Experiencing Hong Kong and Macau

We participated in an international conference to showcase our efforts not just to other educators in a national conference but to educators in the global village. This trip is a lot more memorable than other trips because I am traveling with my wife. We were given this chance to grow professionally through the conference and to explore nice places at the same time. The conference is a 3-day event that started last December 29 and ended last December 31. The experience equipped me with skills and great insights that I believe made me a better educator today than yesterday.

December 27, 2014: From NAIA to HK

Our estimated time of departure in Manila is 7:00 pm and we are anticipating delay in our trip to Hong Kong. Our carrier is Cebu Pacific. Early that month, there were problems which they associate to air traffic congestion. In order for us not to face the same dilemma, we went to the airport six hours before our expected departure. The choice of getting to the airport a lot earlier proved to be wise. We still have other things to think about including exchanging our Philippine peso to Hong Kong dollars and processing our travel tax exemption. A few days back, we had some of our money changed to US dollars thinking that it will have a higher value. When we were on the airport, we had to exchange our US dollars to Hong Kong dollars. I tried computing for the gains or loss that we had in the process. In one transaction I have an estimated loss of 3500 pesos, a big sum of money. This made me think that the Money changing industry is gaining a lot from their business venture. From that time on, I tried to forget about computing for losses and simply considered the act of having my money converted as a necessity, otherwise, I will be spending the entire trip calculating for my losses.

     

Here are pictures showing us smiling despite of the losses. No more computation

Next is the processing of our travel tax. The last time that we went on an international trip, we travelled as a group. We depended on a few individuals with the know-how of things in international travels. Now that we are traveling by ourselves, we were forced to learn the process. We lined up for the payment of travel tax after learning that it is not part of our airfare. We were given a receipt of the amount we have to pay when I recalled that the last time we went on official business, we were exempted from paying the travel tax. It was lucky that I recalled of the exemption just on time. I explained to the tax collectors and we were simply asked to pay 200 pesos instead of more than 1000 pesos of travel tax.

We processed all necessary things to board the plane and after a few minutes, we were already waiting on the departure gate. The waiting place near the boarding gate was pleasant. I consider NAIA 3 to be a good quality airport. I had to mention this to counter the bothering reviews by foreign visitors online stating that Philippine airports are of poor quality both in facilities and in services.

     

Left to Right: Our boarding passes; our picture at the counter; the path to our boarding gate

It took us a while before we can board the plane. We boarded the plane and it appears to be an ordinary local trip. The flight took 2 hours only. It feels like traveling to a nearby Philippine city. When the plane landed, I cannot explain the excitement I felt. I told myself, I am now on a foreign land.

As expected, we have to do a lot of walking before we can leave the airport. I agree that Hong Kong International Airport is way better than our own. We had to follow long queues before we can leave the airport. One weird experience made me feel bad about how Hong Kong treat our fellow. We were asked to line up. I did not know that the queue is for domestic helpers. I am saddened that they have to be separated even at the immigration. It was only when my wife, Myles, told me that we have a separate line for visitors that I came to my senses.

On the left is a picture taken while waiting for our baggage at counter 2; the one at the right was taken before we left the airport.

After a long queue in the immigration, we were finally out to get our baggage. It really pays to listen and to read. We easily got our baggage and are up to look for the train. We asked a number of people and were boarded on the train in no time. The train system is what makes Singapore and Hong Kong different from our country. Once you are in the airport, you only need to walk to get to their train station and will be on the way to the city in a matter of minutes. It is almost 12 midnight and we still have to locate our place to stay.

We were hungry at the time that we saw McDonalds. Later through the course of the trip, we’ll find ourselves looking for it since no other fast food are familiar. We already have where Venetian hostel is. I have the picture of the place printed and the map that will tell me how to get there. At the airport, we also got instructions how to get to the place. It is located in Tsim Sha Tsui. Knowing this, we only have to ask how to get to the nearest train station. Luckily, it is one of the stations. The big trick is that there are different color coded trains. A total of five of them if I am not mistaken. There is a different station for the airport express and an interchange station for another. We also learned that it is an advantage that we are traveling together, we got to avail of the discounted price of the train ticket for two. If you are to purchase a single ticket, you get to pay 60 HKD but if you pay for two, one would appear to cost 45 HKD only. We had to take the airport express and transfer via Tsing Yi. We transferred to another train. Upon transfer, we only have to wait for a few stations before we reached Tsim Sha Tsui.

