8 fun indoor things to do without worrying about wild weather
With intense heat and the frequent threat of sudden heavy rain, August is one of the most tempestuous months in Hong Kong. So don't let the weather spoil your weekends — hunker down indoors and entertain yourselves
It's that time of year when, if you haven't managed to snag some time away from Hong Kong, you might think twice about venturing into the stew of heat and humidity outside. For those in that frame of mind, we've come up with eight things to do indoors, from pure couch-potato activities to games that get your competitive juices flowing, to yoga with your dog.
Mahjong
This is an obvious but still a solid choice. Known in Cantonese as "dry land swimming" - because the circular arm movement employed to shuffle tiles resembles swimming strokes - mahjong remains this city's favourite game. In fact, it has been so popular that Hongkongers have developed their own rules. These rules are relatively straightforward (especially when compared with Japanese rules) and players need only 14 tiles to win, not 17 as in the Taiwanese version.
But these rules - like the game itself - continue to evolve and there are now so many variations that all four participants have to agree on terms (including the amount of payout) before the dice are cast for the first round. Most Hongkongers still favour the 13-tile local rules, but another mutated strand of the game, courtesy of Canadian returnees, has been creeping into the local mahjong scene in recent years.