What is the weather like in Hong Kong in the month of January. Also what are the tourist spots in Hong Kong , along with the shopping centres. Thank you

-- feroza g. mehta (gfkk@otponline.net), November 08, 2001

Answers

The weather in Hong Kong is cool in January, but never really cold. Bring a warm jacket or jumper. It isn't usually very wet and if it rains you can buy an umbrella cheaply in any shopping centre.

There are enough tourist spots for a stay of two or three days. The first place to go is to one of the tourist information offices: there's one near the Star Ferry terminal on both the Hong Kong and Kowloon sides of the harbour. There you'll get a free street map and plenty of leaflets detailing current attractions, including musical and theatrical performances at the Culture Centre, City Hall, Arts Centre and other venues. Check out the Peak, which you can reach by tramway or by bus--good vantage point, plenty of shopping and eateries, even a mini-Madame Tussaud's. Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise: try the night market on the Kowloon side for cheapies from China, or Pacific Place (Admiralty MTR station) on the Hong Kong side, for jewellery try the gold shops in Causeway Bay (don't forget to bargain hard!), then have a look at Times Square, a massive shopping centre nearby where you can do more buying and eating. For travelling around, buy an Octopus card, which you can use on the MTR (subway or underground railway), the buses and the ferries. There is an old tram service along the north edge of Hong Kong Island. It's crowded but dirt cheap (unless you want to shell out a large sum on a tourist tram jaunt). Taxis are convenient and cheap: flagfall starts at 15 Hong Kong dollars (US$2) and a typical journey within a radius of a couple of miles will cost between 20 and 40 Hong Kong dollars. Walking is usually not much fun in town because of the heat and the pollution, but in January it is more bearable than the rest of the year. If you have the time and inclination to go walking in the country, remember that 40% of the land area of Hong Kong is actually designated as country parks, so there are many good trails. Before going on these, go to the government bookshop at street level just outside Pacific Place and buy the official country park maps, which are superb, giving masses of detail and lots of useful advice on transport, footwear and other things. If you have time, you may also wish to check out boat cruises and even a side trip to Macau...Enjoy!

-- Ken Davies (kendavies@yahoo.com), November 13, 2001.