The last time I chatted with a colleague, I realized that she thought everything in Hong Kong was very expensive. She went to Hong Kong twice and almost didn't play anything. Once she just took a bus to Sheung Shui and came back, but she didn't buy anything. In fact, some aspects of Hong Kong are very cheap.

Among the transportation in Hong Kong, the subway is the most expensive, but two modes of transportation are extremely cheap.

first, the ferry at Star Ferry Terminal. At present, the fare is HKD2.51/ person for adults and HKD1.11/ person for children. You can also use Octopus in Hong Kong. Take the Star Ferry Pier to visit Victoria Harbour, so there is no need to take a cruise in Victoria Harbour (about HKD58.-/ person during the day and HKD118.-/ person at night). Star Ferry, which was put into operation in 1958, is a historical feature specially reserved by the Hong Kong government. Its facilities are relatively simple and basically keep its original style. The ferry connects the two banks, with Wan Chai at one end, Convention and Exhibition Center and Bauhinia Square next to it, and Tsim Sha Tsui at the other end, with the Bell Tower, Avenue of Stars, Harbour City and so on nearby.

Night view of the pier

Sitting on the ferry, you can have a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour. You can't say that you have been to Hong Kong completely without taking the star ferry to enjoy Victoria Harbour.

Secondly, there are trams on Hong Kong Island, with an adult HKD of 2.11/person and a child HKD of 1.11/person. When you get off the bus, you can automatically coin in or swipe the Octopus. Trams make a unique "jingle, jingle" sound when running. This crisp sound has echoed in Hong Kong for more than 111 years, and Hong Kong people call it "jingle car" with this wonderful sound. Trams are one of the best means of transportation for sightseeing in Hong Kong. There are several routes for trams. The stops are dense and there are many cars. There is no need to wait too long, and there is no need to take the overpass or tunnel. It is very convenient for shopping, business or sightseeing. Trams are old and obsolete, and most of the double-decker spaces are made of wood. Some paints have faded away, and the wood has been polished to be smooth and shiny, which gives a warm feeling to the touch, just like a beautiful woman who is dying but not losing her charm. Passengers sit in the upper and lower compartments, and with the car driving slowly, they cross the busiest street in Hong Kong, go deep into every corner of Hong Kong Island and savor the city.

Food and accommodation in Hong Kong are relatively expensive, but there is a way to save money for the night. From 6: 11 to 8: 11 in the evening, you can go to a big cruise ship near the bell tower of Star Ferry Pier, such as Jimei, Neptune and Metropolis. There is one room for two people, and the ticket is HKD251 for one person. You can have bread for dinner, midnight snack and breakfast the next day. All the meals on the boat are buffet, both Chinese and western, with about 21 or 31 varieties. Although not many, they are all delicious, as well as fresh fruits, Japanese-style shellfish and mussel sushi (both of which I prefer to eat ~ ~ ~). Although the ship's room is not big, only about 9-11 square meters, but it is still clean and tidy, with central air conditioning, TV, independent bathroom and hot water. When you walk near the bell tower in the evening, someone will come to ask you if you want to take a boat. Don't worry, these are agents of the cruise company. If you give them your pass or passport, they will give you the ticket in a few minutes. First, take a double-decker ship with more than 211 people, and it will take about 21 minutes. The ship will take you to a giant cruise ship (some have eight floors, some have more than ten floors) that stops a little outside the sea. The cruise ship is about 211 meters long, with hundreds of rooms on it. The facilities are simpler than those in star-rated hotels. The cruise ship sailed from the brightly lit Victoria Harbour to the high seas at night. The boat is very smooth, basically there is no swaying, but there will be a little floating feeling. The characteristic of these large cruise ships is that they have casinos on them. Because gambling is forbidden in Hong Kong itself, they have to sail to the high seas. When boarding a cruise ship, they have to go through the territory again, that is, simply stamp a special stamp (this kind of customs clearance does not occupy the normal number of times of entry and exit, but only the boarding certificate). After boarding the ship, they have to leave their certificates to the ship staff, and then get them back after disembarking the next day (mainly because they are afraid that someone will be on board) If you buy 11 thousand chips on the boat, you don't need to pay the tickets for two people; If it is less than 5,111 chips, one should be handed over to HKD151. The agent will take you aboard, have dinner, and open a room for you. Before that, you don't have to pay. You won't see if you want to charge your money until the casino opens at 11 pm, and you can get off the boat freely the next day. Many Hong Kong people and tourists go to the boat to eat and drink, and buy 11,111 yuan chips (dead code, which can only be used for gambling and cannot be converted into cash). When playing baccarat, the Zhuang family and the leisure family bet equally. If Zhuang wins, the dealer draws 5% of the water, and if leisure wins, it will be exchanged for cash code. Ten thousand yuan, even if "Zhuang" wins completely, means losing to 511 yuan, which is the same as a boat ticket. There are also many old gamblers on board. If everyone bets on a certain family, people who can't gamble don't bet one or two hundred more on this side, so the chances of winning are relatively high, and all the expenses for the night may be saved (I don't encourage gambling, gambling is risky. Honest people might as well buy a boat ticket. 511 yuan's simple buffet in Hongkong is gone! )。 There is also a nightclub on the boat to listen to music. When you sit down, you will get ten yuan each. Generally, there will be no one inside the casino. There are also saunas, karaoke and so on, which are relatively expensive. It's very expensive to order meals and drinks on the boat. A plate of fried shrimp is about HKD211, a cucumber is more than 81, and a packet of melon seeds is more than 31 ... It is recommended to bring your own snacks. The next morning, the big ship sailed back to Victoria Harbour. The small boat connected yesterday took the passengers off the ship with a three-storey giant ladder, and then sent them to Huangpu and Star Ferry Terminal. There will be several flights from 11: 11 a.m. to 2: 11 p.m. (See the schedule on the cruise ship, each ship is different. The facilities on each ship are also different, and the "Metropolis" is relatively old, but it is still clean.)

