Travelling to Hong Kong & Malaysia, Some Questions...

Hi,

I will be travelling to Hong Kong and Malaysia soon, and I have some questions. Thanks in advance for your help!

1. I am currently with TELUS Mobility. Should I bring my mobile phone to Hong Kong or should I get a temporary mobile phone while I am in Hong Kong? Or should I do both, only using my TELUS phone as an emergency?

Note that I will be in Hong Kong for about 3 weeks and in Malaysia for about 1 week.

2. If I get a temporary mobile phone in Hong Kong, where or from what dealer can I get one? Orange? One2Free? Or should I get a "fancy" phone from one of these dealers, use it, and then bring it back to Canada and give it to a family member who uses Fido/ Rogers? What would you recommend?

3. Thanks to RFD, I have purchased an IBM laptop with wireless capabilities. Should I get an international power adapter here in Vancouver or should I get one in Hong Kong? Where in Hong Kong can I surf the Internet? Or should I just leave my laptop at home and just visit Internet cafes? I would like to access the Internet at least two to three times a week.

Thanks for all of your help!

1. Telus won't work in HK for sure, not sure about Malaysia but I reckon most Asian countries are GSM which using a "smard card" and Telus uses CDMA which makes it incompatible. I do remember however if you phone telus they can arrange a phone for you in another country but it won't be your own phone.

2. It doesn't really matter who you get it from Orange, One2Free, PCCW, etc. Most phones in HK are unlocked so you can bring it back to Canada to activate for Bell, Fido, etc. It's up to you whether you want to buy one or not. True that their phones are newer in technology but the prices aren't exactly that cheap either. Use your own discretion as to what phone to get

3. It makes absolutely no difference whether you get a travel adapter here or in HK. You're not gonna break the bank on a few dollar adapter. Might as well get one here if you're worried about shabby quality of some made in China knockoff in HK. You can go to http://intel.jiwire.com/ to find out wireless connections in HK. Mind you none of it's free probably. I remember some malls had free internet kiosks just walk up to the kiosk and you can surf the web.

Have a fun trip

Originally Posted by bchow

3. Thanks to RFD, I have purchased an IBM laptop with wireless capabilities. Should I get an international power adapter here in Vancouver or should I get one in Hong Kong? Where in Hong Kong can I surf the Internet? Or should I just leave my laptop at home and just visit Internet cafes? I would like to access the Internet at least two to three times a week.

Thanks for all of your help!

just go to internet cafe...
even u have wireless capabilities.. i think most network will be securely encrypted..
anyway.. some MTR (subway) stations have free Internet...

1. I am currently with TELUS Mobility. Should I bring my mobile phone to Hong Kong or should I get a temporary mobile phone while I am in Hong Kong? Or should I do both, only using my TELUS phone as an emergency?

Note that I will be in Hong Kong for about 3 weeks and in Malaysia for about 1 week.

2. If I get a temporary mobile phone in Hong Kong, where or from what dealer can I get one? Orange? One2Free? Or should I get a "fancy" phone from one of these dealers, use it, and then bring it back to Canada and give it to a family member who uses Fido/ Rogers? What would you recommend?

a)
You won't be able to able to charge your Telus phone due to voltage - since you're going to Hong Kong, it's a good opportunity to ask friends/family if they want a GSM phone for Rogers/Fido. All phones in Hong Kong are unlocked out of the box, even from wireless carriers.

Better yet, go to Broadway/Fortress (equiv to Best Buy/Futureshop here), buy a phone from them (you have much more selection, and price is generally similar), and buy a pre-paid card from one of the dealers. At a rate of 33 cents/minute, a $100 HKD card will last you long enough.

3. Thanks to RFD, I have purchased an IBM laptop with wireless capabilities. Should I get an international power adapter here in Vancouver or should I get one in Hong Kong? Where in Hong Kong can I surf the Internet? Or should I just leave my laptop at home and just visit Internet cafes? I would like to access the Internet at least two to three times a week.

Most Starbucks/Pacific Coffee Company have a few internet stations. There are lot of branches littered around Hong Kong now. As mentioned earlier, some of the larger MTR stations also have Internet stations. There are also a lot of Lan cafes around, but coffee shops generally have a better atmosphere

Laptop wise, you only need a travel adaptor. Your power brick is guaranteed to support 100-240 V, so voltage wise, you do not need a transformer. You'll need the proper plug though.

If you don't talk too much, just borrow any old GSM phone (in hk) or if from canada, make sure it is tri-band with universal charger. All 7-eleven has pre-paid phone card available, you activiate it anytime and the number is yours. It's real easy. If you talk a lot, get a friend or relative in hk to open a secondary line under their name, I get my relative to close it after a month.

Don't bring laptop, those are thieve magnet everywhere. And custom love to get their hands on them when you come back.