Hong Kong Toy shopathon next January, anyone inter

[Sebastian]

I am bringing this back from the old forums.

We still are preparing everything about this trip to HK.

I know maybe this is a bit OT but It is a Macross Toys shopathon, not a MW Con. Anyways if the mods thinks It should be moved to the conventions and local gatherings thread, please do.

Till now there only a few people confirmed. Graham, Guppy and me (of course) will be there along with of wifes .

Could be great if we can start getting serious so we can prepare everything.

We are thinking about the second week, maybe 8 to10. But nothing is set on stone.

January is a GREAT date to visit HK. And we will get a very good oprtunity to meet each other.

Please post your thoughts.

We meet, we buy toys and we get drunk!

Old Post:

Hello fellow paycheck wasters!

Sebastian and I are gonna try to hook up with Graham, the master of toy shopping in Hong Kong in early January!

If any MW'ers will be in HK at that time, would you be interested in joining our ranks for a guided tour of all the choiciest toy shops for an 8 hour spending marathon?

Of course, to undertake this massive quest alcohol is needed so we'll have to stop in to every bar (we aussies call them 'pubs' ) along the way!

And.. if we get enough people maybe we can convince Graham to convince Yamato that a group of their loyal toy buyers would LOVE a tour of their offices and see some prototypes!

Anyone interested?

[VF-1S Alpha]

I will be interested!

I live here in Taiwan, and I do occasionally go to HK to stock up on Macross, Gundam, Anime videos, etc.

So doesn't hurt to find out what other places Graham knows! And also have some beer in the pubs!

Keep me posted, I will be there!

[J A Dare]

I might consider it since flying to HK is so damn cheap now, post SARs. Didn't spend as nearly as much time as I wanted to last time. Anytime in January would be perfect, i.e. winter break. I'll let you know when January nears.

Of course, to undertake this massive quest alcohol is needed so we'll have to stop in to every bar (we aussies call them 'pubs' ) along the way!

Sebastian, since when did you become an Aussie?

[Sebastian]

I might consider it since flying to HK is so damn cheap now, post SARs. Didn't spend as nearly as much time as I wanted to last time. Anytime in January would be perfect, i.e. winter break. I'll let you know when January nears.

Of course, to undertake this massive quest alcohol is needed so we'll have to stop in to every bar (we aussies call them 'pubs' ) along the way!

Sebastian, since when did you become an Aussie?

An Aussie! ME! Lol!

No No No. The original post was wrote by Guppy who is on his honeymoon right now (I wonder what is he doing right now ). That is why the Aussie thing.

I have nothing to do with Koalas, wombats or Aussies.

[vf1max]

hey how much is the airfare to hk during january.. if its cheap i might go as well.. dont wanna miss the fun..

[Commander McBride]

Man, I wish I could go.....

[VF-1S Alpha]

Well, any assistance with accomodations?

I heard that hotel in HK now are back to normal business and so they probably are expensive now!

Any info on cheap hotels (safe, clean) would be great!

The more I can save in hotels, the more Macross stuff I can buy!

Paulo

[Graham]

I'll do some research on hotel rates.

Graham

[recon]

Hiya,

Im interested, but i could only make it at the end of January, to visit my fiancee as well as celebrate Chinese New Year with her family. Besides that, i would be visiting the local toy shops to stock up on Macross goodies and other stuff.

By the way, may i recommend, a hotel which i find their service, accomodation and standard quite up to par to that of 4 stars, rates are quite relatively cheap and inexpensive too. The hotel is BP International, forgot the street name, but base on its location makes it easily accessible to central parts like Mongkok, Causeway Bay and so on. I always stay there when im in hongkong.

Cheers

Edited August 27, 2003 by recon

[Shawn]

I will probably be attending too

I HAVE to see Graham's valk collection.

S

[recon]

I will probably be attending too

I HAVE to see Graham's valk collection.