If you don't want to go aboard for the night, you'd better book a room with the travel agency one day or at least half a day in advance (with a discount of 31-71%). If you arrive in Hong Kong at night, you can book a room temporarily for the same day, which is basically at the retail price, without any discount. Even a three-star remote place is very expensive, and it costs about HKD811. As long as the room in Hong Kong is booked by the travel agency, it must be charged for one day if it is cancelled (basically it is the same no matter how many days in advance). The earlier you book, the cheaper it will be. Once at a meeting in Hong Kong, I booked the North Point Garden Hotel (4 stars) one week in advance, and it was HKD495/ night. Although breakfast was included, I gave HKD151 the same day cash coupon (more than 311 buffet dinners). When I went last week, because I didn't make a reservation and didn't want to come back that day, I called to book this hotel for HKD1511, and the price difference was very big.

If you buy clothes in Hong Kong, you must buy brand goods, otherwise ordinary clothes will be more expensive than those in China. To buy cosmetics, you can go to the counter to find out first, and then go to Sasa and Bonjour. Generally, it is more than 21% cheaper (and there are some products with ultra-low price and special price every week). Some new and special series can only be bought at the counter, because these two companies only buy some old series with special prices. Last week, I bought a batch of products that I hadn't seen before in SASA at the counter of SOGO in Lan Zhi, Tongluowan. I thought there were two products in SASA, so I went to the largest SASA nearby and found that there was only one product. After I bought it, I had to go back more than 111 meters to SOGO to buy the bottle of moisturizing lotion that I hadn't found, and the price was HKD321. Later, when I was shopping in Zhuo Yue, next to the Star Ferry Pier, I casually went in and took a look. I found that there was this product in it, and the price was HKD224.-, I was really distressed ~ ~ ~ If it was spent, it would be a pity, but it would be a little uncomfortable to buy the same small thing at an expensive price of almost 111 yuan ...

The storefront logo in Zhuo Yue is not as conspicuous as that in Sasa, so I have to look closer, and the interior decoration is relatively simple and dull. Sasa's pink Logo can be seen from a distance, and the store is all over the street, and the decoration is bright.

It's much cheaper to buy dried bird's nest, shark's fin and seafood at the other end of Sheung Wan. There is a street several miles long, so you can shop around and lower the price. One or two pieces of shark's fin (Hong Kong 16 is two pounds) can be cut by one or two hundred yuan compared with the marked price. Don't buy milk powder, medicine and daily necessities in the business district in the center. Go to the department store and grocery store in the nearby North Point or other residential areas. A can of milk powder and a bottle of imported health care products will be cheaper by tens of yuan. You can save a lot of shopping money just by riding the "Jingle Car" for a few dollars ~ ~ ~