Greetings from Hong Kong! We hope you are all set to join us at the CRIDALA 2000 Conference. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

WEATHER

June is usually hot and humid in Hong Kong. Daytime temperature can be as high as 33 degrees Celsius and the average humidity is about 82% .

For detailed forecast of the weather, please visit the website of the Hong Kong Observatory at http://www.info.gov.hk/hko

TRAVEL TIPS

Visa Requirement

Participants from the following countries, in general, are granted visa free visits for a period of at least 14 days.

Taiwan residents should apply for Multiple Entry Permits directly through their local airline office.

For more details, please visit HKSAR Immigration Department's Homepage at: http://www.info.gov.hk/immd/english/topical/5.htm or consult any Chinese diplomatic and Consular Mission of your country.

Travel and Health Insurance

Healthcare is expensive in Hong Kong. You are strongly advised to arrange for travel and medical insurance cover before arrival. Please speak to your travel agent for details.

En Route to Hong Kong

Try to get a window seat on the right-hand side of the plane (Seat K or thereabouts). This will give you the best view of Hong Kong as your plane descends toward Chek Lap Kok International Airport.

Getting to Your Hotel

Hong Kong ultra modern Chek Lap Kok Airport is located 35 kilometres from the City. Because of the distance and the fact that delegates will be arriving throughout the day, we WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MEET YOU AT THE AIRPORT (Apologies).

However, the following information provides you some choices on how you can reach your hotel efficiently and safely.

• Taxi
  This is available on a 24-hour basis. All taxis in Hong Kong are metered. Baggage in the boot is charged HK$5 per piece irrespective of size. Small hand carried items are not normally charged if you have them with you in the seating compartment. It takes approximately 40 - 50 minutes to arrive at your hotel and will cost HK$300 - 350 per trip. The flag down rate is HK$15 and the toll fee is HK$30. There is no additional charge if 2 - 3 persons sharing a taxi as long as luggage space permits. No tipping is required.

• Hotel Shuttle
  The Hotel Shuttle available from 6:00am to 12:00midnight is operated by a private bus company. It provides door-to-door shuttle service in a 19-seater coach which runs between the Airport and your hotel. It departs every 30 minutes and takes approximately 45 minutes to reach your hotel. The fare is HK$120 per trip per person and will have to be settled when you make a booking on arrival at their counter in the airport either by credit card (Visa, Master and AE) or cash (HK$) only. You can go to their airport counter 2C at Level 5 of the Arrival Hall to reserve a seat upon your arrival.
  
  If you are staying at the following hotels, you can take the Hotel Shuttle at a special price.
  
  Royal Plaza Hotel: HK$70 (go to Counter B for booking)
  The Metropole Hotel: HK$75 (go to Counter K2 for booking)
  YMCA International House: HK$90 (go to Tai Fung Co. at Exit A for booking)

• Airport Express + Taxi
  Airport Express, operated by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC), is available from 0603 to 0051 hr. This high speed Express Rail departs from the Airport Terminal Building at an interval of 12 - 15 minutes. The cost is HK$60 per trip. It will take you to Kowloon Station in about 20 minutes. 
  
  Alight at Kowloon Station and take a taxi to your hotel. The taxi ride will cost you approximately HK$30-50, depending on the hotel you will be staying.

• (a) Cityflyer (b) Cityflyer + Taxi (c) Cityflyer + KCR Train
  Taking Cityflyer is the most economical way. It is available from 0600 - 2400. A double-decker air-conditioned bus with luggage space provided, Cityflyer operates approximately at a 10-minute interval and the journey takes 45 - 60 minutes. The upper deck provides good panoramic views en route to the city.
  
  Get on to Route A21 to have a scenic ride to the city. Along the way, you will pass through the new Tsing Ma bridge (the world's longest suspension bridge carrying both road and rail services), then through the container port of Tsing Yi before arriving at Kowloon. As the bus approaches the city, you will hear announcements regarding stops. 
  
  -If you are staying at YMCA International House, alight at Stop 6 (Nathan Road, Pitt Street). On alighting, turn right and in front of you is the Waterloo Road. Turn left into Waterloo Road and another 60 metres further on is the YMCA International House.
  
