|
Main
Home
Overview
Pre - Departure
Applications
Healthcare
Insurance
Passport
Plane Tickets
VISA
Packing
Adapters
Clothes
Laptop
Travel Books |
Logistics
Banking
Bathrooms
Budget
Communication
Food
Money
Personal ID
Security
Transportation
Water
Weather
Post - Arrival
Room Cleaning
Sports Complex
Store Hours
VISA Tip |
Adapters:
All power outlets in Hong Kong operate at 240 volts. The common household outlet in the United States operates at 110 volts. Not only that, but the prong set for Hong Kong is different from that of the US. So if you have things like a hair dryer, electric shaver, PDA, etc. that you want to bring along, You're going to need power and plug adapters. So what's the difference between a power adapter and a plug adapter? The technical name for a power adapter is a transformer. What it does is take one voltage and convert it to another. So while shopping for one of these make sure it will take in 240 volts and convert to 110 volts. If it does this, chances are it will do the opposite too, make appliances that normally run on 240 volts run on 110 volts. This is good incase you buy any electronics in Hong Kong and want to be able to bring them back and use them. How a plug adapter differs is that all a plug adapter does make it so your US plug will plug in to a foreign plug, no power conversion is done. So if you took your US PDA charger and just put a plug adapter on it and plugged it in to a Hong Kong socket, chances are you'd here a "POP", see a little smoke, smell a burning smell (hopefully no flames), and that would be the end of your charger.
To see if the appliances you want to take with you are capable of plugging in to international outlets without the use of adapters, search the appliance for a symbol that looks like this (110v ~ 240v). This symbol is usually located around where the power cord meets the appliance or on the back of those big, brick type plugs. If you see this, that means that this certain appliance can operate on any plug operating on any voltage between 110 and 240 volts, and all you would need is a plug adapter.
Power and plug adapters, along with things like extension cords, power strips, etc., can be bought in Hong Kong for fairly cheap. Ask a local to take you to a district called Sham Shui Po, it's just a few train stops away from CityU and you can find all your electrical needs from the street vendors. It's better if a local can go with you because they'll probably know which exit from the train station to take is best, and be able to communicate with the people at the vendors to make sure you get the proper equipment. |
