Hong Kong, SAR Of China (Part 4 of 6)

Being in Hong Kong, how can we missed eating Tim Sum. Hence we decided to have Tim Sum breakfast for day 3. Yummy yummy breakfast. The only unpleasant thing was an old lady who shared the table with us spat on the carpet.

Tim Sum

Tim Sum

Day 3 was set aside for shopping. We went into malls after malls, and out came bags after bags of things. We stopped by this shop for lunch. The serving was huge, so don't over order. Otherwise you won't be able to finish the food.

Lunch

Sandwiches

Corn Beef Rice and Fried Rice

After lunch we continued touring and shopping at Harbour City Complex (amaze of hotels and inter-connecting malls) near the ferry terminal and visited the Avenue of Stars. We thought it was going to rain in the night, and would miss the Symphony of Light. Luckily the performance started as scheduled.

Ferry Terminal

KCR Station Clock Tower

Harbour Area

Dinner was settled at a nearby store, so that we could find a good spot to view the Symphony of Light. We bought a number of desserts from the famous store Hui Lau Shan to keep us occupied while waiting for the Symphony of Light performance.

Dinner

Dinner

Hui Lau Shan

After the show, we did some more shopping around Ladies Market and Fa Yuen Streets. On our way to hotel, there were plenty of nice food, so we bought some back to hotel for supper.

Supper

Desserts

Desserts

Hong Kong, SAR Of China (Part 3 of 6)

Hong Kong trip was not done with much research on food. We started day 2 at the the following shop beside our hotel. The shop did not look very appealing, but breakfast was nice. Not knowing Cantonese, made communication a bit difficult. But that did not prevent us from ordering food or getting our way around Hong Kong.

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

The first destination is Tung Chung Station, where we did much shopping at City Gate Outlets. This was where we got all our cheap branded stuff. The mall was huge, hence we had to watch our time, in order to keep to our planned itinerary.

City Gate Outlets

Next we proceeded to Ngong Ping Cable Car to board the cable car to Ngong Ping. A transport that was more expensive then bus, but it is worth it for the scenic view from the cable car. It was rather a long journey up to Ngong Ping.

Ticketing counter

Place of boarding cable car

View from cable car

View from cable car

Village directory

View of the village

Dessert shop

Dessert

Dessert

The village covered a wide area. You need to plan you time well to visit the place, shop and have lunch and dessert. Since we were near to Tai O, we did not want to miss visiting Tai O. We hopped on to bus 21 to Tai O, to spend some time there and be backed on time to catch our cable car back to Tung Chung.

Tai O

Tai O

Tai O

Tai O

Since one of us was not feeling well, day 2 had to end early, without visiting the night streets in our planned itinerary.

Hong Kong, SAR Of China (Part 2 of 6)

We started our day 1 in Hong Kong, by buying the Octupus Card and having lunch at Hong Kong International Airport. After recharged with the delicious ramen, we hopped onto City Bus A21 that brought us right to the door step of Metropark Hotel, Mongkok, where we stayed for four nights.

City Bus A21

We had forgotten to take photos of our room and the hotel. The view outside from our room did not look fantastic. But it did reflect the typical side of Hong Kong. We did not need a nice surrounding view, but a good location near to the the metro station. The nearest Prince Edward Metro Station was just a short 5 minutes walk from the hotel.

Outside View From Hotel Room

Outside View From Hotel Room

After a quick freshening up, we embarked on our first adventure in Hong Kong. We took the metro from Prince Edward Station to Central Station, then walked to the Peak Tram Station to take the tram to the Peak to have a good view of this beautiful island and visit Madame Tussauds.

Peak Tram Station

Peak Tram

Inside View of Peak Tram

It was a steep journey up, up and up. A tourist guide could actually stand without holding to any railings throughout the journey without falling, which surprised all of us. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and misty, hence we could not have a clear view of Hong Kong. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the cool temperature and the scenic view from the Peak.

View from the Peak

View from the Peak

View from the Peak

View from the Peak

View from the Peak

We were glad that we decided to buy the tickets and tour Madame Tussauds. It was a price paid without regrets. We took plenty of photos with the "famous people". The afternoon was spent at the Peak, taking in the scenery, touring Madame Tussauds, shopping and having tea-time at Pacific Coffee.

The rest of the day was spent around Central Station, taking photos of buildings, shopping at IFC Mall and later at Temple Street.

