It is not that easy to get a visa for China nowadays in the US. You either have to appear at one of a handful of Chinese consulates IN PERSON or pay hefty handling fees either to an "official" Chinese agency in San Francisco or some other commercial agency. If you appear in person, the wait is at least five days unless, again, you are willing to pay a hefty "expediting" fee.

The process of getting a visa into China seems to be easier in Hong Kong, although I haven't gotten a visa there recently.

There's something else about shopping for Chinese goods that you should know about: the good merchants in Hong Kong carry authentic "name" Chinese merchandise whereas in China itself you take your chances. As an example, I once had to get a particular type of Chinese painting brushes. The only place I could find the genuine article was in Hong Kong, even though I asked for these brushes in cities like Hangzhou and even in museum shops in places like Beijing and Shanghai. I'm not saying that you can't get some wonderful bargains, but just be careful. Depending on what you want to buy, you might be better off just sticking to the shops in Hong Kong.

Topping for 111op.

One more thing. There's one error in my description of the Airport Express/MTR 3-day Tourist Pass. The 3-day MTR ride is for 3 calendar days, and not 72 hours. A calendar day starts at first MTR train (6am) to last (1am).

There is also a $220 AE/MTR 3-Day pass with just one AE ride instead of two. The other content is the same.

And there's also a 1-day MTR pass for HK$50. This one IS for 24 hours, but I don't think it's a particularly good deal.

Thanks. There's so much to read before I leave.

I've not decided whether to use the AE.

How much is a typical MTR ride? Let's say I'm going from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central or something like that (I guess it's priced by distance)?

How much for the star ferry?

The subtype is 300 HKD, but 50 HKD for deposit. Does this mean that you cannot spend more than 250 HKD (well, you can do this once)?

Thanks.

I'll only be in Hong Kong for less than 24 hours, so not sure if the subtype is worth it, or if I should just do my own thing.

111op -

Please read my post on 11/7/05 3:55 about the tourist card. The $300 buys you a combination of things. If you're staying in HK for less than 24 hours, it's not worth it because you will not use $50 of MTR ride, and you may have trouble spending the $20 extra money.

MTR cost depends on distance and whether you're crossing the harbor. For example, one stop from Jordan to Tsimshatsui is ~$3.5; while one stop from Tsimshatsui to Admiralty is ~$9.

Star Ferry is very cheap. About $2.

First thing you should decide to how are you getting from the airport to city and back. Then think about what you're planning to do for those 20-some hours in Hong Kong. I can then tell you which card (if any) to get.

Thanks. As usual, I'm paralyzed by the various options. yk gave me the approximate costs for two people:

Cab = 350 HKD
Bus (A21) about 33 x 2 = 66 HKD
AE r/t (discounted) = 152 (?) HKD per person. Cab fare is another 40 HKD (AE station to hotel).

Is the bus better, do you think (she seems to think so), but I've not checked if it stops near Marco Polo.

I may take the cab (I'll be flying to HK from JFK and I think that I'll be very tired).

My hotel is Marco Polo.

111op - I love the A21 bus, but I won't recommend it for you. The stop is quite far from the Marco Polo if you have luggage.

I'd take the AE, and purchase them online here to get the $152 roundtrip fare. You can take the free shuttle K2 from the Kowloon AE station to the Marco Polo Gateway (which is just a short walk from the Marco Polo HK). But even if you add the taxi fares from AE station to hotel and back, you're still only spending about HK$400 for two people roundtrip.

As for the rest of your trip, since your stay is so short, you may not want to get an Octopus afterall. The problem with the Octopus is that you need to spend HK$150 to start a card. So, two people is HK$300. And it's cash only. If you're only going to take a MTR ride or two and a couple of Star Ferry trips, you will still have like HK$100 left over for each person. When you get your card back, you'll have HK$200 in your hand at the airport. Fine only if you're planning to do some shopping there.

Sounds good to me.

Next question -- obviously I can buy single-ride tickets for the MTR and the ferry? (The Octopus card is not absolutely necessary?)

Thanks again.

111op - Yes, you can get single-ride tickets for MTR. But you need to know where you're going, as the cost for each station is different. If you change your mind mid-trip and want to ride further, you can still add value at a manned counter later on.

Also, seniors over 65 can get lower fares on regular MTRs, buses, ferries, etc. I don't know if your mom qualifies or not. But no discount on the Airport Express.

Thanks. She's > 65. I frequently forget that. I think that she got a discount on the Arlanda Express in Stockholm. That was a good deal (as that train was also expensive).

I guess the savings on MTR are peanuts, but well, you know how I like a nice bargain. :-)

Star Ferry is free for persons over 65 with a HK ID card. But she can still ask. Save you HK$1.7 (lower deck, or $2.2 upper). :D

Wow. That's exciting. That's like what, 0.25 US? :-)

What? A quarter is not enough? ;)

Well, how about this one? Ocean Park. >65 free with HK ID. That's HK$185. :)

Right -- but the little catch is <i>HK ID</i>. :-)

I've never been to Ocean Park. Never taken the Star Ferry either (yk assures me it's the #1 attraction). I hope to find out this time.

If I had the time on my hands, I'd probably drag my mom to Ocean Park to see if she can actually get in for free. But needless to say, with less than 24 hours to spare, my goals are pretty modest for this part of the trip.

Is there like a top 3 for HK? If we can do 2 or 3 things I think that I'd be happy -- I'm supposed to go to a banquet in the evening.

We've been to the Peak.

Thanks again.

Have your been to The Peak, or recently? If not, I think you should still go up there with her (Peak Tram = $20 one-way; $30 roundtrip). And then perhaps going to Stanley? In the evening, go to the markets in Yau Ma Tei and Mongkok.

I don't think you'll have enough time to go to Lantau, unless that's what you really want to do instead of everything else.

Also, the WTO meeting will still be going on on the 17th, so stay away from the Wan Chai area. Star Ferry will not operate between Tsimshatsui and Wan Chai (the regular one to Central is okay).

[Sorry to have hijacked the Octopus card thread this way to ask about HK attractions....]

We went to The Peak in 1998 (our only trip to HK). It's probably the only thing I really still remember. :-)

What's in Stanley? I'll have to look it up.

I think that we went to YMT or MK in 1998. I can't recall which and I don't remember this very well.

Will probably suggest to her the lights show:

http://www.economist.com/cities/brie...amp;city_id=HK

I'll be at a banquet (no idea where exactly) that night.

What's at Lantau? I'll need to look it up. It sounds complicated but I'll remember this for a future trip.

Is there a must-eat list? We went to Yung Kee. I saw your report and the mention of Gau Kee. I'll try to remember it, but I suspect that the only thing that'll be on the list is a nice dim sum lunch somewhere -- maybe at the new Four Seasons.

111op - I'll start a new thread about your Hong Kong inquiry.

ttt