English and Cantonese bilingual signs everywhere, and efficient transportation system
- Lots of people. Duh! Although not at 9:00 on a weekend where the streets are empty and most stores aren’t open yet
- Tall buildings. Well, not insanely tall (besides a handful of buildings), but definitely a vertical city
- Good food!
- Some areas (little local street markets) are very reminiscent of Chinatowns in North America
- There are no toilets in the MTR (subway) – say what!?
- Even outdoor public parks (which can be small concrete areas with benches and such) are non-smoking! Come to think of it, haven’t seen many cigarette butts on the ground, as most garbage cans on the street have big ashtrays on the top.
- There are paper/plastic/metal recycling bins around town
- The double-decker (wood-sided) tram (aka streetcar) is funky and apparently the only one in the world (not sure if it’s the “wood-sided” makes it unique or not – I’ve never seen a double-decker tram/streetcar anywhere else)
And some random notes from things I’ve read:
- There are 44 (almost) daily newspapers here – a boon for crossword lovers??
- Given how expensive land and rent are here, it’s amazing how cheap food can be (esp. when people can be paying half their salary in rent).
- HK has a “flat” income tax rate of 16%, though with credits for low/regular income, very few people (1% of population) only pay that maximum rate.
