Hong Kong
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
China Visa info for USA PASSPORT HOLDERS
this is my latest experience with getting a chinese visa in Hong Kong. it only pertains to USA passports. i just received a 60 day L visa single entry from the China consulate in Wanchai. it costs 390 HK for 2nd day pick up. this is what i learned for all you in the same boat as me... its a bit confussing, but here goes...
Americans can only get a L visa good for 30 days. THERE ARE NO LONGER DURATION VISAS. OR you can get a "double entry" L which means you have 30 days then must EXIT the mainland and can re-enter for another 30 days on the original visa. (total time in country, 30 days + 30 days) . also you can get a one month L in HK, and then have it renewed on the mainland 2 times. (total duration in country, 90 days). thats it. no more renewals. OR you can change your L status to an F status in HK, but these F visas are also good for only 30 days.
The F (business) visa : in HK they will only RENEW what you already have. for example, if you have a 6 month F, you can renew for another 6 months. if you have a 1 month F, you can renew for one more month. after you have renewed your 1 month F, 2 times, you can apply for a 6 month F. (which means you must be in china 3 months with an F visa, and then apply for the 6 month) this does not apply to L visa. you can renew a one month L, two times, and then thats it.
Travel agents in HK (shoestring, CTS) seem to be the most expensive. they are charging between 890-1190HK for next day return of a 30 day visa. very expensive in my opinion. i paid 390HK and waited 2 days, or you can pay and additional 150HK for same day. now, heres the funny part. all the above info i learned from the travel agents, BUT when i went to the immigration to take care of it myself, i put a loooong list of destinations in china to visit, and then put 60 days for "duration of visa". the girl told me i could in fact get a 60 day visa !, but only SINGLE entry. if i iwanted DOUBLE entry, then the above rules applied. again, this was for an L visa.
hope this helps good luck.
oak_willis, Thorn Tree, April 2005
I got a China visa with two visits, but after visits to Shenzhen and Zhuhai, I had used up my visas and wanted to go back to Shenzhen for an afternoon. I tried on the spot visa, no drama. In and out and HK$100 I was over the border.
Anthony Wreford, Australia (Feb 02)
People going to Macau need to take their passport with them otherwise they will not be able to travel to the island. I saw several disappointed travellers having to return to their hotels in order to collect passports before attempting to travel their again.
Katherine Moy, UK (Mar 02)
My friend and I were not allowed to cross the border between Hong Kong and Shenzen without the special ' Shenzen Visa' which costs HK$100 and is valid for 24 hours. It seems the visa-free stay of up to 72 hours is no longer permitted.
Christina GrĂ¼bel and Harriet Grabow (Apr 01)
Airport tax from Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong has just gone up to $80. Cambodian visas can now be got from the 6 floor,Star House,Tsim Sha Tsui, it costs $250, takes a day and is good for a month. Vietnamese visas can be got from Great Smart Tower,Wanchai road, Wanchai, it also costs $250, takes 4 working days and no need to specify point of entry. Chinese visas are actually cheaper to get from a travel agent than the visa office now. It takes a day for a 6 month multiple entry China visa, you need to have 2 previous entries(a day in Macau and a day in Shenzhen is enough).
Fiona Thorpe, Hong Kong (Mar 01)
Travel Tips
One way to get a cheap and decent meal in a Chinese restaurant is to go after 2pm. Usually most of the restaurants in Hong Kong after 2pm will offer you a special price for the dim sums which are normally from HK$6-8 per dish. The chain restaurant Maxim's Restaurant charges HK$9.80 with good quality, prices originally from HK$12-32 before 2pm. Noodles and rice will also be discounted after the rush lunch hour. But this rule only applies from Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays, only the restaurants in the commercial district when all the offices are closed like Central, Sheung Wan, and sometimes in Tsim Sha Tsui East will have this discount.
E Chow, Hong Kong (July 02)
Hong Kong Museum of History: The museum has moved to a beautiful new building next to the Science Museum on Chatham Road South. Entry is approximately HK$10.00, but is free on Wednesdays. However, this makes Wednesday's popular for school trips so it is very crowded.
The museum is built on three levels and takes a whole day to go around. It is a fantastic museum and well worth taking your time to visit all the exhibits. There is a refreshment area on the middle floor, furnished with tables & chairs, but the only food available is snacks (crisps & chocolate bars) and drinks from self service vending machines. Since once in the museum, there is no re-entry, it is best to take a packed lunch.
Alison Boutland, UK (Jan 02)
There are courtesy phones for local calls at the airport, just outside of the exits to the arrivals areas (near the ticket machines for the airport express).
Karen Ha, Australia (Oct 01)
Unless you have an account with them, Dao heng Bank in Hong Kong now charges HK$50 commission per transaction, including cash transactions.
Jon Fyne and Charlotte Thomas, Japan (Apr 01)
When you arrive at the airport, the little carts to haul luggage are free of charge to use. Also, there is a telephone at D desk in the terminal that allows you to make local calls free of charge.
Suzanne Prymek, USA (Apr 01)
In Hong Kong the 'octopus' card can now be used on buses, island ferries, and even the cross harbour star ferry. This is good as you need exact change normally and this avoids that hassle.
