弹丸之地：香港

 

 

我上一次到香港是1978年（38年前）。当时香港既没有地铁系统也没有MTR港铁，完全依靠由巴士和电车组成的公交系统为当地466万人口提供服务。如今，已跻身世界级大都市的香港已经打造出高效便捷的交通网造福735万居民。

The last time I set foot in Hong Kong was 1978 (38 years ago). At that time, there was no subway system and no Mass transit Railway. The public transit system was limited to buses and electrical trams serving a population of 4.66 million. Today, it is a world class metropolis with an efficient transit network for 7.35 million people.

 

 

说到我对香港的印象，那就是许多人都居住在非常拥挤的公寓里，他们的出行全都依赖名为八达通的万能智能卡。

My impression of Hong Kong? Lots of people living in very crowded apartments and they all move around with a very versatile smart card called the Optopus.

 

 

在我们抵达香港后，朋友建议我们做的第一件事就是购买八达通卡并进行充值。在我们所到之处几乎所有交通工具都可使用“八达通“卡。可重复使用的八达通卡是用于电子支付的非接触式储值智能卡。在香港的许多零售店，比如便利店、超市、快餐店、沿街泊车收费表、停车场，以及加油站和自动售货机等其他销售点也都可以使用八达通卡。

The first thing my friends advised us to do upon our arrival was to get an Octopus card and buy credits for it. Everywhere we went and with almost every mode of public transportation accepted the "Octopus" card. The Octopus card is a reusable contactless stored value smart card for making electronic payments. It can also be used for payment in many retail shops in Hong Kong, from convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks, to other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and vending machines.

 

 

我们的这一部分行程是完全自由行，因此我们是在香港的亲戚和朋友的带领下重温旧地，观赏新景点和品尝精致美食。但他们都有一个共同的说法：“带客人玩不是问题，但别指望香港人给你安排住宿！”因为当地大部分家庭都是住在面积仅有450平方英尺的一居室或两居室内，家里根本就没有客房。我们因此预定了一套400平方英尺的空置两居室公寓，两个房间面积各约42平方英尺。可在我刚刚抱怨完房间里的床太小太短后，我打开狭窄的浴室门又惊讶地发现淋浴间竟然只有18平方英寸大！难道香港没有胖子么？

This part of our tour did not involve any guided packages. Our Hong Kong relatives and friends helped us to revisit old places, see new sights, and enjoy the exquisite cuisine. They have a saying there: “Taking guests around is not an issue but don't expect HongKongers to give you accommodation!”. Most families are living within 450 square feet of spaces with one or two rooms and there is just no room for guests. We booked someone's unoccupied 400 square feet apartment with 2 rooms of about 42 square feet each. Just when I finished complaining about the beds being small and short, I opened the narrow bathroom door and discovered the 18-inch square shower stall! Are there no obese people in Hong Kong? 

 

 

我们在香港期间，当地气温一直在22-30摄氏度左右（炎热而又潮湿）。晚上即便窗户大开，住在32楼的公寓里也依然让人感到酷热难耐。因此，我们在一个晚上遭遇被困在电梯里长达45分钟等待消防员救援的奇遇也是在所难免。由于救援期间我们一直与消防员保持通讯，并且互联网服务也一直正常，在我看来这并不值得大惊小怪，但同时被困的其他一些有幽闭恐惧症的乘客却惊恐不安表现各异。

When we were in Hong Kong, the temperatures were around 22-30 degrees celsius (hot and humid). Nights were intolerable in the thirty-two floor apartment, even with the windows wide open. Of course, we also encountered an unprepared adventure one night, trapped in the elevator for 45 minutes waiting for rescue by the firefighters. To me, it was uneventful as we were in constant communication with the firefighters and the internet service was working all that time. Other claustrophobic members of the trapped party behaved differently though.

 

 

我们在香港所到之处无不人头攒动，我们因此不得不持续前行，或是冒着被撞的风险停留。当地的购物中心都很大，其中有许多都是建在地铁站的顶部或旁边。我在杂货店购物时发现在将商品标价转换成加元后，当地的水果、蛋糕和进口商品的价格都很昂贵。在香港下馆子也会让你花不少钱，这主要取决于你所选择的餐馆。我在购物和吃饭时曾多次使用八达通卡，这给我带来很多便利。

There were plenty of people everywhere we went. We had to move forward constantly or take a risk of getting run over. The Shopping Malls were big and many were built on top of, or next to subway stations. When I went out for grocery shopping, I found the fruits, cakes, and imported items expensive when their costs were converted into Canadian dollars. Dining out could also burn a hole into your pocket, depending on the restaurant you chose. I used my Octopus card many times for shopping and dining and it was a very convenient tool to use.

 

 

我们还顺道去了“东方拉斯维加斯”（澳门）。曾是葡萄牙殖民地的澳门距离香港仅一箭之遥。我们从香港乘坐气垫船不到一个小时便抵达了澳门。我听说我母亲在怀我时曾到过澳门，因此从技术上说这应该是我第二次到访那里。在澳门有许多金碧辉煌的赌场，它们每年的赌金流量已经超过拉斯维加斯。虽然我不想赌博，但我仍到全球最大的赌场——澳门威尼斯人度假村酒店感受了一下赌场的氛围。澳门的另一个必游景点是著名古迹大三巴牌坊，这是一座建于17世纪的教堂被焚毁后留下的石砌前壁。最后，我们还品尝了葡挞、牛肉及猪肉干、杏仁饼和鸡蛋卷等许多澳门著名小吃。

We took a side trip to “Las Vegas East” (Macau). It used to be a Portuguese colony a stone's throw away from Hong Kong. We took a less than an hour hovercraft trip from Hong Kong to get there. I was told that I once visited Macau in my mother's womb during her pregnancy so technically it was my second visit. There were many beautiful casinos in Macau and they took in more annual wagers than Las Vegas. I did not want to gamble there and only tried to take in the ambience. I was able to do that at the Venetian Macao – the largest gambling casino in the world. One other must-do attraction was the Ruins of St. Pauls, the well known facade of a 17th century church destroyed by fire. Finally, we sampled many of Macau's famous pastries including Portuguese tarts, beef and pork jerkies, almond biscuits , and biscuit rolls.

下一次，我们将继续讲述我在香港的其他奇遇。

Next time, we will continue to talk about my other Hong Kong adventures.