Tramtastic

I think one of the most impressive things about Hong Kong is its impeccable transportation system. Not only does it include the ultra modern metro network (MTR) but also buses, minibuses, ferries, taxis and trams. It adequately copes with the vast number of people living in the city, rush hour is obviously busy and on trams it can get very cramped but it is not as bad as Tokyo or London.

One of my favourite ways of getting around is the tram not only because it is a fascinating reminder of British rule (as the British completed the first Hong Kong tramway in 1904) but it is also a great way to see the city, despite its tediously slow speed. It's also very easy to just hop on and off without too much hassle and its the equivalent of 27 pence for any journey.

Hong Kong is dominated by steep terrain and quite often walking is very tiring, however when public transport is not available walking is a necessity. This is not always a problem because there are many escalators to take you up to the mid-levels of the city so you don't need to walk up the hills. This is a prime example of how all forms of transportation are incredibly efficient in Hong Kong, it helps to keep this huge city running like clockwork.

Language Barrier

One of the most surprising things about Hong Kong is the difficulty with language. The main language is Cantonese which is a separate language to Mandarin and is only spoken in the southern provinces. However since Hong Kong is a former British colony I went with expectations that almost every person would speak English, however this is most definitely not the case. While a lot of people do speak English it is very basic and very hard to understand because of pronunciations. I have found myself talking to Taxi drivers in a form of basic English with a Chinese accent because its the only way they understand you. I think one of the main reasons so many people don't speak English isn't necessarily because they don't want to but because they find it too difficult to pronounce.

I think quite often when asking for directions, some people can easily speak English but they choose not to out of pure stubbornness and I guess it's somewhat understandable because everyone is in a rush in Hong Kong all the time and they don't have time to help westerners.

However English is very popular with young people in Hong Kong with the influence of  western music and celebrities. As Hong Kong tries to distance itself from China and become more like the west I can see English becoming much more widely used.

Integrating Through Sport

The national sport of Hong Kong is basketball, the people of Hong Kong absolutely love it. On almost every estate you will be find at least two courts, on most streets you will find a shop that sells basketballs and on most streets you will find someone bouncing a basketball.

Personally I have never really been in to basketball, but I have found myself playing most days not only as a way of keeping fit and having fun but also mixing with the community. The Hong Kong-ese are always welcome to westerners joining a game and at that point when I am playing I don't feel like an outsider, it's incredible how sport can unite people who don't even speak the same language.

The park where we play with Kowloon in the background

Mong Kok: Nowhere more dense

I read that Mong Kok in Kowloon (North Hong Kong) is the most dense place on the planet (per square mile). It has a population density of 340,000 people per square mile. I wanted to go and see if this was noticeable or whether it would be like the rest of Hong Kong. And it was pretty obvious from the moment I stepped out of Mong Kok MTR station that this was the most dense place in the world. The street was swarming with people and the noise of shouting and construction and traffic all combined was deafening.

A wall of people in the distance.

Mong kok is also famous for its markets, the two main markets are known as 'Men's Market' and 'Lady's Market' although they both sell similar items. I enjoyed wandering around and not buying any of the fake rolex's or Dr Dre Beats but seeing how much I could knock off the original price through bartering, it was very easy and I could have bought some items for 80% less than the starting price. It was interesting that when I said that I wasn't a tourist and that I was living in Hong Kong they immediately slashed the price.

Disease Prevention

As I have already mentioned, Hong Kong is one of the most dense places on Earth. And this for obvious reasons means that germs spread easily. Whether you are standing on the MTR in rush hour or eating lunch in McDonalds you are always surrounded by people and consequently germs. I make sure to carry hand sanitizer around with me but this has not prevented me from picking up a few colds. However in order to reduce the spread of germs in Hong Kong the government encourages people to wear face masks. Now these face masks (as shown in the picture below) are worn by people who have germs and don't want to spread them to others. Before I visited Hong Kong I thought that people wore them so that they wouldn't catch germs from others, in fact its a very selfless act that ensures the spread of diseases and germs is kept to a minimum.

Traditionally in China it is very common for people to spit, many chinese people still spit today. Spitting is not confined to toilets or bins but also in restaurants and on the street. However in Hong Kong they are very keen to reduce the spread of diseases and spitting is a way of spreading diseases. There is a fine imposed on anyone caught spitting. This is also an example of how Hong Kong tries to distance itself from china, to a certain extent, and act more Western.