Hong Kong shares the southern border of mainland China and also includes several islands. Until 1997, Hong Kong was under British rule. Although it is now technically part of China, it is has its own currency, legal and political systems, and is largely autonomous.
While it may seem that going between China and Hong Kong would be as simple as going from Kansas to Missouri, it isn't - a passport and visa are required. Also, there are some very fundamental differences a visitor needs to be aware of:
- In China, people drive on the right side of the road.
- In Hong Kong, people drive on the left.
- In China, Mandarin is the dominant language.
- In Hong Kong, Cantonese is the dominent language.
We haven't made a final decision on our flat (we'll live in a high rise), but we plan to live on the south side of Hong Kong Island, near the Stanley area shown on the map. Dave's work is near the Kowloon area. To get to work from Stanley, he'll take a bus, a train, a ferry, and walk. How's that for multi-modal?!
While the geography, transportation, and language will take some getting used to, the sheer number of people in Hong Kong boggles the mind. I did some research and found that Hong Kong has nearly the same land area as Johnson County...but, it has 7 million people! Here's how the population and land area compare to where we currently live and our home towns.
Do you get the sense we'll know we're not in Kansas anymore?!
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