About Hong Kong
The official languages are English and Chinese. All major signage is bilingual. Visitors to Hong Kong should not find any major difficulties in communicating in English. Taxi drivers may not speak a lot of English. It is preferable to get your destination written in Chinese on a piece of paper at the hotel reception desk.
The climate of Hong Kong is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate. The average temperature of June is 26.2-32.2°C (79.2-90.0 F). The average humidity of June is 82%.
The standard electrical voltage in Hong Kong is 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Most hotel bathrooms also have outlets for 100 volts. The majority of electrical outlets in Hong Kong take a three-pronged UK-style plug. You can borrow an adaptor from your hotel or buy one for your electrical equipment at most convenience stores.
The local currency is the Hong Kong Dollar. Paper currency is available in denominations of $1000, $500, $100, $50, and $20, while coins are available in denominations of $10, $5, $2, $1, 50c, 20c and 10c. Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US dollar at an exchange rate of US$ 1 = HK$ 7.8, although exchange rate varies from HK$7.7-HK$7.9 per 1US$. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the airport, any bank and several exchange bureaus around the city.Credit cards are widely accepted in most large establishments. Most establishments add a service charge of 10%. Other tipping is optional.
Hong Kong is geographically compact and the public transport system (MTR, buses, and ferry) is efficient, relatively inexpensive and user friendly.