Left to Right: The promo ticket for two; our picture at Tsing Yi Station; Our picture at Tsim Sha Tsui Station

We know that it was really late and locating our flat is more challenging than locating the Mirador Mansion. Our flat is in Mirador Mansion, a couple of steps away from the Tsim Sha Tsui station. We did not have difficulty in locating this place. Since its late, most of the establishments are closed. We were also told that the train station will also be closed a few minutes past 12. We are lucky we arrived not later than 1 am. Finally, we were able to locate our booked flat and was ready to sleep. The room we got is not the one we booked. According to the landlord, if it is the original flat that we booked, we won’t enjoy the place. So, he requested for an additional 100 HKD for an upgraded flat. We were left with no choice since its early in the morning and we have the room booked already. If we don’t grab it, we might be sent to an unpleasant room according to him. I know that the accommodation in Hong Kong is really expensive and very small. The one that we have is small but cozy. I realized the need to really pay the extra price.  

December 28, 2014: Ocean Park Adventure

                This day is leisure day. We thought we have a spare day before we plunge into presentation mode. We took our breakfast on a nearby 7-11. Once our stomach is already full, we are off. We learned about the octopus card that we can “tap up” any moment so we won’t queue on long lines and enjoy the rides more efficiently. We then asked for directions in getting to Ocean Park and the ticketing office. We got instructions and we’re set early that day. 

Left to Right: breakfast at 711; trip to Admiralty; bus to Ocean park

                We learned that we need to alight admiralty station and take a bus. I have a hypothesis that the bus is cheaper than the train. We got a feel of the bus system when we went to ocean park. The bus system is as efficient as the train system. Since the temperature is around 19 degrees Celsius, it is easy to fall in line without the rush. The bus really stops at designated places only and people really queue up on these places. Occasionally, I would hear Filipinos recognizing them through their language. Through the course of our trip, Filipinos are everywhere.

                The entire ocean park adventure is wonderful. It brings out the child in me. I was able to experience so much in a day. I enjoyed the cable car experience the most. The following pictures will help me lead you to a quick tour:

    

Entrance to the Ocean park

 

Entrance to the Ocean park

    

Inside the Ocean Park

    

The panda experience

      

The cable car experience

December 29, 2014: First Day of the Conference

                This day marks the official first day of the conference. We got up early since it’s the day that my wife will present her paper. We are also expecting that not only educators will be there. It is actually a venue where there will be a number of conferences as well. A total of four conferences are merged in the event. These are the conferences: 91) Hong Kong International Conference on Engineering and Applied Science; (2) Hong Kong International Conference on Education, Psychology and Society; (3) International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and (4) The International Symposium on Social Sciences.

    

Left to Right: Early off from accommodation; arrival at the venue- Regal Airport Hotel; Conferences in one event

                The conference is set to start at 8:30 am. The venue is divided into four suites. We were assigned to be in the London suite. We registered early and got our conference kits. We sat and waited in our assigned venue. The conference started on time. There are assigned chairs per suite and time slot. For the 9:30 time slot, the session chair officially facilitated the flow of the session. Each presenter is given a maximum of 15 minutes to do the presentation including the Q and A. The flow of the sessions went well. I found some very interesting studies specially that of the paper presented by the session chair.

               

                I also noted some observations. I observed that the Indian national who presented his study is very witty. He presented about secretaries in the corporate world. I later found through his presentation and upon verification that the secretaries that he is referring to are our lawyer-equivalent professionals. I also found that Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese nationals are not very good in presentations and that they find it difficult to present in English. I also found that even Americans and Europeans may have studies that are not as high-impact as compared to other studies.

                We met four Filipino delegates in the conference. One delegate grew up in Hong Kong. His paper talks about ethnic diversity with the focus on Filipinos in Hong Kong. Here are the pictures that I took during the conference:

 

The Filipino delegates; Conference IDs

    

The presentation of one Taiwanese delegate, my wife’s presentation; the presentation of the Indian National

               

                A number of papers were recognized in the conference. Here are some of their pictures:

                Here are some of the pictures that I took during the presentation of one of the plenary speakers. He is a European and he has achieved a lot already.

