I’m so sorry, or maybe not? But I just needed to write about more interesting facts of Hong Kong, because I love Hong Kong. It was and still is my home of over 7 years. For such a small landmass, there is just so many interesting facts! At the center of East and Western culture, there is an incredible, and unique, lifestyle.

Hong Kong is filled with many interesting stories, landmarks, events, cultures, traditions, and facts. Before you pack your bags and decide to go to the best destination for a long vacation, have a look at these really amazing hong kong facts.

Peak Tram- Oldest cable Funicular

Peak tram is the first cable funicular in all of Asia and was established in the late 1880s. This is also one of the steepest, and also the oldest railroad which operates through cables, in the world. This funicular gives transport services to over 11,000 people, and nearly 4 million on an annual basis.

This easily makes it to the top of the list of Amazing Hong Kong Facts!

¾ Hong Kong is rural

That is correct, about ¾ percent of Hong Kong is actually rural. It even compromises of 24 country parks and also woodlands, reservoirs, and scenic hills too. Amazing Hong Kong facts, right?

Hong Kong is actually divided into 3 primary regions and then dozens of island. The 3 primary regions are: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and The New Territories.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner

The Noble Peace Prize winner, Professor Charles Kao is from Hong Kong, and is also known as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics Communications.’ This is pretty amazing Hong Kong facts. All our modern technologies of communication, from here!

Chinese New Year’s Dish

The dish, Poon Choi, which is made on every New Years, consists of 10 different ingredients which are cooked separately, and brought together at the end in one big pot. This Hakka origin dish is very famous and popular in Cantonese cuisines.

Wine Auction

The world’s most expensive bottles of wine were auctioned in Hong Kong worth USD$ 232,692 each.

Wow! Now that helps make it to the list of amazing Hong Kong facts!

Disneyland

Hong Kong has the first Disneyland which opened in China, and the 3^rd outside of the United States.

Mongkok Population

Mongkok has the highest population density in all of Hong Kong with as estimated 130,000 residents per square kilometers, unbelievable right?

Canton-Pop

The music genre, Canton-Pop started from Hong Kong which eventually went viral in all of Asia.

Bi-Cable Aerial Ride

Hong Kong has the longest bi-cable ride in all of Asia which extends over Ngong Ping Village, Po Lin Monastery, Giant Buddha, and Wisdom Path. This ride is hardly 25 minutes long. It also offers an breathtaking away view of the entire Hong Kong airport seen from above. Spectacular! What truly amazing Hong Kong Facts!

And if you feel more of the risk taker, try the glass bottom gondola!

World’s Highest Capita

Hong Kong café and restaurants boast one of the highest per-capita concentrations. This happens for every 600 people they feed.

Guinness World Record

The Guinness World Record for the largest magic lesson is held by a citizen of Hong Kong who taught a class of 314 children.

Most Skyscrapers

Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the entire world. It has over 8,000 buildings each consisting of more than 14 floors. Totally true! Amazing Hong Kong facts for sure, and I can even see my apartment building from that picture!

Home to the World’s most expensive

Iron Buddha, the most expensive tea is sold in HK for HKD$ 20,000 per kilogram. Hong Kong also consumes triple of the average of the world when it comes to tea, which is almost 9.8 kilograms on an annual base. Too costly to be an amazing Hong Kong facts?

Street Food

Street food is one of the most popular and most favorite kinds of cuisine in Hong Kong. It is not just popular amongst the locals, but it has made its mark amongst the tourists as well.

Metropolis

Hong Kong is known is the go to destination for luxurious goods and is the largest metropolis in all of Asia as well.

Amazing Hong Kong facts have so many interesting histories, places to visit, shop, eat, dine, enjoy, movie theaters, double decker buses, old trams, red taxi’s, and more. Every moment is lots of fun.

Enjoy!

Israel is a liberal country, and yet sometimes awkward situations develop because one is not aware of the customs and traditions observed over here. Now, who would really take a stock of a nation’s mores before visiting it? That’s what friends are for, and if for instance you do not know anybody over here, you should try to find a bit about Israeli customs from online resources like this blog post before visiting.

It would definitely help in averting unwanted situations.

Israel Customs – Tipping in Restaurants

I have witnessed a couple of awkward situations myself where visitors had offended the waiter and vice-versa by leaving a tip which is seen as way down below average over here, and hence seen as a mark of displeasure. The general tipping rule is between 10% and 15% of the actual bill, with 12% being the average.

It is better not to pay anything rather than tip something which is seen as ungracious. And the waiters expect cash, preferably in Israeli currency, Shekels, so it is always good to carry a bit of loose change in your pocket for such encounters.

Israel Customs – The Local Color

Miranda, a colleague of my cousin from London was shocked because she was prevented from visiting a mosque in the Old City, Jerusalem as she was wearing a tank top.

