I therefore conclude....

Look into any window shop of any clothing retailer in HK and you will see the same thing: winter garb, and the hordes of HK residents buying them.

This scares the bejeezus out of me. Apart from the biker jacket (that can only be worn on weekends) I have no winter clothes. Sure I brought the random sweater and my trusty pack of sandos (layering is key), but I don't have Monster's wardrobe of outerwear.

So what do I do when faced with the possiblity of freezing my ass off the next month or so? Well, first I panicked slightly. Then, when the shortness of breath and sweaty palms went away, I decided to conduct an experiment. A test to see (a) how cold it really gets in HK and (b) if there is any basis for all the fuss about winter clothing.

My experiment was both research and trial based. First, research. I went on-line and found historical weather patterns for the last 5 years in HK. According to the material I found, the average temperature in December and January is anywhere between 8-12 centigrage. Ok, not so bad. That's in the high 40's - low 50's for you Americans.

Next, trial. Each trial involved three parts. First I checked the weather before going out. Then I doned what I believed was appropriate outerwear for such temperature and weather condition. And then finally, I observed what the other locals wore to see if they were wearing more or less the same type of apparel. I planned trials to last for a week. It's Day 3 and I have my answer.

The short answer: malamigin ang mga Intsik (Use of the term not meant to be pejorative, but merely descriptive of the mongoloid race.)

First, it's not that cold. It's suit jacket weather. You can actually walk around in a long sleeved shirt (with sando). And if it gets colder (it's 12c now, and the lowest it can go is around 8c) a scarf will do just fine.

Second, you should take a look at what the good people of HK are wearing: knee high boots, mufflers, down jackets, layers upon layers of outerwear. All at 12c! Imagine what they'll be wearing at 8c.

I wouldn't be surprised if they hauled around igloos and went around in dog sleds.