Into Town
Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 4:22PM 
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 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.
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.