Hints for Travelers

This is a general post that I will update about things that other exchange students/travelers might want to consider.

-Get an octopus card as soon as possible. Everything is done with it. You use it for the mtr, and the buses, and can use it to pay at many restaurants and stores. Also if you are a student you can get a card that allows you to get half off on the MTR. To get one just go to an MTR station. If you lose your octopus report it as soon as you can.

-If you don't have a lot of baggage and you have time there is one way to the airport that is really cheap. A taxi will cost ~300 from campus and taking the Airport Express on the MTR costs 60. For 18 (student price, less than 30 for not). You can take the bus from campus to Mong Kok, where you then take the MTR to Tung Chung, at that point you take the S1 bus the airport. It can also be done in reverse.

-When you want to get back to campus in a cab the say Fo dai. I don't know how to convey the tones but that will probably work. Fo dai is the abbreviation for Fo gay dai hoe (not correct pinyin), which means university of science and technology in cantonese.

-Sim cards are really cheap, sometime you actually get more value than you paid for. For example pay $55 and get $60 worth of minutes.

-If you are tired of chinese food and Mcdonalds being your only options SoHo in central has many options from all cultures

-When packing for getting here/once you get here you may want to buy a mattress pad because the beds aren't very thick, and for sure you will want blanket because it can get cold at night. These can be purchased close to campus at Taste in Hung Hau, or at Ikea in Kowloon Tong.

-if you are at a market everything should be bargained for. Usually it is a safe bet to start at 1/4 to 1/3 of the price they give you to start at. Walking away when you don't want their price usually works well to bring it down because they will come after you.

-Use the lift advisor when trying to find your classes. A lot of the floors don't connect, so while you may think you are on the right floor you really would have to go back to the ground floor and take a different elevator.

-Use zuji.com for flights instead of kayak. Kayak seems to suck for Asia.

-Flying out of Shenzhen might be cheaper than Hong Kong and you can take the MTR there for 30 HKD.

-If you can, get a Charles Schwaub Card before leaving. I am in the process of doing it now. They refund you all ATM fees.

-Avoid exchanging cash for cash, instead withdraw with your ATM card you will get a better rate.

-Don't pay your residence fee in Travelers Checks they only cause problems because they confuse people

-Get a multi-entry chinese visa before leaving. In the US they cost the same as 1 or 2 entry visas. Once in Hong Kong you can get a visa but only double entry. It is much nicer to be able to go in and out whenever.

-If you do the Singapore/Kuala Lumpur trip many exchange student do, I would recommend taking the bus between the cities. It is cheaper and only takes 6 hours. With the time of getting to the airport and going through security and such it ends up being pretty even, especially since the Kuala Lumpur airport is 70 km away from the actual city.

-If you want to go to the Patronas Towers in KL wake up really early because tickets sell out like in the first hour, and people start waiting more than an hour before they go on sale.

-Use sites like ctrip.com and zuji.hk and airasia.com to book flights, kayak isn't cheap for Asia.

-If you are interested in finding nice Hostels in Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, or Phuket, contact me.

-In both Beijing and Shanghai you can't return your metro cards at the airport, so if you want your deposit and remaining value return them elsewhere.

-You can't return your personalized student octopus at the Hong Kong airport (you can others) so make sure you do it before hand.

-If you have to check-in in Terminal 2 of Hong Kong airport, know that there are actually no flights out of that terminal and you have to take one or two train rides to your actual gate, so budget a little extra time.

-For cheap taxi rides at a flat rate, call Dennis Taxi 9739-1363. He speaks english and will get a driver to pick you up almost anywhere and doesn't charge luggage fees.