Talk to me about Hong Kong

[false_Aest]

Anyone have insight on HK?

Was invited by a good friend to apply for a teaching position over there. Moving to another megalopolis doesn't exactly get me excited but riding in a completely new country does.

[echelon_john]

i have family who have lived there. hot, crowded, and did i mention hot and crowded? on the plus side, tons to do; very international population, GREAT food scene, and, geographically, a great springboard to travel throughout that region. not sure how riding would be there. would the gig be for a set amt of time, e.g. a 2-year hitch? or indefinite?

[pdmtong]

i cannot imagine doing real riding there...but it would be a fantastic experience as long as you are willing to make the effort to embrace being in another culture and make the time to visit other places throughout asia.

[thegunner]

i assume if you got outside the main city it'd be gorgeous (but yes, hot and humid).

why has no one mentioned the food? :)

[ctcyclistbob]

Hong Kong really is beautiful - surrounding mountains, water, skyline (esp. at night), nice airport, but I have heard that air pollution is a big problem there. I'd live there for a while though.

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/02/23/hong-kong%E2%80%99s-killer-pollution/

[rwsaunders]

Search some YouTube videos about aircraft landings at the airport...pretty wild approach pattern.

[2turtles]

That was at the old airport; the new airport is remote.

[tuxbailey]

Anyone have insight on HK?

Was invited by a good friend to apply for a teaching position over there. Moving to another megalopolis doesn't exactly get me excited but riding in a completely new country does.

Do you frequent bikeforums? Johnny_HK there does a lot of riding there and is familiar with the local scene. So if visit that forum you might want to shoot him a message.

[EFHeath]

I've lived in HK for 14 years.

It is culturally diverse, one of the great food cities of the world, ( e.g., the real breadth and depth of Chinese cuisine is amazing, and bears no resemblance to standard American-Chinese food); there are lots of other cuisines represented as well; Italian of course, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, German, French, Egyptian, Turkish, American, tex-mex, etc.

If I can put in a plug for my own group, the Hong Kong Philharmonic is going from strength to strength, and with new music director Jaap van Zweden, we'll do some great concerts in this and coming seasons (concerts every Friday and Saturday night in the HK Cultural Centre or City Hall Central).

We get quite a few major European and American groups in on tour, especially during the HK Arts Festival, including orchestras, chamber groups, pop and jazz musicians, dance/ballet and opera companies, etc. The government is building a (quite controversial) giant new "arts hub", with something like five new halls and theatres, exhibition spaces, etc. Of course, they don't seem particularly interested in what musicians and artists have to say about how a concert hall should be designed... that's life.

The city itself is dirty and crowded; like NYC or London, you could say that equates to good people-watching. Depending on your age, there's a lively clubbing/partying scene.

Real estate is expensive, like NYC or London, sort of. Most people live in small apartments. If you can get a contract with a large housing allowance included, you will be very lucky. Bike storage: if you leave a good bike outside under your building, it will corrode and/or get stolen, despite the almost non-existent level of violent crime. Ours hang on the wall in our dining "area", partially hidden behind a china cabinet thingy. This sort of compromise raises no eyebrows in normal-people circles. The rich might find it unacceptable.

There is no sales tax. Importing things is easy and there is no duty or tax on things like bike parts. Income tax is about 15-17%, less if you have kids; you get deductions. There is no capital gains tax. The government gets its money from property tax and land "sales" (99-year leases).

The public health system is really quite good. The schools are better than most American schools. There is a very heavy emphasis on academics.

The airport express train is great. Quiet and fast. Good views of the sea and the mountains.

Much of the territory is unbuildable due to steep crumbly mountains, so a lot of the land area is designated country parks area, with hiking trails. The hiking is a major pastime for many, with numerous trails to challenge all levels, and some really gorgeous scenery. There are some designated MTB trails, but not a lot. The Govt. is really behind on this. See <http://hkmba.org/> .

Road biking:

The HK Cycling Association runs a race series which you can read about here: <http://www.cycling.org.hk/EngCalendar> , which includes our local pro race, the Tour of South China Seas.

Here's a thing about the new velodrome: <http://www.p-t-group.com/project_detail.php?s=y&id=147&lang=en> Should be done soon.

On Hong Kong Island, I think people go out to climb up to the Peak early in the morning on the weekends when there isn't too much traffic. You could also ride around the coastal road to the south side of the island, or over the top and down. If you really like climbing. I think there are some group rides.

