Recording 14

Jack: Oh, I hadn't thought of that. What's the

Claire: Hello Jack. How much longer before you leave
accommodation like?
for Hong Kong?
Claire: Well, the rooms tend to be smaller than here
Jack: Hi Claire, it's about a month now. Actually I
could use a hit of advice. You used to live but you can get bigger places on one of the
there, didn't you? other islands. A friend oi mine rented a lovely
place on Lam.ma Island. The only problem was
Claire: That's right. What sorts of things do you need
to know? he had to get up really early to catch the ferry
Jack: Wei� I've got to find somewhere to live quite to work.
Jack: What's the transport like generally?
quickly. The company are only paying for me
Claire: Fanta.stic! The underground system is called
to stay in a hotel for one week. Will that be
enough? the MTR and there are train.,; every couple of
Claire: Yes, you should be able to find something by minutes, so you don't have to wait for ages like
then, but you'll need to allow a bit of extra we do here. You should try to use it whenever
you can. The bus system is a bit more
time to get over the jet lag; there's a big time
difference between there and the UK. complicated because there are normal double
decker buses but there are also smaller buses
called 'public light buses'. They only stop when
you ask them to so you'll have to learn some
Cantonese if you want to take one of those.
The Star Ferry is amazing. It's so cheap and
you get the best view of the harbour - you
really have to see it to believe it. You should
always carry plenty of loose change though for
the buses and the ferries.
Jack: The company has offered us Cantonese lessons
when I get there. Do you think I should take
them?
Claire: Oh, definitely, you must have lessons if you
want to be able to pronounce things correctly.
You don't need to speak Cantonese in the
bigger shops but you'll need some basic
phrases when you go shopping in the local
markeL
Jack: ls there anything else I need to know?
Claire: Well, nowadays you have to get a work permit
before you go. We didn't have to worry about
those when I was there.
Jack: Yes, that's already taken care of.
Oaire: And you mustn't dress too casually for work.
Everyone dresses really well in Hong Kong.
Jack: I'll remember that.
Claire: Oh, and you needn't buy lots of guide books
before you go. You can get great ones there for
a fraction of the price. Also, you ought to take
lots of passport photos with you. You'll find
you need lots to fill in any application forms.
Jack: Great! I'm getting pretty excited now.
Claire: I'm not surprised. Oh, one last thing ...
Jack: What's that?
Qaire: You must invite me to visit you!