cream cat

First, I took a few days off in advance during the May Day holiday 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 time was not long because the whole purpose was very clear, so the strategy was simple. I booked my plane ticket and high-speed rail ticket half a month in advance (you read that right, because I have never taken the high-speed rail from Hong Kong back to the mainland, so I tried taking the high-speed rail home).

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 of driving, I finally arrived at the airport. Then I started the tedious process of checking in, and after about half an hour of back and forth, I entered the waiting hall. After experiencing three years of epidemic lockdown, the airport has not yet recovered. Many stores are still closed. In confusion, I boarded the plane.

Finally, the plane took off. I don't remember how many times I have taken a plane. It's still uncomfortable. Fortunately, the continuous process is short. The flight time is enough for me to take a nap. The flight attendants are pretty and can speak broken Mandarin, but they are fluent in Cantonese and English. In the sweet voice of the flight attendant, I fell asleep in a daze. When the plane broadcast started to land, 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, and then it was a procedural process to fill out the immigration card and queue up for immigration procedures. Because I left before the holiday, the flow of people was not so exaggerated, although there were still many people, including people from Thailand, India, and other countries.

After completing the customs procedures, I entered the airport hall, took all the money on me and exchanged it for Hong Kong dollars, and then went to the MTR service counter to apply for an Octopus card. Just like Alipay in mainland China, with the Octopus card, I can say that I have opened up all the channels. I haven't eaten anything for a night, and my stomach started to protest. Okay, let's walk around and come to a cha chaan teng (yes, it's still in the airport). An HKD 88 roast goose set meal caught my eye in the pictures, so I chose it.

After eating and drinking enough, I took the Airport Express to the city center of Hong Kong. It costs a total of HKD 110 from the airport to the city center. Compared with ten years ago, the price has increased by HKD 10. The whole journey takes about half an hour. While sitting on the subway, I opened my phone and started to handle the bank account opening business. Because the Hong Kong Monetary Authority stipulates that if you want to open a bank account in Hong Kong, you must go in person (or find a scalper?). In order to save money and take the opportunity to go shopping, I decided to go by myself.

Considering the high cost of housing in Hong Kong, before planning the itinerary, I booked a small Airbnb. So, I went to find the booked Airbnb as soon as possible. Because the communication with the landlord was smooth, I thought there would be no surprises throughout the whole process, but it turned out to be a disaster. The Airbnb was on the 11th floor of a building. After taking the elevator and arriving, I found the entrance, but the American lock couldn't be opened no matter what. I was anxious and wanted to send a message to the landlord. Then a couple came and asked, "Are you staying inside?" I nodded and replied, "Yes, but I can't open the lock." Then they said let them try, and unexpectedly, they easily opened the room. I followed them in, and it turned out that there were 8 separate rooms inside. Then I realized that I had made a mistake. After that, I successfully opened the small room I rented and lay on the bed meditating.

I won't say much about the rest. It's basically just wandering around. I feel that since the implementation of the National Security Law, Hong Kong can no longer go back to the way it was before. Fortunately, the financial aspect is still relatively free, unlike the mainland, which has foreign exchange controls and transfer restrictions on the currency. I heard that now you have to make an appointment for withdrawals over 50,000. It's quite sad to think about it. As for crypto practitioners, it's even more unfriendly. Arbitrarily freezing cards has become a business. Helpless.