hkskyline

Tap water is actually not cold during the summer months as the searing heat warms up the water tanks on the roofs of buildings.

nacho

Of course! HK summer is like a big sauna. It's the thing that I really don't miss about HK.

falconea

I actually buy the biggest bottle I can get and use it to refill the small bottle I carry around. :+>

Audrey

mdevans

The water is OK but the beer tastes better

alpen1

I found the taste to be a bit off, I still drank it from the tap if I was thirsty but would usually boil it then put the kettle in the fridge.

zerogx

In HK I boil then leave it to cool, but in London I filter from the tap.

How does boiling water cost a lot? Remember that 95% of restaurants serve hot tea +/- water whether you want it or not, and only the higher-end restaurants charge you for it, but you are actually paying for the air-con, not the water.

I get colds in HK at 15°C but not in London at 5°C (unless someone sneezes directly into my face - grr)

nacho

I was referring to a previous post about why Cold drinks cost extra but not hot drinks. What I said was that it costs pretty much the same to make hot/cold drinks.

Heating things up costs a lot of $$$ - I'm sure you know since you live in London. When I was living in the UK, I filtered water and then boil it and drink it because my Brita filter jug had a black charcoal layer from the filter. I think it's a bit weird to drink it straight from there - I know it's perfectly safe.

You do pay for 'tea' at yum cha restaurants, even at Tim Ho Wan.

readyforchange

Why run the risk of getting sick when you can afford bottled water.

If you are on vacation, why take the chance of getting ill?

Jamoldo

Have lived in HKG for over 4 years and never in a nice/new building by any means. Always have drank the tap. Have never been sick. Continue to drink tap to this day.

readyforchange

You probably had a strong immune system to start with. By now your body is used to whatever is in the water .

Jamoldo

I'm not so sure, but appreciate the compliment . Plenty of people I know here drink tap water.

I think, sadly for HK and some other places, the fact that its in Asia and was "developing" in the past or to some "is" (and then some visit here and realize its developed), probably does not help with the perception that the tap water is not safe. I am sure there are old buildings with poor plumbing/pipes etc in NA/Europe though people pay it no attention and drink the tap stuff.

I know I drank the tap stuff on my first visit in 1996 (as did my family) when I did a lot less travel and perhaps was more sensitive and nothing happened either.

In the end I would not worry about it (especially as a resident), but if on a business trip it never hurts to be more cautious, regardless.

readyforchange

I got sick gargling tap water at a hotel in Los Angeles. LOL.

Here in Bangkok I brush my teeth with tap water here. No problems yet.

I remember at the St. Regis in Singapore I drank a glass of water and no problems.

1010101

Never had an issue with it since i moved. The locals boil it through habit more than anything - back in the day you had to. Now, unless you're in a grotty old building, of which there are very few left in central area, you dont need to bother.

Given the general hygiene standards of people here, there is plenty more worth worrying about than the water.

kaka

tap water in hk is drinkable. iim sure i do it a lot in resturants - some have filters and im sure not all and i've drank from them.

ice in cha chan teng: they buy it. that's why the shape is always the same.

boiling water cuz chinese thinks "raw" water and "cooked" water respond differently to body. Hence many of those suggestions.

However if the building is old i suggest buying water. there's not much boiling can do to metal deposits and rust. or dissolvable metal ions.

beep88

How often do they clean out the roof top water tanks in residential buildings? Once a decade, maybe? or when dead bodies are found?