    

                The second plenary speaker is an American. He is more experienced and talks about studies in the Higher Education. Here are some of the pictures that I took as he presented:

    

Presentation made by the second plenary speaker

Pictures taken after the sessions:

    

On our way back to our accommodation:

    

December 30, 2014: Second Day of the Conference

               

                The second day of the conference is my big day. This is the day that I will be presenting our paper. We once again woke up early to prepare for my big day. I had my presentation edited last night to make it fit the audience that we have in the conference. Since I learned that there are very minimal participants with deep knowledge about our country’s educational system, I had to make a brief introduction about our system.

   

                We had to be at the conference venue minutes before so we can take a good breakfast before my presentation. We arrived at the venue, the same as yesterday and waited for my turn. When we arrived, the session chair was already present. I had to save my presentation early on so as to lessen possible inconvenience along the way. The session flowed smoothly. There are several speakers taking a maximum of 15 minutes per presentation. Here are some of the pictures I took during the conference:

    

 

                Presenting in an international conference is an awesome experience. The audience really showed interest as I presented. There were a few questions during my presentation and even after the presentation. I was personally approached by one from South Africa who appreciated my presentation and told me that their country also experience the same fate in education. There were actually many of them who joined the conference. I waited for their presentation and found that two of their powerpoint presentations are not working. Despite of what happened, their lack of a visual material, they were still able to deliver what they want to talk about in their presentation. 

                After the session, we had to leave the venue since we still have to transfer to our next accommodation. We brought our baggage in the conference venue after preparing the night before. After taking our lunch, we left the conference with our things.

   

December 31, 2014: Macau

               

                There is a scheduled tour this day. We learned yesterday that due to the minimal number of participants who expressed interest in participating in the city tour, they cancelled it. We were then left with no choice but to go on our own. We decided to devote this time to go to Macau.

               

                From what we learned online, there is a ferry that can take you to Macau from Hong Kong. It will only take a few minutes from Hong Kong to reach Macau. We decided to get some more information from the MTR guards and some of the Filipinos we met along the way. When we got sufficient information, we were off. We took instructions carefully and reached the ferry terminal in less than an hour. We took the MTR to reach it and after a few steps, we saw the ticketing offices to Macau. There were several of them. The one that caught our attention is selling cheaper tickets. We learned that the regular price of the ticket is 165 HKD but they sell it for only 140 HKD. After thinking twice about buying the ticket, we decided to purchase two.

   

                We learned later why the tickets were being sold at a cheaper price. Once we got into the queues of the immigration, we felt the pressure of moving faster. The ferry that we will be boarding will leave in less than 10 minutes and we still are part of a long queue. After a short while, we managed to make it to the boarding gate. Had we been late a minute more, we might have been left by the ferry. This made us realize that the discount was for the stress that you’d feel as you hurry to catch your ferry. Not a wise choice.

                Finally, we arrived in Macau. The port was typical. Had it not been a little colder, the Philippines could be better. The difference is that there were many tourists. At the port, there were already buses that can take you to famous hotels for free. We boarded one that took passengers to the Venetian Hotel. We arrived at the hotel and was amazed with it. I especially liked their ceilings. The ceiling of the entrance made me think of the works of Michaelangelo and Da Vinci. Inside the hotel was a casino and many other attractions. The ceiling made us feel like seeing the outside sky. Here are some of the picture we took:

    

    

                After a few hours, we went back to Hong Kong bringing the memories of how lovely Macau is. We have decided that it will be wiser to spend our New Year in Hong Kong.

January 1, 2015: Hong Kong Disneyland

                This day marks another leisure day in our trip. The Disneyland is a place where children enjoy and adults become children at heart. The child in me was brought out again as I enjoy the rides I used to fear. I especially despise riding roller coasters and towards the end of my Disney experience, I ended up riding two roller coasters. Here are are some of the pictures we had in the Hong Kong Disneyland:

From accommodation to Disneyland

   

Inside the Disneyland

Taking our rides around the Disneyland

   

Taking our rides around the Disneyland

 

January 2, 2014 Trip Back to the Philippines

                Finally our time to go back home. We were set to go back home early. We took Cebu Pacific flight. We had to leave our hotel early. We took the first train from Mongkok, where we are staying and made it to the first trip of the airport express. We made it to the terminal on time. After a few minutes of delay, we boarded our plane and made it home bringing with us the good memories of Hong Kong.