Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Most restaurants in Macau don't
open as late as they do in Hong Kong
- although bars do. If you want to eat
later than 10pm, you'll probably end up
either in a hotel (many of which have
24hr coffee bars that also serve snacks) or
in the NAPE (Novos Aterros do Porto
Exterior) bar-restaurant area.
Drinking here is not quite as expensive
as in Hong Kong, but not far off. Most
drinking takes place in the casinos, and
bars can often feel very empty even at
weekends, although some stay open
till dawn.
Hong Kong also offers some amazing
opportunities for outdoor activities , from
hiking and scuba diving to windsurfing
on the tiny island of Cheung Chau. For
those seeking more extreme activities,
the Macau Tower offers the highest
commercial bungee platform in the
world (see p.154).
COMMUNICATIONS
From Hong Kong, airmail takes three
days to a week to reach Europe or North
America; from Macau between five days
and a week.
Local calls from private phones in Hong
Kong are free, public phones are cheap
(HK$1 for 5 minutes) and phonecards
(from HK$10-100) are widely available
(try 7-Eleven). You can make international
calls from International Direct Dialling
(IDD) phones. Hong Kong SIM cards can
be bought for less than HK$50 and local
calls from mobiles are inexpensive.
In Macau, local calls are free from
private phones , MOP$1 from payphones.
Instructions tend to be in both Portuguese
and English.
Internet access , particularly free wi-fi, is
available in most hostels and guesthouses.
Purchase a PCCW account online to
access more than 7000 wi-fi hotspots in
Hong Kong. In Macau, you can access
free wi-fi in touristy areas using the user
name and password “wifigo”; you have to
reconnect after 45-minute sessions.
3
CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
Generally speaking, Hong Kong and
Macau people are not as concerned as
other Asian cultures about covering the
skin - girls often wear skirts as short as
those in the West. However, bathing
topless on any of Hong Kong's beaches is
illegal. To avoid faux pas, point with your
palm rather than your index finger, avoid
wearing white in a social setting as it's the
colour of mourning, and don't feel obliged
to leave a tip (though some restaurants add
10 percent gratuity to the bill). If you're
invited to someone's house, bring a gift
(not a clock or anything in a set of four - a
very unlucky number) and present it with
both hands. If you're given a gift, refuse it
first before accepting, as accepting straight
away makes you look greedy. If out to
dinner with Hong Kongers, don't take the
last bit of food on a serving plate, which is
considered impolite.
CRIME AND SAFETY
You're very unlikely to encounter any
trouble in Hong Kong or Macau. To
avoid pickpockets , keep money and
wallets in hard-to-reach places and be
careful when getting on and off packed
public transport. Men should avoid strip
bars where the Neanderthals at the door
will make sure you fork out for hugely
expensive drinks for the “girls”.
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
Hong Kong residents in particular are
keen sporting spectators. Horse racing ,
inseparable from gambling and therefore
illegal in mainland China, is a popular
pastime, and both Sha Tin and Happy
Valley racecourses have weekly meets
during the season (see p.133). he other
huge sporting draw is the Rugby Sevens ,
which takes place over three days at the
end of March. As the name implies, teams
have seven players instead of fifteen, and
this international tournament has become
a major fixture in Hong Kong's calendar.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
In both Hong Kong and Macau, dial
T 999 for fire, police and ambulance.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search