We find that Hong Kong is the perfect place to begin a stay in China. Its unique mixture of Cantonese and English allows for a smooth transition between the West and the East and lessens the expected culture shock. There’s enough English in signs and menus and most people – at least those involved in business and tourism – speak enough of the language to make transactions fairly easy.

The city caters to business people and tourists like no other in Asia with western-style food, hotels, stores, entertainment venues and toilets. But if, like us, you want to actually experience Canton you can easily find neighborhoods where very few westerners hang out. Our hotel is western style (although the beds are a lot harder) but outside of its doors we are surrounded by small businesses, restaurants, markets and parks that cater to the locals.

Most travelers are familiar with the local food as it’s similar to what’s served in the thousands of Chinese restaurants operated by members of the Diaspora around the world. Menus in areas populated by tourists feature English and Chinese characters and in those that don’t see many foreigners, photo menus help you decide and order food.

Restaurants in the city represent cultures from around the world which means you can get a good Indian curry, the freshest sushi, exquisite French pastries and, if you’re homesick, American foods from restaurants such as California Pizza Kitchen, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Knowing we aren’t likely to have a good burger and fries for the next year (or more), we splurged on a couple of American-style hamburgers at a newly-opened restaurant. Biting into the fresh bun, beef, bacon and cheese was a pleasure we won’t be repeating for a while. When we complimented the waitress on the food we also asked whether the chain was elsewhere in China. She responded: “No, this is our first restaurant in China. We’re from Korea.” Maybe in a decade they’ll make it to the off-the-beaten-path city we are moving to.

Like most travelers, we enjoy going through markets and Hong Kong has a number of fairly popular ones such as the Night Market and Ladies’ Market. These are fun if you aren’t really looking for anything in particular and just want to enjoy the colorful stalls, the noise, the crowds of people and the bargaining going on between sellers and potential buyers. They’re also great for souvenirs which you can buy in semi-bulk: ten small purses or chopstick sets or paper fans. Cheap electronics, designer copy purses and clothing, and myriad household doodads are also available.

Market vendors have all sorts of selling and bargaining strategies but still manage to make you feel like you got a great deal. Of course, the first price they give you is at least twice as much as the item is worth: it’s assumed that buyers know this and they’re not expected to pay it. Once a price is agreed to, vendors will try to sell you more of the same thing (not kidding), or something else that either goes with it or is totally unrelated.

We did some of the usual activities and sights of Hong Kong including taking a ferry across the harbor and to nearby Macau (for Jacob’s visa process). In the three times we’ve been here, we’ve never gone up to the peak to get what is supposed to be a spectacular view of all of Hong Kong and its harbor: it’s always too foggy or misty to see anything.

One of my favorite things to do is to walk through the larger parks where gardens and aviaries allow visitors to escape the din of the city. We found a beautiful one in Kowloon where you can almost forget you’re in Hong Kong as the noise and pollution diminish the deeper into the park you walk.

The entire city is getting ready for New Year’s (February 14th) and so parks, stores, government buildings and pretty well everything is decorated with red and gold pendants, lamps, lights, streamers and Chinese characters. The Year of the Tiger means every possible model of the big cat is displayed and we managed to find a Disney Tigger dressed for New Year’s for Jacob.

In a few days, we fly to our new home in Wenzhou on the east coast of China where we’ll live for a year, Jacob will teach English and I will finish writing my travel book.

Our three and a half months of travels are coming to an end after 13 countries (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, United States, Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, France, Thailand, Hong Kong/Macau/China. Of these, four were just passed-through countries and only three were new to us (Portugal, Spain & Gibraltar). I did reach my goal of having visited 50 countries in my 50th year on this planet: my total is currently 52 countries visited….but stay tuned as this number will most certainly increase during our stay in Asia.

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WHAT’S NEXT: In a couple of days we move to our new home in Wenzhou, China for – at least – one year.

NOTE: My “This Expat Life” & “Writing on Wednesdays” blogs are on hiatus until we settle down in Wenzhou in February 2010. Between now and then, I’ll be writing only about Baby Boomers Traveling. Hope you enjoy coming along with us.

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