Hong Kong, SAR Of China (Part 1 of 6)

After blogging about the recent trip to Macau in Aug 2012, thought that I should also write up something about my trip to Hong Kong in May 2010. Hope that the sharing and the pictures will provide some ideas to those who plan to visit both Hong Kong and Macau at the same time.

Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, and over 200 offshore islands, of which the largest is Lantau Island.

Language

Cantonese is spoken by 88 per cent of people in Hong Kong. Mandarin has become more widely spoken in Hong Kong since the reunification in 1997. English is the language of preference in the government, business and tourism sectors. All official signs and public transport announcements, as well as most menus, are bilingual.

Currency

The legal tender in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar (HKD). There are banknotes and coins in the following denominations:

Coins: 10, 20 and 50 cents; 1, 2, 5 and 10 HKD.

Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 HKD.

Climate

Hong Kong has a sub-tropical climate with distinct seasons (Spring from Mar to May, Summer from June to Aug, Autumn from Sep to Nov, Winter from Dec to Feb). Typhoon season begins in May and ends in November. When a typhoon is approaching, warnings are broadcast on television and radio. There are various degrees of warning signals issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, but when the no. 8 signal is in place, most businesses and shops close down and flights may be cancelled. There is a separate warning system for heavy rain.

Electricity

Electricity in Hong Kong is at 220V, 50Hz. The power plugs used in Hong Kong are of the three-pin, square-shaped or round-shaped type.

Safety and Security

In emergency situations, you can contact the local police, ambulance service, fire department and other emergency services by calling 999.

If you lose your passport, make a 'lost report' at the nearest police station. Then contact Singapore Consulate (Address: Unit 901, 9th Floor, Admiralty Centre Tower, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong | Operating Hours: 9am-12.30pm and 2pm-5.30pm from Mon to Fri) to have passport replace at +001(852)25272212 or 001(852)94661251. If your wallet or valuables are lost or stolen, please notify your hotel immediately and report the theft to police. Keep a separate record of your credit card numbers and report the loss to your card issuers as quickly as possible.

Internet Facilities

Free Wi-Fi services are available in Hong Kong at government buildings, Hong Kong International Airport, MTR iCentres an PCCW Wi-Fi hotspots.

Getting to Hong Kong

By Sea

Visitors coming by cruise vessels will be arriving at Harbour Control at Ocean Terminal which is the sole cruise terminal in Hong Kong at present. A new world class cruise terminal will be built at the former Kai Tak Runway and is expected to be completed in 2013.

Visitors coming from Macau or China, they will be landing at sea control points China Ferry Terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal at Sheung Wan, Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal at Tuen Mun.

By Land

Visitors coming from China via train or bus will be arriving at the following points:

• Hunghom Control Point - Travelers taking through train from various cities of China will arrive at Hunghom which can be accessed by MTR East Rail Line, bus, minibus, taxi, coach and private vehicles
• Lok Ma Chau Control Point - This is accessed by bus and private vehicle and is the only border control point which offers 24-hour immigration services.
• Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point - This crossing can be accessed by the MTR East Rail Line, by bus/minibuses or by taxi
• Lo Wu Control Point - This can only be accessed by the MTR East Rail Line
• Man Kam To Control Point - This crossing is mostly used by private vehicles and cross-boundary buses.
• Sha Tau Kok Control Point - This can be accessed by taking the cross-boundary coach
• Shenzhen Bay Control Point - This can be accessed by private vehicles and cross-boundary buses.

By Air

If you arrive in the city by plane, from Hong Kong International Airport you’ll have direct access to train, bus, taxi and hotel transport to get you to and around town, as well as shuttle buses and high-speed ferries to transport you to Mainland China.

All passengers aged 12 and above departing Hong Kong International Airport must pay a $120 Air Passenger Departure Tax (normally included in the price of the airline ticket). This is waived for passengers who arrive and depart the same day. There is also a security charge of $33 (normally included in the price of the airline ticket) to maintain the standards of safety, security and passenger services currently required at international airports.

Local Transportation

Train

The MTR’s high-speed Airport Express train is the fastest transport link to the airport and takes approximately 24 minutes to reach Hong Kong Island. Airport Express passengers can catch a free shuttle bus from Kowloon and Hong Kong stations to major hotels. Both these stations also provide free in-town check-in services for major airlines when you’re returning to the airport. Please contact your airline for further information.

