Holidaying in Singapore, Hong Kong and tips on getting to Shenzhen

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HONG KONG

Octopus Card – this is a “must” for getting around on the MTR (trains), buses, ferries, trams and can even be used at some shops. A $50HK deposit and any credits are easily refundable at any MTR station (50% discount for seniors including visitors)

YMCA Salisbury Hotel – Salisbury Road / Middle Road / Hankow Street, Kowloon
The Hotel is excellent in all respects. It is very well located near the Harbour – close to TST (Tsim Shat Sui) MTR. Food shops are close by. It has a great café for western style meals (20% discount for seniors including visitors) – no need to go anywhere else to eat. Very clean, friendly service, and strong 24 hour security – can leave bags there for small charge. Has a full gym, indoor pool, spa etc. Check out rooms with a harbour view (costs a little extra) – they have a great view of the harbour laser / light show at night.

We went to Lantau Island (Grays Tours) or a ½ day tour and recommend this trip - don’t try to find your own way around, there isn’t enough time and transport on the Island is a bit unreliable. The Tour comprises a coach to Tung Chung then take the Sky rail for a 25min / 5.7klms / 112 cabins ride over land and water to Ngong Ping – great views looking back to the International Airport – but terrible smog. See the giant Tian Tan Buddha and then 5 minutes to Po Lin to see the Monastery. Then coach to Taio fishing village (houses built on stilts in the water and another monastery) and coach to Tung Chung for ferry back to Central. This is a great half-day out.

We found the Ladies markets in Tung Choi Street Mong Kok to be much better than the Temple St markets. It’s great fun “haggleing” over prices; the stall holders are very good at it and they also enjoy the fun. Take the MTR to Mong Kok, then cross to the RHS of MTR and keep walking for a couple of streets. Take a fold up bag with you to carry everything. The Stanley Markets are quite good but seem more expensive and not much “haggling” goes on.

Wan Chi HK (computers, cameras etc)
To get to the building where theses are sold, catch the MTR to Wan Chi station, take exit A4 and go up the steps to ground level in Hennessy Road, turn left and the store is up the escalators above MacDonald’s restaurant (there is also a lift at the MTR on the left near the A4 exit to ground level, if you want to avoid the steps). Know exactly what you want – model numbers and cost at home as they are very busy.


SHENZHEN, CHINA

Take the KCR train to Shenzhen – you can only buy your ticket on the day you are travelling. To get to the KCR TST East ticket counter and platforms from the YMCA, go to the MTR entry point near the Kowloon Hotel in Middle Road (2 minutes away) and take the L3 exit / entry – also take L3 exit when returning (there is an up escalator here)

Buy a return 1st class tickets to the border station at Lo Wu (they are twice the cost of 2nd class (½ price for seniors), but you are almost certain to get a seat up and back and they are very comfortable – some seats face backwards. We left TST East at 9.25am and were out of the Lo Wu railway station by 10.45am – so it only took 1hr 20min for the trip and to get through 2 lots of immigration, Visa approval and customs (it just seems longer).

To save time, if you can get forms from someone who has been there, fill out the following forms before you arrive –

“Shenzhen Visa Application Card” form
“Entry Card” (into China) form
“Departure Card” (from China) form (for leaving Shenzhen)
“Immigration Dept Hong Kong – Arrival Card” form

Spare photos are not required (you only need them if you get your visa through an agent).
On arrival at Lo Wu railway station, at the escalators, turns left and take the escalator up to the Visa Office; join the queue and give them the “Shenzhen Visa Application Card” form and your passport - in return they will give you a card with a number on it. Take a seat and wait for your number to be called. Pay the fee and get your Passport and Visa.

Then go downstairs again and join the “Foreigners” queue for the Chinese Immigration. When cleared, follow the exit signs to Customs and you will see bag scanners seemingly unattended (they observe via computers). Put your own bags through the scanner, pick-up your bags and again follow the exit signs. To get to the Best Western Hotel where we stayed, exit the station, turn left and go up the escalators, turn left again and go over the overhead bridge. The Best Western is then straight ahead – about 2 minutes walk. It is a very modern multi story western style hotel with all facilities. Rooms are very comfortable, food is great and staff very helpful and it is close to the main shopping area.