You can wear anything you like over here, but you must keep your legs and shoulders covered, if you are visiting a sacred place. If it’s a synagogue/mosque that you are visiting, then you must also keep your head covered.

A traditional Jewish lady is not expected to shake hands with a stranger. Apart from this, a handshake is very much part of the tradition over here. If you are sitting in a room with others, and a woman enters, then all may stand up as a mark of respect. But this is mostly in homes where you are invited, or in traditional places. Hotel lounges or restaurant foyers don’t necessarily follow this custom.

Israel Customs – Shopping and Meetings

Israelis love to talk, and bargaining is part of our existence. If you are buying anything from the traditional markets, then expect a solid round of bargaining before you can get your hands on your chosen item. Don’t get irritated, and don’t feel frightened.

In fact, you may gain an admirer, and a friend in the shopkeeper, if you manage to drive a hard bargain. It’s seen as a skill, and treated with respect.

If you have a business meeting, be on time. Punctuality is a norm, and expect informal talks to open the meeting. It is always a good idea to schedule your meeting a couple of days in advance. In the case of high ranking officials, it would take even more time.

When I signed the lease on my apartment, myself, the landlord, my realtor, and the lawyer were all sitting in the lawyers office. For a few minutes everyone caught up on old times without even a mention of business. It creates a friendly environment and I’ve seen how it can make doing business easier.

Israel Customs – Gifts

Gifts are given and received over here as long as they are not too costly. You should not spend more than 20 dollars, if you want to gift your local business acquaintance. Flowers come in handy, as they cannot be seen as a bribe.

While these are just some basic Israel customs, they’re important and they go a long way. Be sure to check back for in-depth guides. And if you have a chance to check out more Jerusalem, be sure to read my article here about Discovering the Treasures of Jerusalem.

Enjoy!

It was just after I arrived in China for the first time back in 2000. I was part of a team coming from New York to meet with suppliers in China about our ongoing and future projects. I remember we had a great lunch in China, me thinking “real Chinese food from China!” and when we paid I realized no one left a tip on the table.

I was curious and cautiously asked my host why he didn’t tip, as I didn’t want to offend him after such a good meal (but as mentioned before Chinese are very open about discussing etiquette), and being my first time in China.

He said that tipping in China was not common practice, the server was simply doing his job.

Tipping customs and habits are different not only in different countries of the world, but in different restaurants of the same city as well. This is why you can never really be too careful when it comes to respectfully tipping the server or the staff for giving you a proper service.

During my visit to China, I noticed a considerable difference between the Chinese culture, traditions and customs and the American culture, traditions and customs. Chinese do not necessarily appreciate the tipping custom as we Americans do. Therefore, I think, it is important that you understand if you should tip at all.

In American cities, it is customary to give a generous tip. Each city and State has a general rule, some tip 10%, some double the tax, but tips are normal and considering that the server worked hard for you to get your meal. The tip is a healthy amount of money to express and pay for the gratitude that you feel towards the server.

However, when tipping in China, in most restaurants, the servers in restaurants never really get the tip you give them. Yes, it is true! In fact, the tip that you award the server for his good performance goes right into the pocket of the owner who had nothing to do with serving you the food you ate that night.

This is one of the reasons as to why tipping in China is considered a token gesture instead of anything else. In some restaurants, the tip that the servers get is divided equally among the staff of the restaurant to promote financial equality and goodwill. This means that there is no competitiveness and that the servers work with one another in harmony.

In some local restaurants that only cater to the citizens of China, there is absolutely no tipping policy at all! The restaurant owners do not promote tipping as they believe it is not a healthy practice. However, restaurants that get many foreign customers do bend the rules a little when it comes to tipping the servers because the foreigners are playing by the rules of their own country and would find it hard to understand why they should not tip the server who catered to their needs.

Nevertheless, in the view of many Chinese restaurant owners and locals alike, tipping is perceived to be a very common yet not always understood why a foreigner may just “give away money.”

Tipping is generally considered an unnecessary practice. Therefore, whenever you hire a car or get a bellhop to take your things up to your hotel room, you do not have to particularly worry about this practice as it can make you feel unwelcome in certain circles. Always judge the atmosphere you are in and observe if the people around you are following the practice or not. In other words, if you’re traveling and you’re staying in a known worldwide hotel, the staff and probably most of the customers are used to tipping. If you’re staying in a more local establishment, more so not.

If you feel comfortable, you can even ask your server if tipping is the norm here or not.

Even though tipping servers in restaurants might be a custom that the Chinese have adopted in restaurants that cater to foreign individuals, the habit of tipping bellhops and taxi drivers is still something foreign to them. However, if you want to show your gratitude, do it in a respectful way and tell them that you enjoyed the service they provided you with.

In the end though, with so many westerners visiting and traveling, tipping in China is being accepted, so if you feel like go ahead, nothing bad will come from it.

Thanks!