179'

141'

Hi everyone, sorry for not writing, I was in Hong Kong last week. It is an interesting place, although a little pricey, but besides that it was very unique. Even though it is China, the blend of British influence along with Cantonese culture is evident. Also, it is a big tourist place, especially with mainland tourists and foreign tourists. Here are some of the differences I noticed between the tourists:

Amount of luggage

When I got back from the airport, I had to pick up the luggage that I had previously checked. I only checked on bag, not a lot. A lot of the other westerners did the same, just one small bag. When I looked at some of the other Mainland tourists they were bringing at least three bags of stuff. Then again, the number of bags also depends on the number of people.

Amount of people

The Mainland tourists seem to travel together a lot. On the flight, there were many couples traveling to Hong Kong, and also there were a few tour groups (you can always tell if it is a tour group if everyone has the same hat and one person is waving a flag). Westerners usually travel as a family (mum, dad and kid/s) or as couples, but you will also see a lot of young Westerners (like myself) traveling alone. Sometimes you know they're alone because they have big bags and usually smell like they haven't taken a shower in a while.

Pictures

When I travel, I usually just try to take pictures of the environment. Same with my friends. Maybe we'll have a group picture together. With many mainland tourists I have seen, they carry big cameras and take as many photos as their camera has space for. And the selfies. Lot's of selfies.With selfie sticks. I would be walking and WHAP! Out of nowhere someone's selfie stick would hit me, followed by a 对不起.

McDonald's: a safe choice for food
Food

Mainland tourists I have seen sometimes like to bring their own food at home. And when I say food, I mean cheap ramen. When I travel, I at least like to experience the local flavors though, such as when I was in Korea I ate Korean food, when I was in Canada, I had Canadian food, when I was in Japan, I had Japanese food, etc. However, I understand that sometimes people want to eat something familiar. And for us Westerners, if we ever get tired of local food, we can always go to McDonald's. That place is everywhere (also one of the cheaper restaurants in Hong Kong if you wanna save money!)

Shopping

I don't like to shop that much. If I buy souvenirs, I buy really cheap ones (don't tell my friends though). Even at the airport, I don't try to buy duty free. But a lot of the mainland tourists seem to go on shopping sprees. And I can understand why, iPhones are cheaper in other countries than in the mainland. But for souvenirs, no matter where I go for those, they're all made in China anyways

When everyone travels, we also sometimes bring own cultural norms with us. For example, Americans are so used to tipping, that when traveling they will tip at restaurants where they don't have to. In fact, traveling makes you learn about your own culture as well! What do you think?