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Train from Guangzhou east to HK

Rica — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:45:22 +0000

Train Schedule

Times and schedule for the train

Shenzhen Bay Boarder – Shenzhen Wan KouAn

Andy — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:02:40 +0000

One of my very first posts was about the different boarders between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. That information is still accurate and you can view that original post here, but I want to update a little more about the Shenzhen Bay or Shenzhen Wan. Since that original post I spent a lot of time going between Shenzhen and Hong Kong before moving across the boarder and then moving back and now its usually the boarder I take when going back to visit/work in Hong Kong.

The time you go makes a big difference

In my original post I mentioned that this boarder was fairly new and quick. It’s still the fastest way to get across if you go at the right time. The longest its taken me was about an hour on a Saturday about 1 PM going to Hong Kong from Shenzhen. Since then I have tried to learn when to go and when not to go. Here is what I’ve found about the time to go:

Lines should be short:

The best time to go from is early in the morning, around 8 AM or early. On the weekdays you maybe OK till 8:45 AM but then it start to get busy, on the weekends better be there at or before 8. Then the best time to go is in the evening after 9 PM, though on Sunday it may still be busy, and the later you get there the better. Note on the Shenzhen side though that if you come back late you may have problems getting a taxi.

Other then that on the weekdays in the afternoon is can sometimes be OK and even Saturday afternoon has been OK, but there is no telling and sometimes it can be really busy.

Lines will probably be long:

It can actually happen anytime during the day if you’re not there early or late as above. However, it defiantly will be busy Saturday after 9 AM and then Sunday evening. The reason is most of the people are taking a tour bus to Hong Kong and all the tour buses go through this border now so it can get full when all the buses arrive.

Also a special note that with the 2011 Universidad in August it will take a long time.

Closing comments and notes

The times above are mostly related to the China side as I have been going through the e-channel on the Hong Kong side, but from what I see it is almost the same since if you get stuck on one side you will get stuck on the other.

Have you had a different experience? Did you get stuck at some of the times I have? Leave a comments and let me know.

Vacation in Coron (Philippines)

Andy — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:36:53 +0000

I haven’t been posting much as I’ve been busy working but figured now that I’m on vacation I can go ahead and spend some time writing about our travels. Rica and I spent the last few days in relaxing in Coron and are now waiting to leave as I write this.

We arrived 3 days ago and had 2 full days here along with the one to get here and one flying back. We stayed at the Coron Village Lodge right in town, about 40 min by car from the airport. The first day we arrived we spent exploring the town, though after a little you see everything and there isn’t much to do.

The second day was the best part of the trip. The helpful staff at the lodge arranged a boat for us to do island hopping. We went from place to place on our private boat (Rica and I with the captain and helper) swimming and taking some great pictures. I won’t go into details but this made the trip worth it, you can take a look at some of the great pictures we got. Really a great time but exhausting from all the swimming and sun.

The 3rd day was not very good as I got too much sun and heat the day before and felt sick all day! We spent most of the day on out air conditioned room getting some rest. Since we where in the city and there is not much to unless you take a boat it was too late to do anything, but at least we felt rested and better for the trip back.

Overall it was great to see and thanks to Mike for suggesting it and arranging the accommodations. The only bad part is there really isn’t much in the town so you need to be ready to get a boat everyday to enjoy it. We did one set of island hopping but there is more to see if you are here longer. You can also choose to stay at another location or on the island which maybe better.

On the way to the airport now and will post more from Boracay.

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Andy – Posted from WordPress for Android

Happy New Year (And Merry Christmas)

Andy — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:51:38 +0000

Haven’t been posting much latly, but we want to wish everyone a happy new year and merry Christmas! Hope everyone had a good one and here is a little video from Rica and me celebrating!

Lamma Island in Hong Kong (with pics)

Andy — Sat, 15 May 2010 07:27:24 +0000

Rica and I headed to Lamma Island a few weeks ago to visit and see whats out there. We headed down to Central Pier 6 on Hong Kong Island. For there we went to Sok Kwu Wan and planned to do the walk over to Yung Shue Wan. You can actually go the other way around but the ferries to Sok Kwu Wan come a little less often so we decided to go there first.

Once you get to the island it really feels like you’ve left Hong Kong, no more sky scrapers or even roads for that matter. Just a few little houses and a few restaurants. If you’re ever in Hong Kong and have an afternoon on a nice day I would defiantly recommend it. We just did the walk and then had food down in Yung Shue Wan although the restaurants we saw Sok Kwu Wan looked a little better so when we go back next time we’ll have to try there.

Here are some pictures from our visit!

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Sort post but hope you enjoy, leave some comments!

The big buddha in Hongkong

Rica — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:44:16 +0000

finally got the chance to see the big Buddha in HONGKONG.
It was a good day, so you can see lots of stuff when you are in the cable cart!

and from Tsuen wAN we took bus 251M to qingyi metro station and took dongyong line till the end. actually only 2 stops!
and then we got off and took the cable cart all up to the mountain where close to the big Buddha.
on the way back you can either take bus or cart again!

it was a lot fun! Here are some pictures

How to apply for a US visa in HK

Rica — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:30:30 +0000

FIRST,

Who the hell is Rica is not that important, the important thing is what i wrote may help someone who want to have some tips.

i am chinese and i just got my US visa, multiple entry for a year. Since i have many of my friends asked me how i got my US visa so i will say I am not the only lucky one you can do it too, and it just happened like this:

· First, i think i get this visa easier because i am in Hongkong and I have Hongkong ID card, although it is just temporary ID, but it helped!