  -If you are staying at Stanford Hotel, Metropole Hotel or YWCA Anne Black Guest House, you can choose to flag down a taxi at the road junction after alighting at Stop 6. You will be able to reach your hotel in 10 minutes. If you prefer or if you miss the stop, you can also alight at the terminal of Route A21 (i.e. Kowloon KCR Station) and take a taxi at the nearby taxi stand to your hotel. The taxi fare is approximately HK$50.
  
  -If you are staying at Royal Plaza Hotel, alight at the terminal of Route A21 and transfer by Kowloon KCR train nearby. Get off at Mongkok KCR Station (only 1 station from the Kowloon Station) and follow the signage there. The Hotel is just next to the station.
  
  *To facilitate your communication in public transport, we recommend you to make a copy of the Names of Hotels & Addresses in Chinese and show it to the taxi / bus driver at boarding.

Summary of Suggested Options
 

	Taxi (40 mins)	Hotel Shuttle (40 mins)	Airport Express + Taxi (40 mins)	Cityflyer (60 mins)	Cityflyer + KCR Train (75 mins)	Cityflyer + Taxi (75 mins)
Royal Plaza Hotel	HK$300 approx. + HK$30 toll fee + baggage fee (HK$5 per piece)	HK$70	HK$90-110	N/A	HK$38	N/A
Metropole Hotel	Same as above	HK$75	Same as above	N/A	N/A	HK$65 - 85
Stanford Hotel	Same as above	HK$120	Same as above	N/A	N/A	HK$65 - 85
YMCA International House	Same as above	HK$90	Same as above	HK$33	N/A	N/A
YWCA Anne Black Guest House	Same as above	HK$120	Same as above	N/A	N/A	HK$65 - 85

*If you are staying at a hotel other than the above five, please feel free to contact us for details concerning transportation.

From Your Hotel to the OUHK Campus

The Location Map will give you a better idea of the relative distance between your hotel and the OUHK Campus.

If you are staying at The Metropole Hotel or YWCA Anne Black Guest House, you can walk from your hotel along Pui Ching Road, then Fat Kwong Street to the OUHK Campus. The walking distance shall be 15 minutes and 5 minutes respectively.

If you are staying at The Stanford Hotel, you can either flagdown a taxi, which costs you around HK$20, or take a mini-bus outside the Chi Kit Secondary School at the junction of Shantung Street and Sai Yee Street. The fare is HK$4. The travelling time is about 10-15 minutes.

If you are staying at the YMCA International House, you can choose to walk for 25 minutes along Waterloo Road, then turn right to Pui Ching Road and Fat Kwong Street. Or, you can flagdown a taxi which will cost you around HK$25.

If you are staying at the Royal Plaza Hotel, you are advised to flagdown a taxi to the OUHK Campus, which will cost you about HK$30. The travelling time is about 10-15 minutes.

HOTELS

The names, addresses and contact numbers of the various hotels are as follows :

(For easy communication, Names of Hotels & Addresses in Chinese are particularly useful for showing to taxi / bus drivers.)

Royal Plaza Hotel
Address: 193 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon
Tel: 26226294 Fax: 26283383
Website: http://www.royalplaza.com.hk

Stanford Hotel
Address: 118 Soy Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
Tel: 27811881 Fax: 23883733
Website: http://www.stanfordhongkong.com/index.htm

The Metropole Hotel
Address: 75 Waterloo Road, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon
Tel: 27611711 Fax: 27610769
Website: http://www.metropole.com.hk

YMCA International House
Address: 23 Waterloo Road, Kowloon
Tel: 27719111 Fax: 27715238
Website: http://www.ymcaintlhousehk.org

YWCA Anne Black Guest House
Address: 5 Man Fuk Road (off Pui Ching Road), Ho Man Tin, Kowloon
Tel: 2713 9211 Fax: 2761 1269
Website: http://www.bookings-asia.com/hk/hotels/anneblack
 

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Check-in / Check-out

Please note the following regarding check-in and check-out

• Check-in Time: 2:00pm on the day of arrival
• Check-out Time: 12:00 noon on the day of departure
  (Early check-in and late check-out is subject to availability of guest rooms. For late check-out, please arrange with the reception at check-in.)
• If you wish to cancel or change your hotel booking, 24-hour notice is required. Otherwise, first night's deposit will be charged.

