• Compare a lot of websites for a good deal when planning your trip. I chose Lastminute.com, but definitely compare!
• If you’re going to live in a village area in the New Territories bring mosquito repellent and don’t be afraid of other small insects / reptilian species
• Get a visitor Octopus card (it’s similar to the Oyster card), you can pay for goods using this card instead of using cash… The same as a UK Connect Bank card, but the Octopus card is so much better!
• Always bargain at a market stall or in shops that don’t indicate the price of the product… if you don’t know how to bargain, ask for the CHEAPEST product they can offer, then talk prices. Always offer the price you want to pay then bargain/negotiate in the middle… I learnt this from my cousins, friends and MummyGeek… never show weakness in bargaining
• Bring tissue with you everywhere as some restaurants and some toilets will not have any… you may also need to learn how to bend down when using the toilet, as lots of Chinese use the old fashion style toilets.
• Mr Stingy said to find free WiFi!!! It’s everywhere, you just have to find it… Public transport areas, PCCW phone booths and 7Elevens offer this
• Chinese people don’t say “thank you” when you open the door for them, so open the door and leave, don’t hold it for the next person, as you’ll be there forever… (one of my cousins pointed this out to us)
• You can’t eat on public transport (but you can drink), so resist even if you have a tasty chocolate bar or crisps in your bag, save it when you get off
• Always have change (coins or smaller notes)… some shops won’t have change unless you’re in a supermarket
• Download the CityBus app from Android or Apple as it’s impossible to predict when the bus will come. Each bus, train, metro and journey have different prices – there is no one fixed price!
• Bring a shopping bag with you as it costs HK$0.50 Cents (about £0.03 or £0.04 pence) for a plastic bag
• Spending money: bring about £600-£700 for 2 weeks. I didn’t spend as much, but it just depends on how you travel about and what you find to eat…
• Be aware of pickpockets and scammers… Don’t get pulled in by people looking to do business with you
• Learn some Cantonese… Mandarin is not widely spoken in Hong Kong yet so some Hong Kongers might be offended OR speak in English, as there are loads of youngsters that speak English too

Address: G/F, Shop 4, Pui Kam House, Nos.106-112 Kwong Fuk Road, Tai Po, N.T.  大埔廣福道106-112號培錦樓地下4號鋪

We passed this place Snack Castle at the start of this journey. I think my fellow snack bloggers will LOVE this store. It’s full of Japanese and foreign snacks. Everything looked so tasty, but I only selected a few things which will be posted at a later time (possibly next year)!

So instead of dinner, I had dessert at Shalom 嚐樂. I’ve been passing this store nearly everyday, and I was dying to try it out!!