· Before I applied the Visa I heard there are 2 things the Consulate cares and which make them decide they will give you a visa or not

1, you have enough money to support you to travel and stay in US, So you will not become the government’s baggage when you arrive.(so you can provide your bank account to show how much saving you have or your salary flow. Credit card will help too. And of course house or cars or other properties owned by your name)

2,you will be sure return back to China.(especially for the girls who are already marriage age, even you have a lot money you have cars and house in China that still doesn’t mean you will for sure return. So at this time you need to provide more information like your company letter to day you will only have 2 weeks or a month away from work and after that you will come back for sure. And if they can it will be nice for them to say they will be responsible to make sure you will back for work!)

Here are the information I got:

1, an invitation letter from my boyfriend’s parents in US

Have all my information and their information on it and say they will take care of all the expense and if there is anything may happen there they will take the responsibility.

(I think this is good, for me I don’t have a job here so this will help the consulate think that I have the support to be in US)

2, My boyfriend’s income papers and work contract. And he also got a letter for me said he will pay for everything and make sure back to China with me! Because he works here and I am with him so it sounds reasonable.

3, credit cards

4, I’ve been to Europe so I also copied that visa to show them I went there and came back on time so I had good record!

5, Address approve. To show that we have a stable place and we rent it for a year so we will not run away before the contract expires.

I also print some of our contact emails lists for 2 years and some photos of us of different times……..i heard some friends said they will also doubt whether you are really in a relationship or you just use this excuse to get a visa. So I got them …but I am not sure they helped!

Anyway, just prepare as many stuff as you can, you will not lose anything! When I had the interview I just told them: this is the first time I apply so I got so many stuff, if they want to see anything I will be happy to show them.

Beofe all of this:

1. Go to bank to pay the apply fee. Non immigrant visa 1040 HK$ here in HK

2. Prepare a photo and scan it

3. Fill in the form online

4. Make the appointment

5. Take all the papers and go!!!

I hope what I wrote may help some people!

But I heard in mainland it is more strict. but anyway, just be self-confident and tell the truth. No matter how scared you are just relax and think you deserve a chance!

Good luck!!!

Rica wish you the best!!!!

Google Maps Street View Now In Hong Kong

Andy — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:30:24 +0000

So found out today that Google street view is now working in Hong Kong. Pretty interesting, how I can get less lost when I go out.

Check out the view of my apartment building.

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Initial Impressions of Life in Hong Kong

Andy — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:39:04 +0000

I’ve been living in Hong Kong for two weeks now after moving from Shenzhen. I am in Tsuen Wan (New Territories) so my experience is different then if I was downtown Hong Kong. Below is a map of where I live.

So far the move was good, it took two days to move from Shenzhen to Hong Kong, so no need to wait a long time to get our stuff.

I defiantly enjoy the open and fast internet of Hong Kong, which is probably my favorite part at this point. I also like the order of traffic here, so even when there is traffic it keeps going unlike Shenzhen where it can just stop.

I do miss the prices in Shenzhen as I spend a whole lot more money to transport and food everyday in Hong Kong. This is adding up and I see that its a lot more expensive, when I was spending 7 RMB for lunch and now I’m spending 25 HKD at a cheap place. I also miss the Mandarin as now I can’t understand when I’m out walking around, though most people know English and if I asked probably Mandarin too.

To let you see where I live here are some pictures from the top of the apartment (and 2 from the star ferry)

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More to come later as I get use to Hong Kong and I can make a better comparison between being in China and being in Hong Kong.

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Moving to Hong Kong

Andy — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 09:16:51 +0000

I got the news on Friday that the Visa’s for Hong Kong are ready, so all this next week will be busy actually making the move. First on Monday I will be off to Hong Kong to actually pick up the Visa’s and then the rest of the week will be spent getting ready. We have kind of been moving since before Christmas but have been waiting until the Visa’s are done before the move.

Right before Christmas I signed a lease an on apartment in Hong Kong, so I’ll be living in Tsuen Wan. For all the Shenzhen people I know if you need a place to stay in Hong Kong let me know. The apartment there is 1/2 the size or even smaller then what I had in Shenzhen and costs twice as much. Part of the fun of packing has been deciding what we really need and what we can give away/ throw out. We do have some stuff that still needs to go so let me know if you need anything.

We also have a moving company that will take all our stuff to Hong Kong. Mostly its the TV and bed that I can’t take across myself but then we have clothes and all the other stuff. I didn’t realize how much I acquired in the time that I’ve been in Shenzhen. So on Thursday (Jan 14th) the moving company will pick everything up and we should get it in Hong Kong the next day. Hope all goes well and I’ll post more about the differences of life in the two places.