Paul B
I dig hammocks.
I know my retort is a number of hours late but see ya in a couple weeks Squishie! If ya dont respond to this thread within 12 hours, you buy the beer! 
Tree Reb
TreeHouser
rumination
Migratory Hippie Arbolist
Yup, in HK now. Enjoying the snappy internet connection I've got, although not so much the air pollution.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I bet. What is the exchange rate nowadays? When I was there, 10 yankee bucks would get you about 7 HK dollars.
rumination
Migratory Hippie Arbolist
They've now tied the Hong Kong dollar to the USA dollar. It's about 7.8 HKD per 1 USD and it hardly changes much at all.
I'll bet things were WAAAY cheaper when you were here. It's an expensive place now for a lot of things.
I'll bet things were WAAAY cheaper when you were here. It's an expensive place now for a lot of things.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Eating tasty food there, Leon? I remember tips are a big deal there, funny after Japan, where tipping isn't done anywhere. I guess it wouldn't seem so unusual when coming from the states?
rumination
Migratory Hippie Arbolist
I've been told tipping is a standard 10% and a lot of places just add it into the bill. Unless you eat at cheap dives like me, where the few coins left over from your change are sufficient.
Actually, I have to search pretty hard to find tasty food here, although I am pretty picky so take that for what it's worth. Most of the time when doing lunch with coworkers I don't get to choose the lunch place, anyways. Practically nobody brings their lunch with them to work here, everybody eating out, so there are oodles of little (and huge) lunch places. Depending who I'm working with will determine the class of lunch spot we end up at. If I'm going out with the ground crew I can pretty much be guaranteed a 3 dollar meal of fried rice/noodles or some such, drink included. If I'm out with the management types it'll be dim sum. Some of the dim sum is pretty darned good and if you go with several people it actually comes out fairly inexpensive as well, in the neighborhood of $7-10 per person for some seriously labor intensive food. I'll pass on the chicken feet and pork knuckles, though.
Actually, I have to search pretty hard to find tasty food here, although I am pretty picky so take that for what it's worth. Most of the time when doing lunch with coworkers I don't get to choose the lunch place, anyways. Practically nobody brings their lunch with them to work here, everybody eating out, so there are oodles of little (and huge) lunch places. Depending who I'm working with will determine the class of lunch spot we end up at. If I'm going out with the ground crew I can pretty much be guaranteed a 3 dollar meal of fried rice/noodles or some such, drink included. If I'm out with the management types it'll be dim sum. Some of the dim sum is pretty darned good and if you go with several people it actually comes out fairly inexpensive as well, in the neighborhood of $7-10 per person for some seriously labor intensive food. I'll pass on the chicken feet and pork knuckles, though.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
I had some excellent bread in Hong Kong, a little bakery on a side street.
The nice aroma coming out the door compelled me to go in, plus some tasty looking loaves in the window. It was a little sweet, but very soft and yummy. I don't think that you normally see Chinese as bread eaters.
The nice aroma coming out the door compelled me to go in, plus some tasty looking loaves in the window. It was a little sweet, but very soft and yummy. I don't think that you normally see Chinese as bread eaters.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
It was way expensive when I was there too, Leon. I never liked that port of call.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Buying stuff though, I've never seen such wheeling and dealing. I bought a ruby ring for my wife at a jewelry shop. I told them the price was too high, and it started a chain reaction of negotiating. When I tried to walk out they were practically hanging on my legs to prevent it. They really came way down, so I purchased. I hope they made some money on the deal.
top_notch
Treehouser
Hey Leon and Woodworkingboy, did you guys move to Japan to do tree work, I mean, I'm sure it wasn't the only reason. Is there a lot of work over there? I have a buddy whose been over there for three years teaching English...been meaning to visit him. What qualifications does one have to have to get work over there...speak Japanese?
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Qualifications..... well, knowing somebody that knows somebody might get you in, and saying that mostly because the language barrier could likely be a big handicap in trying to get someone to take you on. Given that you could initially get around that somehow, a proven capacity to do the work might alleviate a lot of the language inconveniences for both sides, plus you'd be learning the lingo that applies to what you are doing.
