cream cat

Taking advantage of the May 1st holiday, I took a few days off in advance and set off for Hong Kong. The main purpose of this trip was to open a bank account, so I chose to go alone. Of course, the duration was not long because the goal was very clear, so planning was also simple. I booked my flight and high-speed train tickets half a month in advance (yes, you read it right, because I have never taken the high-speed train from Hong Kong back to the mainland, so I decided to give it a try).

On the first day of departure, I woke up at 5 o'clock, washed up, and took the first subway to the airport. After about an hour, I finally arrived at the airport. Then I started the tedious process of checking in. After going back and forth for almost half an hour, I entered the waiting hall. After experiencing 3 years of pandemic lockdown, the airport still hasn't fully recovered. Many stores are still closed. In confusion, I boarded the plane.

Finally, the plane took off. I can't remember how many times I have flown before, but it still feels uncomfortable. Fortunately, the flight was relatively short, and I was able to take a nap. The flight attendants were pretty and could speak basic Mandarin, but they were fluent in Cantonese and English. In the sweet voice of the flight attendants, I fell asleep drowsily. By the time the plane broadcast announced the descent, several hours had passed. Soon, the plane parked at Hong Kong International Airport. Following the crowd, I walked for about 10 minutes to the immigration hall. Then came the routine process of filling out the immigration card and queuing for immigration procedures. Since it was before the holiday, the crowd was not as crowded as usual, although there were still many people, including people from Thailand, India, and other countries.

After completing the immigration procedures, I entered the airport hall and exchanged all my money into Hong Kong dollars. Then I went to the MTR service counter and obtained an Octopus Card, which is similar to Alipay in China. With the Octopus Card, I felt like I had unlocked a new level of convenience. I hadn't eaten anything for a night, and my stomach started protesting. Well, I walked around and came to a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style tea restaurant) (yes, it's still in the airport). I ordered a roast goose set meal for HKD 88. It looked good in the pictures, so I chose it.

After eating and drinking enough, I took the Airport Express to the city center of Hong Kong. The total fare was HKD 110, which is HKD 10 more compared to 10 years ago. The journey took about half an hour. While sitting on the subway, I opened my phone and started the process of opening a bank account. According to the regulations of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, if you want to open a bank account in Hong Kong, you must do it in person (or find someone to do it for you?). In order to save money and explore the city at the same time, I decided to do it myself.

Considering the high cost of housing in Hong Kong, I booked a small Airbnb before planning my trip. So, I went to find the booked accommodation as soon as possible. Because I had smooth communication with the host, I thought there would be no surprises throughout the process. However, things didn't go as planned. The Airbnb was on the 11th floor of a building. After taking the elevator and reaching the entrance, I couldn't open the password lock for the life of me. I was anxious and was about to send a message to the host when a couple arrived. They asked if I was staying inside. I nodded and replied, "Yes, but I can't open the lock." Then they offered to try, and to my surprise, they easily opened the door. I followed them inside, and it turned out that the Airbnb was a separate unit with 8 rooms. It was then that I realized I had made a mistake. After that, I successfully opened the small room I rented and lay on the bed, meditating.

I won't go into detail about the rest. It was mostly casual sightseeing. I feel like Hong Kong has changed since the implementation of the National Security Law. However, fortunately, the financial aspect is still relatively free, unlike the mainland where there are foreign exchange controls and restrictions on currency transfers. I heard that now you have to make an appointment for withdrawals over 50,000 RMB, which is quite sad. As for crypto practitioners, it's even less friendly. Freezing accounts at will has become a business. It's helpless.