S

Nods Nods, me too

Say Shawn, since Graham has so many valks in his collection, would he noticed any missing pieces if some of us manage to make away with a couple without him finding out. I for sure am interested in his 1/48s

Just j/king!

Would love to meet up with the rest of ya guys

B)

Cheers

[redsurfer]

Just wondering ... where you guys from??? Anyway, do you guys speak cantonese?

[VF-1S Alpha]

I'll do some research on hotel rates.

Graham

Thanks Graham!

Maybe you should ask Yamato if they have corporate rates in any hotel?

Well, just a thought...but let us know on when you hit a good deal somewhere!

It would be cool if most of us who attend would be staying at the same hotel!

Paulo

[Graham]

My agent tells me it's a little bit early to get hotel rates for January.

In the meantime, here's a couple of web sites with info on HK hotel pricing.

HK Hotels

And

HK Hotels

It would also help if you can all let me know your rough budgets and if you all would prefer to stay in the same hotel.

Graham

[VF-1S Alpha]

My agent tells me it's a little bit early to get hotel rates for January.

In the meantime, here's a couple of web sites with info on HK hotel pricing.

HK Hotels

And

HK Hotels

It would also help if you can all let me know your rough budgets and if you all would prefer to stay in the same hotel.

Graham

Er,

I was looking for the USD40 to USD60 range?

So far I have found the COSCO hotel which has some mixed reviews, but prices are still to be announced for January 04

Paulo

[J A Dare]

Hey folks, some info from an independent budget traveller, ME.

AIRFARE:

Current airfare from San Fran (SFO) to HKG for January are around $600 USD

at travelocity:

http://dps1.travelocity.com/airgchoice.ctl...8282003&LANG=EN

Ooops! The link is not working? OK, here's the hard way:

1) go to travelocity.com

2) click on the top Flights tab

3) From: your airport code (e.g. SFO); To: HKG

4) make sure roundtrip circle is selected

5) scroll down to my dates are flexible

6) select Show me lowest coach-class fares for travel during the period circle

7) Starting: December; Through the end of: January

scroll down page and select Search Now

9) when you find a flight you like, be sure to check the Rules for restrictions, i.e.

blackout dates, travel durations requirements, etc. May not fit into your schedule,

so look at the others.

I recommend looking around the other websites. In the backpackers community, travelocity

has a reputation of giving current "average" prices. However, sometimes it has deals

that are a steal. For example, last year, I did a multi-destination trip from San Fran to

Tokyo, then Tokyo to HK, then Beijing back to San Fran....for USD $1000 after all taxes

and fees!

If you are a uni student I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you go see your student travel

agency (e.g. STA, Council, etc) on campus. They usually have really good deals!

ACCOMMODATIONS:

If you are on a tight budget, you can't get any cheaper than Chungking Mansion or

Mirandor Acrade. They are basically old high-rise buildings with about 60 or so

hostels/guesthouses intermeangled with shops, restaurants, and private residences.

Both are spitting distances from each other in central Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon

Peninsula. Think the "Bladerunner" setting and that is what TST kind of looks like

IMHO. Where as HK Island, which is wicked easy access by ferry from TST, is all shiny and

pretty. Anyway, for a dive single room without a bathroom (BR/shower are shared in the hallway)

either at Chungking or Mirandor will run you about HK$120-150 (USD $15.60-19.50).

Note: 1 USD = 7.7 HK. However, I recommend that you BARGAIN! Trust me, it pays off.

For example, last year I got into HK way late at night (2am!), even at that time I was

able to bargain down to HK $70 (USD $9.10) for the first night, and HK $100 for the

following nights. Locals told me you should NOT spend more than HK $120 per night,

otherwise the owners know that you don't know jack-s..t and just looking for a place

to stay. Oh, and you don't have to look for each hostel/guesthouse...they will come to

you (especially if you have a backpack)...it's a very competitive market...so use it to your

advantage.