If I was coming over to Japan with the intent of doing tree work, I'd want to stay in the big cities, especially Tokyo or maybe Osaka. Big city may not be your preferred environment, the traffic is a living hell, but the diversity of work there is much expanded, as you can imagine in an ancient place with a lot of narrow streets, where mechanical equipment often can't get in. Also, there are more people doing it, so better opportunities in that regard.
Last and maybe not least, there can be a huge quantity of other things of great interest for a young man in the cities.
Out in the countryside, it tends to be more old boy, and work is way down, given the economy. Nice if you could get connected to a good outfit in a more rural and attractive place, but such opportunities are rather limited, imo.
Hope this might help.
If I was coming over to Japan with the intent of doing tree work, I'd want to stay in the big cities, especially Tokyo or maybe Osaka. Big city may not be your preferred environment, the traffic is a living hell, but the diversity of work there is much expanded, as you can imagine in an ancient place with a lot of narrow streets, where mechanical equipment often can't get in. Also, there are more people doing it, so better opportunities in that regard.
Last and maybe not least, there can be a huge quantity of other things of great interest for a young man in the cities.
Out in the countryside, it tends to be more old boy, and work is way down, given the economy. Nice if you could get connected to a good outfit in a more rural and attractive place, but such opportunities are rather limited, imo.
Hope this might help.
top_notch
Treehouser
Thanks for the info, I still have about a year of school left, just pipe dreaming in my head. How does the government feel about foreigners working there?
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
I worked for a year over there. Work visas aren't as easy for American's to get as they are for Canadians and Australians as I remember it. You could get a three month tourist visa and work under the table or you could try to find someone to sponsor you for a work visa.
top_notch
Treehouser
Daren, did you enjoy your time over there?
jefflovstrom@sb
TreeHouser
I got 'Rolled ' in Kowloon in 1980. My chief petty officer told me not to got there, so I did. Bought alot of wiskey off the side of the ship.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Agree with Darin on the visa thing. No way that you could get pay legally, without a proper sponsorship leading to a working visa, which is very likely more hassle than you or your potential employer would want to get into. That line of work, not so much a skill recognized as being something that a foreigner might have over a Japanese, thus the need for the outsider taking away the potential wages of a native. A good climber to train people here is a very required individual, but immigration doesn't have a clue about that.
Working for under the table seems the only practical approach. There are some risks for an employer to do that, but many still do. If you got caught, you'd get the boot immediately, possibly after a few uncomfortable nights in the police station. I'd want to be as low key as possible. Best thing would to come here and check it out in the area where your buddy is located. I don't think it would take long to get a good idea of what is going on. It could be a very enjoyable thing, and maybe by degrees less problematical than I've described, aside from the poor probability of getting a work visa.
Working for under the table seems the only practical approach. There are some risks for an employer to do that, but many still do. If you got caught, you'd get the boot immediately, possibly after a few uncomfortable nights in the police station. I'd want to be as low key as possible. Best thing would to come here and check it out in the area where your buddy is located. I don't think it would take long to get a good idea of what is going on. It could be a very enjoyable thing, and maybe by degrees less problematical than I've described, aside from the poor probability of getting a work visa.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
He could much more easily get a visa to teach English and then climb on the side. Look into the JET program.
http://www.jetprogramme.org/
http://www.jetprogramme.org/
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I had tons of fun in Japan!
top_notch
Treehouser
By all means elaborate
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
Single would have been more fun.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
There are so many young women in Tokyo, presumably a great portion unattached, wherever you go, it is mind boggling.
top_notch
Treehouser
Sounds a lot like the University of Florida!
Treepreacher51
TreeHouser
I'm all packed up and chomping at the bit. My brother and nephew should be here by 4PM. We're off to X12 zone for deer hunting. We both have bear tags as well. I'll be hunting in Hoover wilderness off Hwy 395 near Bridgeport. Well that's where we'll hit the trail head. We're taking horses and mules in. It's a spot trip. We'll be dropped off tomorrow morning and picked up Tuesday morning next week.
Hopefully I'll have some photos to post
Good luck to all those hunting this year.
Hopefully I'll have some photos to post
Good luck to all those hunting this year.
Treepreacher51
TreeHouser
Thanks. And I hear ya about being safe. We've back packed in this area for about 20 years and this is the first yaer getting a draw. The nice part is we'll likely not see another or packer the whole week.