The public toilets at Ferry Terminals are being replaced with chemical portable toilets - with seats. At this time it has already occured at TST and Central. This has occured due to an outcry after it was revealed the toilets were running into the harbour untreated.
Tim Windever (Feb 01)
There is no need for a strong bladder as I found there were no scarcity of public toilets: at the ferry teminals, inside museums, in most shopping centres, even at regular intervals along walking trails on the outlying islands.
If you have American Express travellers cheques you can cash them commission free at any American Express Office.
Katherine Bradbury, UK (Jan 01)
Moving About
Hong Kong has three kinds of metered taxi, RED (or called Urban Taxi), GREEN (called NT Taxi) and BLUE (Lantau Island Taxi). No BLUE or GREEEN Taxi can access places on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, except hospitals. You can access everywhere in Hong Kong by taking the RED Taxi and of course RED Taxi fares are of little bit higher than that of BLUE and GREEN Taxi.
Cathy Chung, Hong Kong (August 02)
Travelling to or from Hong Kong airport to Hong Kong Central, rather than buying HK$100 train ticket. Get a Taxi between Tung Chung (underground) station and the airport and buy a HK$23 ticket to Hong Kong Central. Taxi about HK$20 - $30. Obviously if there is a couple of you this really saves money.We only did it from the city to the airport but I can't see why it wouldn't work the other way round.
Ben Brock, UK (Apr 02)
If you take the Turbojet Ferry from Hong Kong to Macau, or the other way around, you can save yourself an easy HK$50 per person. All you have to do is to take the ferry from and to the Kowloon ferry terminal, instead of Hong Kong ferry terminal. Even if you have to be on Hong Kong Island, just take the Star Ferry, which will cost you about HK$2-3. Still saves you HK$47.
Robert and Medy Rillema, Netherlands (Mar 02)
If you are taking the A41 bus from the airport to Shatin, the fare is $20 HK dollars per person. The bus driver will not give change, so you need the correct amount before boarding. Also note that most buses, trains and subways have information coming out on electronic boards about the next stop. It will usually appear in Chinese characters first, and then be repeated in English. This was really helpful.
The public transportation is good. It was nice that you bought one 'Octopus' card and that it was good for using the buses, trains and subways. You must start off with $150 HK on your card, and then once you get below a certain amount when the card is scanned it will let you know that you need to add more money to your account. An 'Octopus' card for a child was $50 HK. You will need to add money to it the next day or so, because using it from the airport the first time took most of the balance out, and we had trouble figuring out that it had a negative balance.
Suzanne Prymek, USA (Apr 01)
The high-speed ferry from Hong Kong island to Macau no longer operates - all services are the Jet Foil/Turbo Cat type costing HK$130 one way. However, a virtually identical service (Jet/Turbo) is available at the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon, costing $85 one way to Macau and $75 from Macau to Kowloon.
Jon Fyne and Charlotte Thomas, Japan (Apr 01)
Scams & Warnings
I wanted to buy a digital camera, knew the exact model and decided to look for the best price in all the small shops in Hong Kong and Kowloon. The prices were getting smaller and smaller when I finally decided it was time to buy!
After the seller showed me the product in the shop, and let me believe that this was the one I was going to buy, I signed the credit card approval. Then the seller asked another seller to go get a brand new one for me, not the one he just presented to me. So while waiting for the camera to come, the seller is talking about this other digital camera which is "the best one" according to him, far better than the one I just bought and he is even willing to show me the difference. So he takes a picture of me with both cameras, we carefully checked that he selected the same resolution and every parameter that might influence the test first, we transfer the two pictures to a laptop computer and the fact is the other camera has a much better picture quality... Well, I'm impressed and don't know what to do, but the other is more expensive and I don't want to change my choice, so I'm still waiting for my camera to come. For almost an hour I was seated in the shop, talking with the seller, waiting for my camera! The seller is still trying to sell me the other one, lowering the price to end up as the same price as the one I just bought plus a memory card! At this moment I feel trapped, obviously my camera will never come, I signed the credit card approval, the camera he is trying to sell me seems to have great results and he is giving it to me for a good price. Tired I accept his offer and leave with the other digital camera.
But I need to know what is the real price of this camera that you cannot find in the regular electronic shops in Hong Kong (which is weird). After a quick look on the internet I realize I have been ripped off, the price of this camera is much lower than what I paid. The story ends with me and the cops in this shop (located in Kowloon) canceling the sell and destroying the credit card approval.
