Ill be having a tour in HK soon, what will i expect there?

its my first time to travel abroad. and my first destination is Hong Kong. ill be off on friday, and today is monday. im going to stay there for 3days and 2nights. since im not satisfied for infos i got from the internet, got to ask anyone of you, resident/currently in HK, the conditions of the country right now- for me to know what to prepare.


a. weather?


b. A(H1N1)? is it safe to roam around?


c. people? do i have at least to know some mandarin greetings?





these are all the questions that keep bugging me.c=


tnx!Ill be having a tour in HK soon, what will i expect there?
1. hot a bit shower... temp. like 25-30 daily. thurderstorm 3rd, 4th. then turns brighter during coming w.end.





2. not serious H1N1. although some cases found... but no danger at all. people even didn't wear masks on the street. compared w/ USA %26amp; Japan.... our cases r far more behind.





3. no mandarin speaking here....we speak cantonese actually n most of the people in shopping area knew Eng. no worry u!Ill be having a tour in HK soon, what will i expect there?
1. Hot and Humid, or Raining


2. perfectly safe.


3. Most know English(to a degree), and if you get a phrase book its a Cantonese one you want, if you start speaking mandarin they will probably look at you funny.
A. Often this time of year it will be very humid and possibly rainy. It might take a while to get acclimated to it if you aren't already. If you plan on going in the harbor water can get pretty choppy sometimes.





B. I wouldn't worry about that too much. Most asian countries screen visitors with infrared scanners upon entry to the country to minimize risk. Anywhere there is population there is risk so I would imagine it isn't much worse than staying home. I was there when SARS was all the rage and never had to fear anything, either you get it or you won't, cant control it much more than that.





C. Many of the locals speak english and I never had any issues with communication when visiting the four times I have been there. There are extremely nice parts of town (times square) and poor parts that sell the most amazing things for amazing prices and all are easy to talk to.





Might I suggest visiting the New Territories if you have some time to get out of the city, great way to see some wonderful landscapes and rural culture.
weather is pretty fickle right now. some days it's really hot and humid, up to 33 degrees. Other times, it rains. Be prepared for both.





Swine flu is pretty much in control here. you don't really need to wear a mask unless you're very paranoid. Just keep yourself hydrated and your immune system up. the streets here are as busy as usual.





you'll get by with english. hello is hello. bye bye is bye bye. I've been here for almost a year and still see no pressing need to learn cantonese. If you're eating, just point at the photo. And most restaurants will have an english menu.





here's an article that may help you with commuting around town:


http://www.trifter.com/Asia-%26amp;-Pacific/Ho鈥?/a>





Other places you might want to check out:


http://www.trifter.com/Asia-%26amp;-Pacific/Ho鈥?/a>


http://www.trifter.com/Asia-%26amp;-Pacific/Ho鈥?/a>


http://www.trifter.com/Asia-%26amp;-Pacific/Ho鈥?/a>


http://www.trifter.com/Asia-%26amp;-Pacific/Ho鈥?/a>