by Jade Li

Created on: July 17, 2010   Last Updated: July 30, 2010

Hong Kong is often compared to that of a woman; ever changing without losing her identity, illogical but scientific at the same time. A woman who is exotic but familiar; sexy but classy; a woman who could bet thousands in a single roll of the dice but someone who still knows the odds. Both a contradiction and a mystery, Hong Kong is a woman you can fall in love with on first sight.

Hong Kong is a land full of surprises; commonly thought to be an urban jungle, Hong Kong is surprisingly an oasis of green hills, mountains and flowering parks and gardens. This makes Hong Kong the perfect destination for hiking.

Transportation:

The 1103 sq km that’s makes up Hong Kong is divided into four main areas – Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the Outlying Islands and the New Territories.

Hong Kong Island is the heart of the region but only makes up 7% of the land mass. Kowloon is the densely populated peninsular to the north. The New Territories makes up 88% of the land area and the Outlying Islands consists of 234 islands, four of which have significant permanent populations.

Hong Kong International Airport is located on Lantau Island and is easily reached by way of the reliable Airport Express railway line. The KCR East rail line has been improved to make connections to Tsium Sha Tui East in Kowloon. The bus services are exceptionally good, with major bus stations found near MTR stations.

Money:

The currency is the Hong Kong Dollar. The rate at the moment is £1 to $11.89, or $1 US dollar to $7.77 HK, although the rate is subject to fluctuation. Banks give the best exchange rates in Hong Kong but the three biggest banks – Hang Seng Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered – do charge an extra $50 for transactions.

International credit cards are usually accepted everywhere but some stores may try to add a surcharge ranging from 2.5% to 7%. Although this is generally prohibited, stores get around this by offering customers a 5% discount if paying for purchases by cash.

Tipping:

Most hotels and restaurants will add on a 10% surcharge to any purchases; however, if you do feel like adding a tip, HK $10 or $20 should be sufficient. Taxis will generally round up to the nearest dollar.

Shopping:

Hong Kong is a shopper’s paradise; with colourful day and night markets as well as modern malls, there is always something that will catch your eye. Shopping times are usually 9am to 6pm, although smaller shops will have earlier and later opening times. Apart from

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