Coach and Limousine Charter

Passengers who require their own personal limousines, minivans, vans and group coaches (buses) can book their transport from service providers located in the Arrivals Hall of Terminal 1 or in the coach station located in Terminal 2.

Tram

Take a step back in time and explore the bustling north corridor of Hong Kong Island aboard one of the city's historic trams. Grab a seat next to a window on the upper deck for the best views. Neighbourhoods you might pass through on your journey include some of Hong Kong's most colourful, such as Western district, Wan Chai, Happy Valley, Causeway Bay and North Point. Trams run daily from early morning until midnight. No matter how far you travel, each tram ride costs a flat fare of $2.30 and exact change is required if you are paying by cash. All trams accept Octopus cards. You need to get on the tram at the back and then pay the exact fare at the front when you’re getting off.

Bus and Minibus

There are 12 convenient Airbus ‘A’ routes that can take you from the airport to key locations on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and in the New Territories (including Lantau Island) with fewer stops than an ordinary city bus. When you exit the Arrivals Hall, turn right to find Airbuses and city buses.

Kowloon Motor Bus, New World First Bus and Citybus operate routes that cover Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. New Lantao Bus mainly operates on Lantau Island and Long Win Bus provides services to north Lantau Island and the airport. Final destinations are prominently displayed in English and Chinese on the front of each bus.

Minibuses are small buses that carry approximately 16 people. Green minibuses operate along specific routes at fixed prices. Exact change is required if paying by cash and they all accept Octopus cards. Red minibuses operate along routes that are not always fixed and passengers can get on and off anywhere along the route, except where special prohibitions apply. You pay as you alight when travelling on a red minibus and the driver can usually provide change for small notes.

Your baby can read!

In year 2008, Dr. Titzer was in Singapore to give a workshop on "Your Baby Can Read". This created an exciting buzz for 40 "kiasu" Singaporean parents and parents-to-be.

Dr. Titzer highlighted the importance of stimulating infants and shared tips on how parents can teach their babies language skills using multi-sensory activities. Dr Titzer shared that: "There is only one natural windows of opportunity for babies to learn languages; spoken language, written language, sign language and second languages naturally and easily from infancy, from about birth to age four. After that age, it will become increasingly difficult to learn at hight level."

Most of us know that the best learning time frame for kids is up-to the age of four, hence parents are squeezing the kids with all kinds of activities and programme. Is this healthy for the kids? I think that the reasons those parents attended the workshop, not only like to see the miracles that the kids can read at a young age, but rather to learn from the expert as to how to do it in the correct way, unlocking the kids potential, without stressing the kids.

About Dr Robert Titzer

What is Your Baby Can Read

Is breast thermography an alternative to mammograhy screening?

I still remember that many years ago, I wanted to go for Mammography Screening as I felt that something not right with my breast. I requested for it during a regular health screening, but was rejected as it was only recommended for women aged 40 and above. I was puzzled as to why it was not given. Isn't it better to have it detected early. Although I was not given the approval for screening, I still choose to believe that the experts in medical fields has made the best recommendation for me then. As in the world of medicine, it is too profound for a layman to understand the side effects and condition requirements in order for the machine/ technology to produce the accurate results.

In recent years, I came across a new word, Breast Thermography. It promotes having the advantages of no radiation, no compression, painless, non-invasive, no age restriction, and effective for all breast sizes. Although such method is approved in United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned women not to substitute breast thermography for mammography to screen for breast cancer. It is considered as an experimental technique in Singapore (based on year 2010).

Mammography Screen Vs Breast Thermography

Mammography screening is a low-dose x-ray examination of the breast that can pick up very small breast cancers. During mammography screening, the breast is gently flattened between two plates of the X-ray machine for a few seconds, to spread the tissue apart and get a good image of the breast. Images of the breast are taken and developed by a radiographer (a technician) who then hands the X-ray films to a radiologist (a doctor) to check for abnormalities. It is recommended that women aged 40 - 49 should go for mammography screening once a year, and women above 50 should go for one, once in 2 years.

Breast Thermography is diagnostic imaging procedure that detects and records an image called thermogram of a patient's skin surface temperatures. It does not utilise ionizing radiation or venous access, or other invasive procedures. It is a non-touch technique, which measure the blood flow in the breast. It is suitable for younger women from 18 to 50 years of age.