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Travel tips in Hong
Kong
Much of this information comes courtesy of
L. Michael Roberts, who has visited Neo-Neon a number of times.
Michael's comments are boxed. Also, this
page is formatted for easy printing -- make a copy and keep it with you
on your trip!
Where to find maps
There are additional
maps, primarily of the Hong Kong area, on
this page.
Visas
Entering Hong Kong is
easy; you need a valid passport. To enter China, you will need a visa.
This is best obtained in advance, although it can be possible to obtain
the visa in Hong Kong. For more information, see the
ILDA Conference passport and visa
page.
Flight and travel
times
 Typical
flight times to
Hong Kong airport (HKG): Los Angeles 14.5 hours; Orlando
20 hrs; London 11.5 hrs; Frankfurt 11 hrs; Moscow 13 hrs; Sydney 9 hrs,
Tokyo 4.25 hrs.
After arriving in Hong Kong, take a 2.5 hour ferry ride to Jiang
Men (Jiangmen). The ferry to Jiang Men is the fastest way to the
Neo-Neon factory. There are usually three ferries a day. The cost is
US$26-31 depending on class.
Travel strategy
Because the flight times
can be long, Michael recommends staying overnight in Hong Kong before
taking the ferry:
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I would recommend an
overnight in Hong Kong. The jet lag from a 12 hour time change is really
hard on me.
My usual strategy when going
to China is to depart on a Wednesday or a Thursday as you get there the
next day because of crossing the International Date Line. I then go to
my hotel and take a 2-3 hour nap... then get up and have dinner, wander
around and generally try to stay active until 23:00 (11 pm) local time
then I go to sleep. I find that this way, I am in sync with the local
time after the initial day off.
I strongly recommend an
overnight in HK before going to Neo-Neon. You know what ILDA is like...
the moment you appear, you will be besieged with people wanting things
so best to have slept off the jet lag and be relativity fresh before
arriving.
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Where to stay in Hong Kong
The most convenient area
to stay is in the Tsim Sha Tsui section of Kowloon (see
ILDA Conference map page).
There is an MTR transit station from the airport here, and the China
Ferry Terminal is located in this area. According to
Wikipedia, "The area has the highest concentration of hotels in Hong
Kong... (H)otels in virtually every price range, and level of luxury can
be found throughout the area."
Here is a
map and links to 20 area hotels, from YourRooms.com. Other online
services should have similar listings. A 30 area hotels are marked on
the MTR
Tsim
Sha Tsui station map.
 Jim
Hardaway recommends the
Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers (pictured at right and also
below): "It is right there at the ferry
terminal which is very convenient. It is a block away from a Hard Rock
Cafe. There is a Starbucks and a McDonalds in the same building. Also
there is a travel agent there right outside the lobby of the hotel that
can arange last minute China visas. You can submit your visa application
at 9:30 am and get your visa by 1:00-1:30 pm and make the 1:30 or 5:00
pm ferry." At the Royal Pacific, a typical room rate is around
HK$1050-1250 (US$144-171).
L. Michael Roberts has
stayed in the northwest part of HK's New Territories, in the Tin Shui
Wai neighborhood. In case you are interested, here are his comments:
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Hotels in HK vary from the
reasonable to the very expensive like most major cities. If you go to
the
Chinese travel site I use to book my flights and hotels, you can see
that you can stay in hotels starting at US$85 per night - these are the
current "high season" rates. I will probably stay at the four-star
Harbour Plaza Resort City located in Tin Shui Wai, a 30-minute drive
from the Hong Kong International Airport. The hotel features in-room
internet access, a swimming pool and a fitness room. If all you need is
to sleep off Jet lag and have a shower before moving on, this might be a
good option... and the breakfast buffet (usually quite lavish in China)
is only US$6.
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Don't miss the
Symphony of Lights show
 From
the Hong Kong Tourism Board:
"This spectacular
multimedia show, already named the “World’s Largest Permanent Light and
Sound Show" by Guinness World Records, has been expanded to involve 33
key buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour.
The brand-new show creates an all-round vision of
coloured lights, laser beams and searchlights performing a stunning,
unforgettable spectacle synchronised to music and narration that
celebrates the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong.
There are five main themes - Awakening, Energy,
Heritage, Partnership and the finale, Celebration. On festive days,
special pyrotechnic displays launched from the middle of the harbour add
extra sparkle to the show.
