Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [228]
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MAPS
Decent tourist maps are easy to come by in Hong Kong, and they’re usually free. The HKTB hands out copies of The Hong Kong Map, which is bimonthly, at its information centres. It covers the northern coast of Hong Kong Island from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay and part of the Kowloon peninsula, and has inset maps of Aberdeen, Hung Hom, Kowloon City, Kowloon Tong, Sha Tin, Stanley and Tsuen Wan.
Universal Publications (UP; www.up.com.hk) produces many maps of Hong Kong, including the 1:80,000 Hong Kong Touring Mapand the 1:9000 City Map of Hong Kong & Kowloon. It publishes detailed street maps of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon ($22 each), with scales below 1:8000.
The Hong Kong Official Guide Map($45), produced by the Survey and Mapping Office of the Lands Department (www.info.gov.hk/landsd/mapping), has both street and district maps and is available from most bookshops.
If you’re looking for greater detail, topographical accuracy and good colour reproduction, it’s worth investing in the Hong Kong Guidebook($60), a street atlas to the entire territory published by UP and updated annually. Compiled in English and Chinese, it also includes useful information on public transport and a host of other listings. A larger format version of this, the Hong Kong Directory($70) is available, as well as the pocket-sized Palm Atlas of Hong Kong($42). The Public Transport Atlas($50) shows detailed information on all land public transport routes in Hong Kong, displaying all of the stops on maps.
Along with everything from flying charts to plans of the New Towns in the New Territories, the Survey and Mapping Office produces a range of Countryside Series maps that are useful for hiking in the hills and country parks. They are available from two Map Publication Centres: the North Point branch ( Map; 2231 3187; 23rd fl, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Rd; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri) and the Yau Ma Tei branch ( Map; 2780 0981; 382 Nathan Rd; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri).
Each of the Countryside Series maps is 1:25,000, with larger-scale inset maps. One of them covers Hong Kong Island and surrounds: Hong Kong Island & Neighbouring Islands($50). Three maps are devoted to the New Territories: North-West New Territories($62), North-East & Central New Territories ($50) and Sai Kung & Clearwater Bay ($50). For the islands, there’s Outlying Islands($45), with large-scale maps of Cheung Chau, Lamma, Peng Chau, Ma Wan, Tung Lung Chau and Po Toi; and Lantau Island & Neighbouring Islands($62), essentially a 1:25,000-scale map of Hong Kong’s largest island, with several larger-scale inset maps.
Most bookshops stock UP’s 1:32,000-scale Lantau Island, Cheung Chau & Lamma Island($25), which is laminated and contains useful transport information, and its 1:54,000 Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay ($25).
If you’re heading for any of Hong Kong’s four major trails, you should get a copy of the trail map produced by the Country & Marine Parks Authority, which is available at the Map Publication Centres.
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MEDICAL SERVICES
The standard of medical care in Hong Kong is generally excellent but expensive. Always take out travel insurance before you travel. Healthcare is divided into public and private, and there is no interaction between the two. In the case of an emergency, all ambulances ( 999) will take you to a government-run public hospital where, as a visitor, you will be required to pay a hefty fee for using emergency services. Treatment is guaranteed in any case; people who cannot pay immediately will be billed later. While the emergency care is excellent, you may wish to transfer to a private hospital once you are stable.
There are many English-speaking general practitioners, specialists and dentists in Hong Kong,