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Elsewhere on the Web • Hong Kong.Com

The chances are good that if you spend much time in Asia you will eventually end up in Hong Kong for a least a night. If you leave your hotel room at all, you will leave the city with the feeling that there was so much more that you could have done, could have seen. The feeling is accurate...

Most travelers associate Hong Kong with business, even to the point that if you are traveling for pleasure, the business of travel in Asia may end up requiring that you take a layover in Hong Kong. And in the minds of many travelers, the pleasure there is to find in Hong Kong is of the most commercial nature: shopping. Right?

Actually, Hong Kong is a city of museums and universities. It has a vibrant arts scene and a number of cultural attractions. And like Bangkok and Manila, Hong Kong offers a range of experiences for the pleasure seeker that are far more visceral than just shopping.

What follows is a list of web sites which will help you take better advantage of your time in Hong Kong, along with some pictures of the city courtesy of PhotoMann.

Hong Kong Courtesy of PhotoMann Click on the picture for a larger view.

Hong Kong.Com is a marvelous guide to life in the city. Tidbits -- like the fact that you can use your home driver's license for a year in Hong Kong, or the section on social etiquette, or on parks and hiking around the city -- make the site very useful, especially to the first time visitor to Hong Kong.

You made also find the Hong Kong Government Information Centre a useful web site. The site offers legal information for business, a description of government agencies and services in the city, news, weather, and even traffic conditions.

Among the "flashier" sites (apologies for the pun) is that of the HK Tourist Association. The HKTA will ask you to "login in," but any made up name works. You do, however, have to select the country you are from. The site has a huge amount of information on everything from the practicalities of finding a hotel to the attractions of the city.

There is an online guide available to the Hong Kong International Airport. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation in Hong Kong also has an online guide which may help you find your way around the city.

Finally, The South China Morning Post (HK's English daily) is among the best newspapers available on the web. It covers both local and international news.

Enjoy Hong Kong.

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