For the best view of A Symphony of Lights, take a
harbour cruise or head to the waterfront promenades on either side of
Victoria Harbour. The show, organised by Tourism Commission, is a
must-see event on any visit to Hong Kong."
Details on seeing the show
are
here. Wikipedia has an entry
here.
| I plan to take
the
night dinner tour
as it sounds fabulous and is a great place to see
the "Symphony of Lights" which is on every night at 20:00 (8 pm).
You could consider doing the same on your arrival as direct
flights from North America usually arrive early afternoon so
enough time for a nap and then the cruise. |
Getting around in Hong Kong
Wikipedia notes that "Hong Kong has a highly developed and
sophisticated transport network (one of the world's best), encompassing
both public and private transport. Over 80% of trips are on public
transport." The Wikipedia page describes the various modes of
transportation.
Shopping in Hong
Kong
If you or your spouse likes
to shop, you'll be interested in this recent article from MSNBC.com
entitled
"Get lost in shopping heaven. Hong Kong is a shopaholic's dream."
From the Hong Kong airport to the
hotel and ferry
 If
you arrive at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), there is an
MTR Airport Express Service train that goes between the airport and
the Kowloon area, location of the China Ferry Terminal. It takes about
20 minutes to get to the
Kowloon MTR station. The fare is HK$90 (US$11.50); there is a free
porter service at all Airport Express stations to help carry passenger
luggage. There are shuttle buses at the Kowloon station which go to
several major area hotels.
Transit maps are on the
ILDA Conference map page.
On transit maps, the MTR line is colored teal.
There is a very detailed
Wikipedia
page about the Airport Express which is a great guide.
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Almost all
transportation in China is marked in both Chinese Characters and
English. So as long as you know the pinyan (English equivalent)
for where you are going, its no problem.
The average Chinese is
also very helpful and most people in business who cater to
tourists [train, plane and ferry staff] have enough basic English
to point you in the right direction... just don't leave things to
the last minute.
All hotels in China
have "Taxi Cards" at the front desk. You just go there and tell
them where you want to go and they fill it in in Chinese
characters. You show the taxi driver and he takes you there -
conveniently, the cards have the hotel name in English and Chinese
on the back so you can take another taxi back!
As far as I know,
there are only 2 ferry terminals in Hong Kong and Jim can tell you
in advance which one to go to. I can also arrange for our Chinese
engineer to make you a GIF file with Chinese characters which you
can print and bring along to show a taxi driver. |
Paying for hotel, travel
and other costs
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Typically VISA and
Mastercard are not a problem in touristy areas of China and I
expect even less so in Hong Kong. You can always change some money
at the airport or carry U.S. currency (small, new notes like $20)
as those are quite readily accepted. All of the major banks in
China and most hotels will do foreign exchange of US$ or US$
American Express travellers cheques.
There are many bank
machines (especially in hotels that cater to tourists) that belong
to the
VISA PLUS network so I can even use my debit card to take out
cash from my Canadian account. |
From Hong Kong to Jiang Men
via ferry
 Take the CKS (Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co.) ferry from Hong
Kong to Jiang Men.
Caution: There is a ferry to He Shen, the city close to
Neo-Neon, but do NOT take the He Shen ferry. Take the Jiang Men
ferry instead.
You will need to
leave from the China Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong town (not from
the Hong Kong airport). A CKS schedule is
here.
In the Route
Selection listbox, select "Jiang Men", then enter the date of travel
at right. Scroll down the Route column at left
until you see "Jiang Men". Here is a typical entry for
Jiang Men. On this
particular day, there are three trips, at 8:30 am, 13:30 (1:30 pm)
and 17:00 (5:00 pm). There are also three
return trips from Jiang Men back to Hong Kong.
According to the
ferry price page,
ticket prices for the Hong Kong-to-Jiang Men trip are HK$240 VIP
class (US$31), HK$220 F class (US$28) and HK$200 G class (US$26).
Ticket prices for the return trip are slightly lower.
Arrival in Jiang Men --
from the ferry to the Neo-Neon factory
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As an honoured foreign
visitor, the factory will send an 8-10 seater air-conditioned mini bus
to pick you up up at dockside... complete with very helpful professional
driver who will insist on helping you with your luggage.
Here is a picture of the
van, in front of the main gate of the Neo-Neon factory complex:
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