Except for Royal Plaza Hotel, all guest room rates do NOT include breakfast. If you wish to take breakfast at your hotel, please inform the reception when you check in. The rates are as below:

Metropole Hotel: HK$66*
Stanford Hotel: HK$50*
YMCA International House: HK$60*
YWCA Anne Black Guest House: HK$22*

*subject to 10% service charge

REGISTRATION / DISTRIBUTION OF CONFERENCE BAG

No registration is required for those who have paid up and are staying at the 5 "Conference Hotels". All information regarding the Conference will be delivered to your hotel in the afternoon of 20 June (Tue) #. Simply ask for the Conference Bag at the hotel's Reception Desk.

# If you are not staying at the 5 conference hotels, please come to the Registration Counter to collect the Conference Information.

If you are paying the registration fee on arrival, please report to the Registration Counter at the Information Centre of the OUHK Campus on G/F. The Registration Counter will be open on 21 June 2000 (Wed) from 9:00 to 9:20am. On site registrants will be charged the full rate and only HK$, US$, Visa or Master card will be accepted. (To avoid last minute queues on Wednesday morning, please send your registration form and payment soonest possible.)

In the conference bag, you will find:
-A Programme Book
-The Abstracts of Papers
-A Conference Badge
-A writing pad with a pen
-Souvenirs

*For Paper presenters, please bring 30 copies of your paper for distribution at the conference. No photocopying will be entertained.

**The Organising Committee of CRIDALA has planned that there will be a post-conference publication which includes selected papers from the Conference for wide dissemination. However, not all papers accepted for presentation will be included automatically in this publication. If your paper is finally selected for this publication, we shall contact you again after the Conference.

REIMBURSEMENT

If you are receiving sponsorship for this Conference, we will reimburse you on the remaining amount after deducting the registration fee and the accommodation deposit. Please come to the Information Centre (G/F) for reimbursement on 21 June (Wed) from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

CONFERENCE BADGE

Your conference badge is your "passport" to all conference activities, including the dinner cruise on Friday evening. Please wear it at all times.

CYBER STATION

The cyber station, located at Room B411 on 4/F is equipped with 20 sets of computer connected to the internet. You can keep in touch with the rest of the world easily and efficiently during the conference. It will be open on 21 - 23 June from 9 am - 6 pm. Access to it is free of charge.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME

CONFERENCE DINNER CRUISE (8:00 - 10:30pm June 23, 2000 Friday)

This cruise provides an excellent opportunity for relaxation, networking and also a wonderful orientation to the glittering waterfront of Hong Kong. Coach will be arranged to pick you up to the Pier. Details will be announced during the Conference.

TOUR OF HONG KONG (optional and self-financed) (June 24, 2000 Saturday)

We have engaged a professional travel agent, Gray Line Tours of Hong Kong Ltd, to arrange the following tours. Gray Line will have their tour desk set up on 22 June (Thursday) from 3:00pm to 5:30pm to accept registrations for tours.

Tour details:

• Deluxe Hong Kong Island (am / pm)
  Price: HK$290 (Adult) HK$190 (3-12 years)

• Kowloon & New Territories (am / pm)
  Price: HK$290 (Adult) HK$190 (3-12 years)

• Ocean Park / Middle Kingdom
  Price: HK$265 (Adult) HK$120 (3-12 years)

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Emergency Services (free call) -for police, fire, ambulance and medical services : 999

Crime Hotline (also taxi complaints): 25277177

Immigration Department: 28246111

HK International Airport: 21818888

Telephone:
-overseas & international direct dial and card phone enquiries: 10013
-directory enquiries: 1081
-collect calls: 10010

The Conference Secretariat can be contacted at:

Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede
Tel No: 27686700 (office) 92447422 (mobile)

Ms. Jessie Yum
Tel No: 27686703 (office)

Ms. Rita Chui
Tel No: 27686085 (office)