In Kowloon, some do it, and there are group rides, but I wouldn't, personally.

Out in the New Territories, (north of the mountain ridge that separates Kowloon from Sha Tin, etc., see google maps), there is a bike path connecting Tai Wai with Dai Mei Duk; with all the typical annoyances of bike paths, but I used to ride it often when I lived in Sha Tin. By the time you get to Daimeiduk and Plover Cove Dam, the traffic thins out and you can ride on the road through Bride's Pool Country Park, which is quite beautiful, and hilly.

There is supposed to be a bike trail going all the way across the New Territories, but I don't know how that project is going. It would be a bollard-and-tricycle-dodging course, anyway.

I live on Lantau Island now, in a semi-car-free-ish environment called Discovery Bay, with good fast ferry service to Central, and a short bus ride from the airport (the new one, which is very nice). Lots of expats live here to get a slightly more open, greener living area. Flats are also quite a bit cheaper than in Hong Kong [island] and Kowloon.

My local neighborhood ride is very hill-oriented, and takes me about [time redacted due to embarrassment] to ride depending on the temperature. It's not a lot of road, I'm just slow. The main climb, up a valley to the Discovery Bay Golf Club ,is about 2 kilometers long and climbs from basically sea level to about 213 meters/700 feet.

When I feel up to it I go down to Mui Wo, (a short ferry ride away), and ride down South Lantau Road, with has some (for me) vicious hills. You can ride all the way down to Tai O on the southern tip of Lantau Island, which on the return, in hot weather, FOR ME, turns into a bit of a death march. For real, fit cyclists it's just a good hilly training ride, I suppose. You can also ride up the hill to the "Big Buddha", 439 meters elevation, (the "worlds-largest-outdoor-seated-buddha-statue"TM); just don't eat in the monastery veggie restaurant; high probability of food poisoning! You can also ride over the mountain to the west side of the island, to Tung Chung, near the airport. That's a pretty big hill, 315 meters. I always see a few guys with road bikes in the plaza over there. From there you can ride along a long, flat road next to the airport highway, up to Sunny Bay and the entrance to HK Disney. (I'm giving you these names in case you want to look anything up on google maps or whatever). If you live in DiscoBay, you can take the bus through the tunnel to the west side of the island, and ride along that flat road. It's quite popular with triathletes and roadies, as well as with the many HK people who don't have room for a regular bike and ride folders.

Lot of people ride out in Clear Water Bay and Sai Kung, in the east of Hong Kong. It's similar quasi-country road riding; "country" by the HK definition of that word.

I would love to make my own frames, and had some coaching in filet brazing, tube mitering, and so on from Don Walker, but the real estate issue has so far made it impossible.

Any other questions, I'd be happy to answer.

Ethan

[false_Aest]

whoa thanks dude.

that answered a lot of questions.

cheers

[verticaldoug]

I lived in Japan for 17 years, spent a fair amount of time in HK too. You shouldn't underestimate the trail running options in HK. The steep hillsides, make for many great trails all over the islands. We are talking up/down with views.

I'd bet EFHeath has friends who have participated in the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km charity. It is fun.

Once you are settled in HK, you are also a hop, skip and a jump to Thailand, India, Indonesia, Taiwan etc. Ever want to trek in the Himalayas? So many really interesting places to go which are really long hauls from the U.S.

The summer heat,pollution, and humidity are oppressive but you learn to cope. I'd live there again in a heart beat.

[EFHeath]

Yeah, one of my friends did Trailwalker last year, and I have other work colleagues who have done it in previous years. It's usually won by the People's Liberation Army team, ("PLA HK Garrison Team 1", for example), in 12 hours, 22 minutes, and 39 seconds, or something. Most of the teams who complete the course, (many do not), are in the high 20-40 hour range, and several of the teams took 47 hours-plus last year!

My friend messed up her feet so badly she could barely walk for a week, even though she had been training hard for quite some time.

It's a very popular event.

[oldpotatoe]

Anyone have insight on HK?

Was invited by a good friend to apply for a teaching position over there. Moving to another megalopolis doesn't exactly get me excited but riding in a completely new country does.

Went their often when based onboard USS Midway, homeported in Japan. Fascinating city(along with Kowloon) to visit, visited about a dozen times. BUT very crowded, expensive. Not gonna ride much altho I hear it is possible.