Pinching Yourself

You know you're not on the Chinese mainland but in Hong Kong when:

- You can get from A to B in 20 minutes instead of an hour;

- Having three appointments in one evening is doable;

- The MTR trains come every two minutes and not at least five like in Beijing;

- Everyone from taxi drivers to store staff and fellow commuters are polite to you;

- The police doing roadside checks ask you to put on your seatbelt;

- There's no spitting in the streets -- not even the sound of horking is heard;

- Several pairs of chopsicks are on the lazy Susan for people to use so they don't infect the food with their own chopsticks;

- You ask for less oil in dishes and there really is less oil in them;

- Where food street stalls are, there's hardly any garbage on the ground, not even those wooden skewers;

- You can call the telephone directory assistance for a number wherever you are, whenever you want;

- You can speak Chinglish and everyone understands what you're saying;

- People don't jump the queue, but patiently wait in line;

- Hong Kongers take you to cleaner bathrooms than the ones you thought were already clean;

- Public washrooms are always stocked with toilet paper and soap;

- There are no squat toilets.