Now, if you are looking for ROCK-BOTTOM prices on accomodations and security (for your

valuables, baggage, clothing, etc) isn't really an issue, then you can stay in dormitories

at some of the hostels/guesthouses for HK $60-70 (USD $7.80-9.10), again these are

published rates. I'm guessing if you bargain you can get it down to HK $50 (USD $6.50).

I did not try it, since the single room rates were reasonable for me.

Finally, if you are serious about travelling to HK, I highly recommend Lonely Planet's

Hong Kong Travel Guide book for all info and things! You can get it at any bookstore,

amazon.com, lonelyplanet.com. Retail price is USD $16.99. Trust me, the book pays

for its self on the money you will save on accomodations, food, transportation tips!

One more item: If you are thinking about yor visa situation, EU, USA, Canada, NZ, OZ can

stay without a visa for 3 months. UK citizens up to 6 months! If you are planning to

go into Mainland China, you can buy a visa in HK no problem.

Good luck folks!

Me? Well...I might...but other places in the world are calling me too.

Edited August 28, 2003 by J A Dare

[Sebastian]

Whoooooow!

Thanks or all that Info Jason!!!

I still think you should come, come on boy, you know you wont regret it!

[Graham]

Heh...Chungking Mansions....You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

I wasn't even going to mention that place. Still, some good Indian restaurants inside.

I never go in there without my trusty Benchmade or Cold Steel or MOD tactical folder. It's not the safest of places. Watch your back and your wallet if you decide to stay there.

Graham

[VF-1S Alpha]

Heh...Chungking Mansions....You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

I wasn't even going to mention that place. Still, some good Indian restaurants inside.

I never go in there without my trusty Benchmade or Cold Steel or MOD tactical folder. It's not the safest of places. Watch your back and your wallet if you decide to stay there.

Graham

Oh, well....

Safety is important to me, so as cleanliness, etc.

So I think I will stick with the 3 star hotels, as I don't want to have sudden surprises in a trip that is supposed to be pleasant (not mentioning my investments in Macross stuff) which I hope are still there when I leave the room.

See you guys soon! If not sooner!!!

Paulo

[IIymij]

wowie sounds like a blast

coudlnt we just live @ grahams place? =)) hehehe

sigh i can speak cantonese but sadly wont be going got school going on jan =P

hope u guys have fun and better post gazillion billion pcitures when u get bak

[Graham]

wowie sounds like a blast

coudlnt we just live @ grahams place? =)) hehehe

No, beacuse my place is a typical tiny HK apartment and my one spare bedroom is full up of cartons of Macross toys, so even though it has a double bed you can't actually see the bed anymore because of all the boxes.

Graham

[recon]

wowie sounds like a blast

coudlnt we just live @ grahams place? =)) hehehe

No, beacuse my place is a typical tiny HK apartment and my one spare bedroom is full up of cartons of Macross toys, so even though it has a double bed you can't actually see the bed anymore because of all the boxes.

Graham

Hi Graham,

I can understand your feelings, i visited my fiancee flat in HungHom, even though its considered a middle class accomodation, but its relatively small in the size of the rooms, kitchen and living room. I can consider myself lucky and fortunate to be living in singapore whose housing flat and apartments are relatively more affordable as well as bigger and spacious. Graham have you ever consider migrating, if given the chance and opportunity?

Cheers

[IIymij]

awww i c

ive chinese / vietnamese but ive never been to hk =P

i heard theres models galore there kinda like a mall full of clothes for girls theres malls full of models for ppl like us! weeeeeeeeee

[CHAN]

I know what you mean, my aunt has an apt in HK and the first time i visited it i was floored. How the heck do people live in such small spaces? When i lived with her a coupla years ago as i was doing an internship i had to sleep in my cousins room. It was so small that the whole room was taken up by just one twin size bed and thats it!!! i had to walk sideways to get in there. By the way she lives about half a block away from times square at causeway bay so i suppose those apts are considered middle class. But their middle class apts are smaller then the lower class apts over here in the states or Singapore for that matter. <_< Damn those property prices.