Raphael Bousquet, France (Feb 03)
Be careful when buying electrial goods - Hong Kong is a mecca for cameras, camcorders, DVD's etc - bargins can be had but be perpared to bargin hard. There is one scam that many of the shops operate - you go in and point to a camera you are interested in, the shop assistant will then take that camera on display and ask you to sit down while he explains the working of it - he will charm you with pleasant comments about your country and your stay in Hong Kong and offer you ciggarettes and coffee etc to gain your confidence - here comes the crunch, you will then decided on a price for the camera - you will think you have a really bargin - only to find he will then pass over the exact camera you have been talking about - what I mean by that is no instructions or other acceessories (such as plugs, computer attachments, cases, boxes etc, ) will be included ofthen your product will be useless without these, it will just be the camera that has been displayed in the window - often they would have already taken your money by then - and by all accounts this is legal! The way to get round this is ask to see the fully boxed camera with all the accesories, get the assistant to show it to you fully working - when you decide to purchase it put your hand on the box and ask them to write out a receipt, only then hand over the money in cash, pick up the box and walk straight out of the shop.
James Prichard, UK (Mar 02)
Po Lin Monastery in Lantau- we were forwarned by another traveller about a so-called 'meal ticket' which is offered here. The deal is you buy a ticket which entitles you to admission to certain places and a meal in a restaurant nearby. In reality, there is no admission charge to any of the places anyway, so you end up paying double the price for the food.
Lamma - a word of caution for those planning to ascend Mount Stenhouse from Sok Kwu Wan. It would appear that the locals are very intent on guarding their privacy, by a variety of means. On one path, clearly marked on the map as leaading to Mount Stenhouse, our wau forward was blocked by a sign saying 'Private, No Way', behind which stood some locals who had come out of their houses, one with a rather grisly and aggressive looking dog.
On another path, which also passed some houses, a woman cam out to tell us that there was 'no way', though again the path was clearly marked on the map. Probably, the easiest solution is to take the path market Tung O and Yung Shue Ha (which is the first path you caome to from the ferry terminal).
Jon Fyne and Charlotte Thomas, Japan (Apr 01)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Don't miss a stroll around the top of the peak at night (Lugard and Harlech Rds). The tram station is overcrowded at night and there are far too many lights to get good pictures. Go up to the peak with the tram at 4.30pm, you will have time enough to look around. Then walk to the right side as you come out of the station and choose the left way (just follow the signs). It's a very nice walk through tropical vegetation (and it's not as sultry as down in the city) with very nice views. You will reach the side with the nicest views at dusk, so wait 15 Minutes and you will see the whole town at night. Even at this time you will find that there are enough people around there to make you feel safe (it seems that some stockbrokers use the way to get rid of their aggression by jogging around like Rambo). Be prepared to wait a longer time to get down to the city by tram again: you will not be alone at the tram-station.
Gernot Roth, Germany (Dec 02)
If you are looking for a good beach for swimming, combine it with a day trip to Lamma Island. Use an octopus card for the ferry ride. There is a good beach near Yung Shue Wan that has a lifeguard on duty and a shark net. There are concessions nearby as well.
Seafood restaurants are in both of the island's main villages. Most of them have saltwater tanks with live sea life that you can choose which one you want on your plate. The prices for a full meal are fairly inexpensive compared to Hong Kong Island. I recommend eating at least one meal here.
Steven Wagner, USA (Oct 02)
We highly recommend going to a morning tai chi class. The Hong Kong Tourism Board provide an excellent free class outside the Cultural Centre at Tsim Sha Tsui (next to the Star Ferry pier) on Mon, Wed, Thur and Fri mornings from 8am (goes for about an hour). The instructors are extremely welcoming and friendly and the class is given in both Cantonese and English. The class is a great cultural experience as well as being a lot of fun.
Melinda & Veronica, Australia (Sept 02)
I think the highlight of our holiday was when we went on an excursion to Lantau Island we had such a great time and we think you should have placed more emphasis on it in your guide! It was just so unbelievably easy to get to, so cheap and the Tiantan Buddha Statue was amazing. We just really wanted to tell of our experience. To get there we just took the MTR to Tung Chung and right outside the MTR station was a bus depot. The bus going to the Po Lin Monastery (the number 23) was clearly labelled and easy to find. The actual bus trip took 30 mins and cost only HK$16 and literally provided us with a great scenic tour of the island in the process! Once at the Po Lin Monastery site we paid HK$38 for both of us to climb up and reach the Buddha but to see all the other sites associated with the Monastery such as the temples, gardens, pagodas and halls etc was free. Well worth the visit and using the MTR made the journey extremely pleasant and left us lots of time for site seeing.
Natasha Stabile & Michael Vonhof, Australia (July 02)
Outlying Islands: This was my third visit to Hong Kong but the first time I had gone to the islands, all I can say is why didn't I go before?! They are so different and so lovely (at least in a Hong Kong sort of way), quite Mediterranean if you ignore the occasional power station. We were so bowled over by Cheung Chau we spent a second day on Lamma, which we loved even more. If you are spending more than a couple of days in Hong Kong you must go to one of the islands, if more than four days I'd suggest you should plan to stay overnight on Lamma.
Ian Mackay, Australia (Jan 02)
There is a wonderful waterfall close to Discovery Bay. It is between the reservoir and Discovery Bay. We were walking on the road when we discovered this kind of river. It is possible to walk on the stones in the river, instead of walking on the road. It is very easy and quite fresh. There are a lot of natural swimming pools where you can swim. One of them is 2 meters deep and under a waterfall. It is a wonderful place.
Cedric, France (Jul 01)
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