HK Apple Store

The last Apple Store I went was in London, and it was quite an experience. So, when I arrived in Hong Kong, I was really glad to learn that the local store was only a ten minutes walk away. Two right turns and I was there.

However, the experience was not as grand. Maybe because Apple had become ubiquitous and the local dealers in Malaysia did well in replicating some of the experience. The streamlined catalogue and lack of diversity also helped matters.

The main reason why I was there was to get new straps for the Apple Watch, something which were yet to be available back home. Yup! There were choices alright, from the basic to the ridiculously expensive. I got what I wanted quite easily. Paying for the goods was also quite an experience. You just handed your credit card to your personal "Genius" and he would swipe it on his iPhone-sized device, you sign on the screen and that was it. Even the receipts were emailed to your inbox.

The knock-off merchants come early in these partsApart from that, there was nothing else fancy. The new Apple TV had yet to be released. No iPad Pro of course. Not really anything much else to look at. Nothing that I wouldn't be able to get hold of back home. The price? At least 10% more expensive there than back home. Hence no reason to actually by anything ...

However, the irony there was there were people in small tents right outside the store selling iPhones. I was sure that those were knock-offs but to be honest I wouldn't be able to tell. They were doing it cheap, but not that much cheaper ...

More write-up on the trip here.

Into Town

As I mentioned, the shopping malls were near. Apple Store was only a 10 minutes walk and the mall nearby had a floor full of tech shops. Shame that they were not cheap! The recent currency downturn certainly taking a toll on the wallet.

I got straps for my Apple Watch and of course something for Anita on the Saturday evening when I had time to have a walk. After breakfast on Sunday, I had another chance for a stroll, but this early in Sunday morning, it wasn't much to see compared to Bangkok. The place appeared quite sterile and the locals were not as approachable as the Thai were.

The Langham was located 5 minutes away from Harbour City, a huge mall located next to a pier. This was where cruise ships came to dock, making the place popular to tourist. And the prices of items there were certainly not for bargain-hunters. Some of the top brands retailed more expensive than in KL, and in the end, I only shopped for the novelty factor.

I had a quick stop at the Leica store. Yes, they had the Leica Q there, but it would've cost me RM4000 more than in KL, although the waiting list is around 4 months back home. There was always the threat of price hack at home to with the currency and all.

After Harbour City, before I split with the main group to go to Apple Store, we went to a more downmarket part of town. And the reason for going there was to food. It was off-limits for me anyhow since it was not going to be Halal, but I got to see the real locals. They have high purchasing powers despite the high price of goods. And I would imagine that housing was expensive as well. They have quite a big crowd of migrant workers judging from the number of foreign restaurants there. The only Halal one was a Turkish kebab joint, but I didn't want to risk my tummy.

The Apple Store was as you'd expect, but I would put that in a separate entry later, plus my gadget-hunting exploits.

More write-up on the trip here.

The Langham

Now, The Langham is a great hotel. Full of tradition, and somewhere I wouldn't otherwise could afford to stay in. This was where I was put up in Hong Kong and also where the conference was held. And it was snack in the middle of the posh shopping district. A mall sat quite literally next door. If only Ringgit was strong ...

The hotel had pedigree. A sign of the colonial past, which reminded me of E&O in Penang. I was told that the Peninsular in town was even more a pedigree, but I don't think that this hotel was that far off.

The famous lobby

The lobby was small and the pool sat right on the top floor - unfortunately I didn't even have the time to have a peek at the pool. It was supposed to be grand. What the lobby lacked in size was more than made up by its sheer elegance. There was a cafe by the reception with the main eatery where breakfast and lunch were served sat on the other end. The lobby cafe was famous for its English afternoon tea - served on a specially designed Wedgewood.

There was also a two Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant on the first floor plus another two more American-themed joint located in the basement. The reception dinner was held at the Bostonian - where I had Halal ribs - and right next door to that was an American cafe called Main Street. Wished I had time to have a look at that.

For breakfast ...My room was a standard one on the seventh floor. Nothing much in terms of view from my window but the room was spacious and cosy, great amenities and the in-room dining - I had some salad on the night I arrived - was superb. They had a full movie and sports - alas no football - channels as well as pay-to-view and the internet was free. I had the 30Mb speed courtesy of the conference.

Breakfast was a mixture of continental and Eastern food. They knew how to make a decent omelet there, and I have Halal meals especially prepared for me for lunch.

The service was top notch. The staffs spoke perfect English and knew how to make the visitors welcomed. Transfers to and from airport took around 30 minutes. There was a metro station right next door.

Don't think I could ever afford to stay here again, and the place was certainly up there when it came to opulence.

More write-up on the trip here.

Second Day

Had a very fruitful day yesterday and I had a good night sleep after a quick walk around town after dinner. Rather tired when I reached the hotel, and I then realised that they do not show football here. But the Rugby World Cup was going on, and I fell asleep in front of the TV

Early start this morning, breakfast and then a quick morning stroll around the hotel. Not much to see as there was already plenty of people walking around. I hang around a bit by the pier, before walking back to the hotel, packed and went to the lecture hall.

I planned to go to the shop for a quick shopping after the morning tea. That should give me enough time to return before the last session and check out. My transport to the airport would be right after lunch. Back to the lecture ....

More on the trip here.

Hong Kong Meeting

Away for the weekend and unfortunately it wasn't for pleasure. But I planned to make the best of it anyhow.

It was an update event organised by one of the pharmaceutical company, concerning the latest treatment for myeloma and B-cell lymphoma. The drugs would prove to be too expensive for my patients at the moment but at least I got to gauge the direction of the future treatment. The speakers were all from the Asia-Pacific region, and with this, they tended to either speak too fast or cover topics which were rather too scientific. On a few of the lectures, I actually lost interest half way.

The meetings would end by 5 this afternoon, and tomorrow would be half day. But no time to have a look around town except for this evening since my transport would take me straight to the airport straight after lunch tomorrow. Maybe I could squeeze some time for my customary morning walk tomorrow morning.

Back to the lectures .....

More on the trip here.