Entries from January 2008 ↓

Recently I flew to Kota Kinabalu (KK), Malaysia from the Macau International Airport with the Malaysia-based low fare airline AirAsia. A return ticket (Macau <=> KK) costs only HK$1100. AirAsia also flies between Kuala Lumpur and Macau.

The Singapore-based low fare airline Tiger Airways also has operations at Macau International airport. And Air Macau has flights to China’s major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing and Xiamen.

So this post is a reminder that you can consider flying from Macau International Airport to some Asian destinations, including China - some routes offer good price.

The Macau International Airport recently introduced Express Link service, meaning that you will be exempted from normal immigration procedure and can check in at Hong Kong Shun Tak Ferry Terminal (the ferry pier to Macau in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong) for your flights from the Macau International Airport. So if you leave Hong Kong for Macau to catch a flight, the service will afford some convenience.

Check out here (Macau International Airport Website) for the details.

Starting early this month, the direct train service between Hong Kong and Shanghai/Beijing will use more modern trains. It is said the deluxe soft sleeper room has been upgraded to be like a mobile hotel, equipped with bathroom, TV with LCD high-definition monitor, sofa and wardrobe, not to mention its own air condition.

The Hong Kong MTR company (www.mtr.com.hk), which runs the service, is offering  discounts on this occasion of new train introduction.  If you buy the ticket in Hong Kong, you will have a 10% to 20% discount, depending on if it is a single-way or round-trip ticket. A one-way ticket for Deluxe Soft Sleeper, for instance, costs HK$1072 after discount. The offer is valid until the end of June this year.

The Beijing-Hong Kong Through Train and the Shanghai-Hong Kong Through Train operate on alternate days, taking about 24 & 20 hours respectively.

Check out here for details.

This post is about an online video, which shows Hu Ziwei, a TV presenter herself and wife of popular sportscaster Zhang Bin in China, hijacking an Olympics news conference to denounce her husband for infidelity.

She is brave – for breaking the Chinese taboo that a family’s “ugly” things be kept to itself, and more importantly, denouncing her husband and the void of values in modern China at such a high-profile occasion as Olympics news conference.

I hope she will not be punished for tarnishing the image of Olympics 2008. The video, which was once downloaded by China’s thousands of internet users, has been banned from showing in China. Because of the incidence, China now has a new regulation in place which stipulates that online videos can be broadcast or streamed only by state-owned or state-controlled companies.

Click here for the video.

Transcript/translation of the dialogue:

… I am here on the stage not as an anchor, but as the wife of the person beside me, Mr. Zhang Bin.
Would you please spare one minute and listen to me?
It is a special date for the Olympics Channel and for Mr. Zhang Bin.
But for me, it also a special day.
Just two hours ago, I found out that Mr. Zhang Bin is having an illicit relationship with a woman other than me.
The coming year is the Olympic year, and the whole world will be watching China and Chinese people.
But a French diplomat has mentioned before that China won’t become a powerful nation until it can export its value system.
If Chinese people don’t have a great leader to build their value system, then what sense does it make?
Please allow me to finish my words.
Is this the way you treat a weak and poor lady?
I have one last thing to say
Let’s fight politely.
But that French diplomat mentioned before, China won’t become a great nation until it can export its value system.
Standing before us is the prim and proper Mr. Zhang Bin … but he is not able to face himself
and not even his harmed wife
I believe that if China wants to be a great country
… Do you guys have any conscience left?
Leave me alone!
This the last Sunday left (before 2008).
Tomorrow, everybody will begin spending a long vacation, but Zhang Bin and I are not able to do that…
(Other voice): We TV presenters are like a family, how could you?
I’m sorry. I wish everybody a happy new year. I apologize to Director Jiang (Heping, of CCTV Sports).
I hope this won’t bother the next athlete to come on stage.

If you leave for Hong Kong from Shenzhen airport (or vice versa), you have three choices:

1) Take direct bus

There is an old and existing way of bus transport, as described here. But the new direct bus service departing from /to Hong Kong’s Airport Express station Kowloon Station is especially convenient and fast. See my post on the service here and here.

2) take the bus K568 from Shenzhen airport to Lowu, Shenzhen

The bus journey is 45 minutes,  about every 15 minutes, costing about RMB20. But some part of the road is bumpy and traffic jam is common. So be prepared that the journey takes longer than specified. The bus stops at the Lowu Commercial City Building. The border crossing/passport control building is just next door and there are signs around to indicate the direction. So you won’t have problem finding your way.

 (the building upfront is the port of entry building; at the left of the photo is the Lowu Commercial City Building)

Once you are done with first, China side’s passport control, and then Hong Kong side’s passport control, you land right away at the Hong Kong railway station Lowu, from where the train will take you to almost all parts of the city, including hotspots such as Central, Mongkok and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Note that before, Hong Kong had two rail systems, one KCRC, over the railway system, another MTR, over the underground system. But since 2 December 2007, the two companies/systems have merged and now all the railway/MTR services come under control of one company - MTR Corporation Limited. Click here to view its website for Hong Kong’s whole range of train services.

3) take the ferry

Take the shuttle bus from Shenzhen airport to Shenzhen’s Fu Yong pier (only a couple of minutes drive), from where there is ferry to China Hong Kong City Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, or to Macau Ferry in Sheung Wan (near Central), or to Sky Pier at Hong Kong International Airport. The sea journey takes about 1 hour.

See here for schedule and price. The ticket price covers both the shuttle bus and the ferry.