Edited August 28, 2003 by CHAN

[VF-1S Alpha]

wowie sounds like a blast

coudlnt we just live @ grahams place? =)) hehehe

No, beacuse my place is a typical tiny HK apartment and my one spare bedroom is full up of cartons of Macross toys, so even though it has a double bed you can't actually see the bed anymore because of all the boxes.

Graham

Hey Guys,

I think Graham it is already being nice to vacate some of his precious time to be with us!

I don't think is nice to ask Graham to stay at his place (even kiddingly).... (respect other people's privacy?)

All I want is free beer and food!!! (now, I am kidding!!!)

Graham, we hope we are not bothering you there! All we need now is to post the news of the Macross Fan club gathering in HK, and you will be a hit!!!

Paulo

[Graham]

Nick's got a toilet that is as big as my girlfriend's living room area in her HK apartment.

LOL That is really funny............

No actually, it is kind of sad, for me living in poor crowded HK

Graham

[Sebastian]

What is gonna be REALLY SAD is what is going to happend to you Graham after all of us visit your place to check your collection.

Because we WILL visit your place and we WILL see you colection.

And your wife will be Pissed off as never ever seen before.

Poor you.

[Sebastian]

Ok.

so far we have:

Graham.

Shawn.

Blackaces.

VF-1S Alpha.

Guppy.

Sebastian.

The Beast.

Enought to shake HK for a couple of days.

ANYONE ELSE!?!?!

Come on!

[VF-1S Alpha]

Ok.

so far we have:

Graham.

Shawn.

Blackaces.

VF-1S Alpha.

Guppy.

Sebastian.

The Beast.

Enought to shake HK for a couple of days.

ANYONE ELSE!?!?!

Come on!

Guys,

Just occurred to me the following situation:

When our "group" arrives at the shop, and there's only ONE macross item left, and we have SEVEN people who wants to buy it, how do we deal with that? Fight between each other?!!!

Or do we have a on spot bidding?!! <_<

Okay, thinking too much here! Maybe we just do a flash-mob thing on the anime stores with our group!!!

Paulo

[drifand]

I'm thinking more of how the various shop owners will view this not-so-little ragtag group of obvious foreigners on a shopping spree. Quick! Mark up the prices!! ;-)

[recon]

Ok.

so far we have:

Graham.

Shawn.

Blackaces.

VF-1S Alpha.

Guppy.

Sebastian.

The Beast.

Enought to shake HK for a couple of days.

ANYONE ELSE!?!?!

Come on!

Hi,

and me too sebastian, but it depends on my schedule and when is the gathering going to be held at. I for one would love to meet the rest.

Cheers

[Sebastian]

Recon is on the list then.

Who else is coming??

Graham.

Shawn.

Blackaces.

VF-1S Alpha.

The Beast.

Recon.

Guppy.

Sebastian.

[VF-1S Alpha]

I for one am NOT BUYING in this shopathon

I am just going for the fun of it

and would be more interested to be a food guide and bring you guys to try lots of cuisines in HK,

so no worries about me trying to snatch up anything,

Hey BlackAces,

Don't tell me we are going to have a one visit at an anime shop, then a restaurant, an anime shop, another restaurant....I don't think my wallet and stomach will be able to handle that!!!

But still, don't forget to add the beer/pub thingie at night time to brag about the "daily" hunt!

Paulo

[VF-1S Alpha]

I don't want to spoil anything, but I just came over on the net with this info, please check out the link:

Shops in HK

Too bad I can't read it....

Paulo

[Guppy]

I'm back from my wedding & honeymoon - I am freshly married!

Paulo raises a good point - we will have to go "rock paper scissors" to decide who gets first dibs on toys!

Damn.. I am back to 1 post...