Above: notice posted in every taxi
advising passengers of the standardized charges of taxis. |
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- Don't drink the water
in the harbor! (Water off the tap is
supposed to be ok, but few locals do that. They boil it first.
After all, the quality highly depends on the pipes it passes
through.)
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- Watch
out for how much the taxi-driver charges you.
There are some taxi drivers in sheep's clothing.
They either trick the meter, go the long way, or cover
up the decimal point of the fare on the meter. The safe
thing is to know how much it should cost (the per kilometer
charge and luggage charge are all posted inside), and
also get a receipt from the driver. If they can't give
you a receipt, copy down the licence number and the driver's
name (shown on the dashboard). But then just a small percentage
of the taxi-drivers are wolves.
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Above: taxis at Tsim
Sha Tsui Star
Ferry |
|
- Stairs in Hong
Kong could be hazardous. Most of them have steps
not as high as those found in North America. So don't let your
mind go into neutral when going down or even up the stairs.
I am serious!
- Don't get
picked by pickpockets -
always keep an eye on your belongings. They even work in teams,
sometimes even involving a vehicle to suddenly stop in front
of you while someone else does the lifting! I have also known
an unsuspecting tourist shopping in a store who set his backpack
down to try on some jeans and afterwards his wallet was missing!
Remember: their hands are faster than your eyes!
- Don't buy
electronic products without marked prices: (This
is probably the biggest tourist trap here that many have fallen
prey.) Many of the shops on Nathan Road in
Kowloon selling electronic products don't display the prices
on the items. Many tourists have been scammed or cheated. One
ploy is to give you an unbelievably good price, then after they
have your money, they say they are out of stock, offering you
another item but at an outrageous price. Some tourists have
said that even calling the police did not help.
- Watch out
when doing anything with a rickshaw: even taking
a picture in, with, at, or even OF a rickshaw will cost you
money! So settle on the price with the driver BEFORE you click
that camera! There is no fixed price on the ride or a picture,
but it is said that a picture costs HK$10 to $HK20 (US$1.25
- US$2.50).
- Look both ways
before crossing a street: if
you are from a country where the traffic goes on the right side,
you will want to pay special attention to this since in Hong
Kong when it comes to traffic, left is right and right is wrong!
Besides, pedestrians don't necessarily have the right of way
- at least many drivers think that.
- Take along
a pack of tissue and a windbreaker:
a lot of indoor places and vehicles can be very cold
with the air conditioning at full blast (even in winter), so
take along a windbreaker. Except for more expensive ones, many
restaurants don't provide napkins. Have a pack of tissue handy.
|
- Getting mistaken
for "I.I."s - I.I. is
short for illegal immigrants. If you look Asian, be sure to
carry your passport with you. It is required by law for everyone
to carry either one's Hong Kong ID card or passport. Police
officers routinely stop people on the street to check for ID.
There is no "probable cause" clause that I know of. As long
as you don't look right, you could be stopped and checked.
- Avoid buying
cooked food from hawkers pushing a little cart.
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| water | food | taxi
driver | pictpocket | rickshaw
| I.I. | electronics |
street crossing | stairs
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