Starting on my research again. Hkd was 6.08112 against sgd last night, it’s weakest in many years. Pretty good time to change your currencies if you’re planning a trip up within the next 6 months.

If you’d like to share your experience in hong kong, do feel free to write in!

Tim Ho Wan, the Dim-Sum Specialists 添好運點心專門店
Shop 8, Taui Yuen Mansion Phase 2, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok
旺角廣華街2-20號翠園大樓2期地下8號舖

I’ve read on the forums that this is a Michelin starred restaurant that offers a good variety of dimsum.
So let’s check this place out in November, shall we?

There were about 7-8 money changers on the level Two stretch of The Arcade at Raffles place. Lots of people queueing up to purchase their holiday currency too.

It’ll probably be wise to change your currencies on any non-Friday, as most money changers there close temporarily at lunch time for their Friday prayer session nearby. Unless time is a luxury, avoid the timing mentioned.

I had no choice but to accept the large 1000 dollar notes they handed me. Breaking them into smaller denominations will be rather impossible, according to the moneychanger with the best rate for hkd today. I got my money at a 5.722 rate, slightly different from the 5.724 displayed on the tv. Nit a big difference, just 1.60hkd lesser than what I was supposed to receive anyway.

It’ll be wise to purchase the hkd before September 2nd. That’s when their school holidays end in hong kong.
Should expect to see the hkd strengthens little against the sgd after that date when demand for sgd from hk starts to weaken and demand for hkd starts to increase against the sgd when the one week break draws nearer.

2 mths and 21 days. The calendar cannot be more cruel.

Lately, I’ve been travelling to and fro with a camera backpack filled with a DSLR and a netbook, for work purposes. To be honest, 26′s not too big a number but I’m feeling the aches and pains that come along with age already!

I decided against the mule pack and dived straight into buying something I had wanted for a very long time.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

I’m pretty sure everyone knows about it as a compact camera that works wonders. So I won’t go very far into the technical specifications and the geek talk.

All in all, it was a pretty good deal for me. And it worked as it was supposed to, even surpassed my expectations from a compact. But I already had high expectations for this one.

The LX3 would be a perfect travel companion for me, with an ultra wide angle 35mm equivalent of 24mm,
the one negative about it is its limited zoom at 60mm, but its not something I need as I like to shoot wide most of the time.

Manual focus works well, pretty idiot proof. F2.0 aperture is amazing as well. A very sharp copy. No regrets buying this one.

It’s about time my crappy Casio Exilim Z75 retired anyway.

Here’s what my iPhone looks like under a close-up macro shot on the LX3

Do check out my main blog for more pictures when I’m out snapping again.

Cheers!

<4 more months to go!

This ‘Complete city guide of Hong Kong’ looks promising, with quite a bit of useful information for tourists wanting to get around free and easy.

It lists down upcoming events taking place on the island territory, together with the date, time, venue and a brief description of each and every occasion that might seek the interest of the uninitiated traveler.

Street watch – Provides a one page description of what’s to be found in each of the main streets and attractions in Hong Kong.

Shopping – in the land of late night shopping, perpetual discounts and year-round sales, this is a must read for shopaholics, to see how far that dollar stretches.

Bars & Restaurants – In this section, this site brings out the wine and dine, showcasing eateries in uptown areas , with the likes of Lan Kwai Fong and SOHO. The range of eateries is quite limited, and one shouldn’t be relying on this section too much if you’re keen on trying local traditional delicacies, there’s much more to be found on other websites and articles, if you bother to look.

Disc & Must Do’s – Monday through to Sunday, there’s always a new place to explore, a new cafe offering something refreshing, racecourse punting action. List of places “where the crowd’s at.” Don’t miss out on all the fun!

Do check this section out, travelers tend to overlook Hong Kong, taking it in face value as a shopping isle.There’s more to be found in this trove of information, drop by to accommodate some of your plans with their suggested places to visit.

Next up: I’ll be sourcing for an online map of Hong Kong. Most brochures that offer maps at the airport only cover as much as the tourist catchment areas within Central Hong Kong and Southern Kowloon. Not a bit on New territories. That’s where the Citygate Outlets can be found, where the warehouse sales for mostly sporting goods like Adidas and Nike can be found.

Till then!

In another not-so-ideal outlook for the day, the HKD has strengthened against the SGD today by quite a bit, dipping from a peak of 5.623 to just 5.565 at UTC 0900hrs (5pm local time)

Still naively hoping for a XE rate of 5.65 before I change the currency in late August.

Here’s Hong Kong’s very own Online Route Finder “Public Transport Enquiry Services(Pilot Version)“

Added to quick links for future reference.