ATMs – There are very few ATMs for foreign cards.Lo Wu Railway Station – As you are about to exit the station, turn to your right and a HSBC ATM is located on the left hand wall near the far wall straight ahead. The ATM Takes Cirrus MasterCard and Visa etc.

There is another ATM within the multi storey Lo Wu Commercial City shopping centre where everyone shops, but it is hard to find so you would have to ask people for help.

Yet another ATM located on the outside and at the back of the Shangrila Hotel (bit hard to find so ask at the Hotel).


Lo Wu Commercial City

To get to the Lo Wu Commercial City building from the Best Western, when you exit the Hotel, turn right, cross the small street and take the overhead bridge across the main road (this is NOT the same overhead bridge you took getting from the station to the Hotel). Go up the steps then straight ahead and take the steps down – the Lo Wu Commercial City shopping centre is the multi story “blue” building at the opposite end to the Shangrila Hotel.

The Lo Wu Commercial City centre is the five story commercial building where westerners do their discount shopping. If leaving the railway station, the building is directly on your right. The tailors and material are on the 5th floor (Electrical). We had clothes made by Yobin. Her cubicle is No 53 in the far left hand corner of the 5th floor about two rows back from each wall. If you don’t take your own material, Yobin will go with you (same floor) and help you pick the material (no haggling here though, as she does the deal).

The cost of having everything made up was $2,270 HK ($381 Australian). We paid a deposit of $1,250 HK, balance on fitting or pickup. Unfinished goods were reliably delivered to our hotel in Hong Kong (extra charge). Total cost for material and tailor was $3,670 HK ($617 Australian) for the following. They will do the measuring in Hong Kong if you want them to.

My wife
3 pr jeans
2 pr slacks
2 blouses
1 x 2 piece suit
1 coat

Me
1 jacket – grey
2 pr casual trousers
2 LS sports shirts
2 pr jeans


Singapore

The city is mostly very modern, law abiding, spotlessly clean, no graffiti but a bit boring. January is a good time to go as the humidity in hotter months can be stiflingly debilitating.

Hotel Phoenix in Orchard Rd where we stayed is quite ok (hard pillows). It is very convenient being beside Somerset MRT (railway) station and across the road from Marks and Spencer with a large supermarket (downstairs). The MRT is excellent and similar to Hong Kong’s MTR. Buy an “Intelligent Card”. You can get it at your Hotel. Is like the HK Octopus card. The Hotel adds it onto your electronic door card. It can be used in the hotel as well. Full return of any credit at the Hotel went you book out. $20 is plenty for just a few days.

We went to Sentosa (train to Harbour Front MRT and then cable car from multi story building). Sentosa is all right (not outstanding though), but you have to pay for each individual attraction, which is not very good. Has been sold to USA group and will be renamed and a few $mil spent on it.

Also went to Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. MRT to Clarke Quay and then walk towards the water, cross the bridge and turn left and walk along the river bank for 2 minutes. (There is a pedestrian tunnel on the same side as the MRT if you want to cross the main road and go in the other direction for some reason). A good time to go is just on dusk so that if you take a boat ride (recommended), you will see all the buildings in daylight and also see them illuminated on the return trip – quite impressive).

Give the Suntec Centre a miss – just more shops.

Raffles Hotel is well worth a look around. There is a Raffles Gift shop for souvenirs in the complex.

We went to “Little India” – dirty crowded and uninteresting! Chinatown is much the same. The Botanical Gardens are ok. Surprisingly, there is very little evidence of WW2. There is a monument in a park and some sites at Sentosa. Apparently little trace exists of the WW2 POW camps, other than a reproduction of a chapel at Changi, which is apparently a little difficult to get to. This was disappointing as many Australians were POWs at Changi.