Adrienne

well, i asked a question before re hotels, etc. in hong and got lots of wonderful replies so here i am again. my friend and i (females) are leaving on june 7 from washington dc to go to hong kong and returning on june 15. can you tell me <BR> <BR>1) it will be the dead of summer with high humidity so what is the best to take in terms of clothes and when dining out in dresses is the temperature so artic in the restaurants that we will need a jacket or shawl and in wearing sandals with no hose will our feet freeze? <BR> <BR>2) should we get a money converter to help with the understanding of prices in hk? <BR> <BR>3) where is the best place to sit on the plane? we will be changing planes in san francisco? <BR> <BR>4) any tips on dealing with the time change (there is a 13 hour difference between hk and dc and we will be arriving hk at 7:20 pm on june 8) <BR> <BR>5) we finally decided to stay at the great eagle hotel and we are pleased with the location and what we see of it on the net. <BR> <BR>6) all tips and suggestions to make our trip more pleasant and fun are greatly appreciated. <BR> <BR>thank you

Michael

1) Summer in DC isn't much different, than HK.. <BR>2)No need. HK Dollars do not fluctuate that much vs the dollar. Use a rough guide of 8 to 1 (its actually about 7.75 to 1)For example - a price of 10 HK dollars is roughly 1.25 US dollars. <BR>3)If You can get the exit row seats or bulkhead seats do so. There is more leg room. <BR>4)Jet Lag is rough crossing the Pacific. Your looking at about 5 hours to SF then a 14-15 hr trip to HK depending on the wind. If you can sleep on the plane fine, if not you will be exhausted when you arrive. <BR>5) Great Eagle Hotel is a great <BR>location Kowloon Side. <BR>6)My best advice; Check in. Drop your luggage upstairs. Change clothes. And first thing..you can walk to the Star Ferry in 5 inutes from the Great Eagle Hotel. Take the Star Ferry to Central or Wanchai and enjoy the view. <BR> <BR>Have fun. Any other question, please ask. <BR> <BR>Michael <BR> <BR>

Michael

Latest news: <BR>HK$ to US$ 7.79 to 1 <BR> <BR>Latest Temperatures: <BR>Low 81 High 88 <BR> <BR>You can keep track of the temps right up to the day you leave. Go to the South China Morning Post which is HK's major English newspaper. <BR> <BR>Here is the link: http://www.scmp.com/news/Front/

tex

Hello, Adrienne, <BR> <BR>Yes, it is HUMID AND MUGGY! I was just thinking today that it felt like a typoon coming our way. But in many restaurants it is cold. So if you or your friend usually feel cold before everyone else, do bring a light jacket. <BR> <BR>As Michael said, go ride the Star Ferry after you drop off your luggage, but take the waterfront route getting to the ferry pier and be awed by the sight looking across the harbor. I took this picture there : http://www.12hk.com/HK_WNCHI.html. <BR> <BR>If you have a full-size carry-on and are travelling with an airline that does zone boarding, try to get seats closer to the back so that you can get on first and be gauranteed some leg room for the long stretch (but stay away from the toilets!). As for getting some sleep on the plane, I don't leave home without an inflatable neck pillow nowadays! (And I put their blanket behind my back to go with the pillow.) <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip! <BR> <BR>www.12hk.com

Dave

I have lived in Hong Kong (89-91) and go there often (just returned 3 wks ago) on business, so.... <BR> <BR>1. During the day, you'll be very warm, except when travelling on MTR (underground) or in taxi. At night, for restaurant, sweater's a must (better to have and not use than the reverse). Not all restaurants are frigid, but some are. <BR> <BR>If you've been out all day in sandals, you'll want to wash up anyway before you eat. HK is a filthy place (my favorite major city, though), which you can't wait to get off your skin. <BR> <BR>NEVER go to your face with your hands before washing them thoroughly. Lots of big bad germs over there! Always carry wet wipes ("Tempo" brand available everywhere) AND the small tissue packets. <BR> <BR>If any of you have any asthma related conditions or are sensitive to sucking bus tailpipes, be sure to have an inhaler (although I can send you to a pharmacy that quite liberally interprets pharmaceutical laws). <BR> <BR>2. HKD$ tied to USD$, so: USD$1 = HKD$8 (close to it). Easiest way to calculate reverse is: HKD$10 = USD$1.30 HKD$100 = USD$13 <BR> <BR>I never purchase traveller's checks, they're a hassle. Just carry cash, protect it sensibly, and use one of the trillion ATM's to take from your own account back home. <BR> <BR>3. If you just blindly take an exit row on a decrepit 747 (United I assume), you might be unhappy with the window seat. On these old things, the exit door at the galley positions (perhaps others) juts out into the airplane about 12". So..whoever has the window spot must stick their legs to the right about a foot. Very miserable. <BR> <BR>However, if you can get an exit row where the door doesn't protrude inside the cabin, it's great. A lot of it is the luck of who's in front or behind you and whether the flight's full or not. Best of luck on that. <BR> <BR>4. I've made this flight perhaps 60 times, so....don't drink alcohol on the plane, carry your own water bottle and use it, sleep as much as you can, stretch your legs on the plane occasionally. <BR> <BR>If you're on United, you'll arrive about 7pm and it'll take almost 90 minutes to get to your hotel, probably. After arriving (know how to get to your hotel from the new airport?) I usually lay on the hotel bed after showering for 30 or 40 minutes just unwinding. Then, get out to the street and walk some. Get something to eat. <BR> <BR>Not sure of your personal preferences, but I pop a Melatonin before I sleep and often will get a massage, at least the first night. You can call them to come right to the hotel usually. <BR> <BR>BTW...time difference during summer is actually 12 hours from DC. They don't need any more sunshine in HK, so don't go to "daylight" time. <BR> <BR>If you want any more (shopping, tipping, touristing, etc.) contact me directly through my e-mail. HK is my "home away from home", so happy to help.