Ordinary Gweilo
It's not big and it's not clever, it's just a Brit in Hong Kong writiing (mainly) about Hong Kong
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Category: Life in Hong Kong
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Has Hemlock had been drafted in by Selina Chow to write her speeches? The legislator and chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board complained that a proposed new bus terminal “looks like a wet market”. Would that be like the wet market in Wan Chai that some people want to preserve? Presumably not… It does…
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The MTRC is pressing the government to support the planned West and South Island lines. They are asking the government to grant them property development rights at one of the planned stations, which will provide some of the cash they need, but they also want HK$6bn from the government. The MTRC is a strange organization…
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A small piece of advice for anyone who calls me up trying to sell me something over the phone. Gweilo names are not the same as Chinese names and it certainly gets things off to a bad start when you don’t understand that. This is particularly bad coming from a bank that has been dealing…
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Our new friend Fat Phil from Expat@Large seems surprised that he has come across the same taxi driver for a second time in 6 years when there are so many taxis here. Yes there are, but the drivers tend to stick to particular areas so it’s not that unlikely, especially over that period of time.…
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The Harbour Fest controversy rumbles on. Yesterday Simon, Phil, Conrad and Giles all had a go at this following the publication of an official report on the subject, and now here I am, late as usual! My view is that there was no need for Harbour Fest, the government should never have got involved, and…
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The government has announced plans for a new bridge linking Cheung Sha Wan to Tsing Yi. This will eventually form part of “Route 8” from Sha Tin to the airport, the first section of which is already under construction, and the last part of which (Tsing Ma bridge to the airport) has been open for…
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There’s a good piece in today’s Standard about the perils of being a pedestrian in Hong Kong: Poor urban planning has turned “world class” Hong Kong into a “pedestrian-hostile city”, which last year led to the deaths of 202 people, says a Hong Kong University professor. “There are more people on public transport here in…
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Our outdoor pool opened at the weekend, which cheered me up. Most private-sector estates in Hong Kong have pools, but (as I have mentioned previously) they are often only open for a few months in the summer and close at 7 pm. Fortunately, ours is open longer and later, so I can go swimming after…
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This week I have been mainly…discovering parts of the New Territories I never knew existed. I think I have mentioned before that in my time in Hong Kong I have never worked in Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay or any of the other typical gweilo haunts. My current job is in the New Territories, but…
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Like most buildings in Hong Kong, our apartment block has a door entry system that requires you to enter a code number to gain entry. However, there are always people coming and going, so you can normally get in without having to bother entering the number. If not, the security guard will unlock the door…
Ordinary Gweilo 