After living in Macau for 1 year, we thought moving to Hong Kong would be a relatively easy transition. We considered ourselves more familiar with many Chinese customs and practices, knew what it's like to live in a high rise building, and were used to using public transportation. But, we quickly discovered that Hong Kong is very different from Macau. We're learning and adjusting to a more fast paced, overcrowded, expensive way of life in Hong Kong.
First of all, we've had to adapt to a new daily schedule due to Hong Kong's late work hours and long commutes. Kyle's office hours tend to be from 9 am to 6 or 7 pm plus an hour commute both ways. Wanting to continue our tradition of eating dinner as a family, we pushed back our dinner time to 8 pm. It may seem late but we were able to adjust the time of our other meals since homeschooling allows for scheduling flexibility. It's been so nice not to have an early morning school bell schedule.
Public transportation in Hong Kong is an elaborate web of buses, subways, taxis, shuttles, trolleys, ferries, and walking. I'm overwhelmed by the different options to get from one place to another, especially since it's common to use more than 1 option in a single journey. Kyle's mastering the system much faster than I am but he gets to ride them everyday to and from work. On a typical day, the fastest way for him is a long bus ride, hop on a trolley, and then walk a few blocks to work. The return trip includes a trolley or taxi drive to the nearest subway station, a long subway ride, and then a short shuttle bus to our complex.
Although the transportation system can be a bit complex, it does run smoothly and on a timely basis. And, if it's not super crowded, some of the modes can be fun.
The kids' love the double decker buses. The front seat on the top level is the best seat with the great views (even in the rain at night).
The subway is fun, especially when riding with friends; but having them all seated is very unusual. They prefer to stand without holding the rails or grab the rings and swing.
The trolley or tram is the oldest form of public transportation in Hong Kong and is fun to ride for it's old-school feel.
It was great to find out there are 5-seat taxis in Hong Kong. Although it's still a little squishy and we have to double up on seat belts, we can all fit into one taxi (something we could never do in Macau).
Ferries are not my favorite way to travel since I get a little seasick but are a valid option, especially for those living or commuting to and from the different islands that make up Hong Kong.
In Macau, motor scooters are a very popular form of transportation. It's amazing to watch motor scooters drivers squeeze by huge buses on narrow streets, weave in and out of traffic, carry dogs, shopping bags, and other odd shaped objects, and find parking in already full parking areas. In Hong Kong, however, motor scooters are not commonly used except for food deliveries. Even McDonald's delivers here.
Another common practice we're getting used to in Hong Kong is BYOB, bring your own bag. If you don't bring a bag or cart to carry your groceries home in, you have to pay for a plastic bag. The bags are cheap but the stores are stingy. They overstuff the bags to ensure you use the fewest number possible. So, watch out for smashed breads, fruits, and other soft foods.
We believed Hong Kong would have a greater variety of American/Western foods compared to Macau. And, it still might but we're still looking for some of these stores. So far we found one "Costco" type store with bulk items and familiar foods and brands. Kyle and the kids HAD to have the giant jar of Kosher Dill pickles (but eating the pickles for breakfast to me is just WRONG).
Kyle also found a bakery that makes "real" cupcakes that don't have jello chunks or are low sugar. They come in familiar flavors and are delicious. We got some in celebration of Abby's 9th birthday.
Happy Birthday to our beautiful Abby!
Celebrating some of our favorite holidays will be much easier in Hong Kong. Just this month stores started selling Halloween costumes and candy. There's not a lot of Halloween stuff, especially compared to stores in America, but at least we won't get strange looks and laughs when we dress up like we did last year in Macau.
We're still learning and adjusting to life in Hong Kong. We've had some challenges, lots of frustrations, and many, many blessings. We're healthy and well, making friends, enjoying family time together, and trying to make the most of this new adventure.
P.S. - Our new apartment still doesn't have internet service so I haven't been able to blog as often as I'd like. There's so much more to share about our experiences in Hong Kong. We hope to be connected by the end of next week (I'm keeping my fingers crossed) and I promise to blog more frequently.
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