I woke up this morning to news that Macao Dragon, the company which runs a budget ferry service between Hong Kong and Macau has closed down. Ouch! I am holding on to 6 Groupon Hong Kong’s vouchers for Macao Dragon from the original 8 I bought 2 months ago.
TV news reports hint that Groupon may issue refunds. So I tried looking up Groupon’s website. No news. Macao Dragon’s website is not accessible. So, I typed in a Google search and come across a discussion on Geoexpat.com from last week saying that there is news Macao Dragon would be filing for bankruptcy today. OK, where do people get these types of inside information – more to the point, how did I miss this?
According to this discussion forum, Groupon does not pay the service providers until the vouchers that customers have bought are actually redeemed. If this is so, then that means the money I paid for the 6 unused vouchers are still with Groupon. So, for those of you holding Groupon vouchers for Macao Dragon’s ferry service, don’t despair……. yet. Hopefully, it’s Groupon that owes you money and that they will do the right thing soon and offer refunds for unused vouchers.
What a great pity that this company had to close down - what great courage to take on the established duopoly. Its fares were materially cheaper than its competitors. Granted it ran a much more limited service than the others, but you could save money with a little planning. I paid $63 for a ticket, good for any day of the week. A one way daytime ticket to Macau either with TurboJet or with New World First Ferry costs $151-$163/6. Newspaper reports say that Macao Dragon launched its low-cost ferry services in January last year after waiting four years for the Macau government to issue it a license. The company said its business became economically unfeasible after the Macau government slashed the number of passengers it was permitted to carry by 35 per cent.
The government issued Macao Dragon a license entitling it to carry 1,152 passengers per vessel in January last year, but then the Macau Maritime Administration imposed a cap of 750 passengers once the company launched its services in July. Staggering!
Thursday 15 September 2011
Friday 9 September 2011
Scheme $6,000 計劃
I guess there is no one in Hong Kong who has not heard of the $6,000 Scheme?
This was announced at the last Budget speech in March 2011. Under the scheme, permanent residents aged 18 or above as of 31 March 2012 are entitled to a cash handout of $6,000. Eligible persons may start applying for the cash handout from 28th August 2011 either via banks or the Hongkong Post The timetable is as follows:
Registration by batches will close on 5 November 2011. What if you miss the deadline? It’s OK you may still register after this date. In fact, here’s a twist, if you are not in a hurry, register during the period from 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 and you will receive $6,000 plus a bonus of $200. The government will start making payments of $6,200 to these eligible persons from early May 2012.
What if you are not eligible to claim on 28 August but will be so by 31 March 2012? You will have to wait. You may submit your application anytime until 31 December 2012. Your application will not be processed until after 31 March 2012 and the option of receiving the $200 bonus does not apply.
Have you thought of how you will make use of your $6,000? Well, that was one of the motivation behind the cash handout – to put wealth in the people’s hands so they can decide for themselves how to allocate this money.
This scheme is costing the government an expected $38,000 million which will benefit an estimated 6.1 million people. That’s a lot of money. I am not even sure how to read the amount is it $38 billion? And the estimated cost to administer this scheme? $75.8 million.
This was announced at the last Budget speech in March 2011. Under the scheme, permanent residents aged 18 or above as of 31 March 2012 are entitled to a cash handout of $6,000. Eligible persons may start applying for the cash handout from 28th August 2011 either via banks or the Hongkong Post The timetable is as follows:
| Year of birth | Registration Period |
| 1946 or before | From 28 August 2011 |
| 1947-1956 | From 11 September 2011 |
| 1957-1966 | From 25 September 2011 |
| 1967-1981 | From 9 October 2011 |
| 1982-1993 | From 23 October 2011 |
Registration by batches will close on 5 November 2011. What if you miss the deadline? It’s OK you may still register after this date. In fact, here’s a twist, if you are not in a hurry, register during the period from 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 and you will receive $6,000 plus a bonus of $200. The government will start making payments of $6,200 to these eligible persons from early May 2012.
What if you are not eligible to claim on 28 August but will be so by 31 March 2012? You will have to wait. You may submit your application anytime until 31 December 2012. Your application will not be processed until after 31 March 2012 and the option of receiving the $200 bonus does not apply.
Have you thought of how you will make use of your $6,000? Well, that was one of the motivation behind the cash handout – to put wealth in the people’s hands so they can decide for themselves how to allocate this money.
This scheme is costing the government an expected $38,000 million which will benefit an estimated 6.1 million people. That’s a lot of money. I am not even sure how to read the amount is it $38 billion? And the estimated cost to administer this scheme? $75.8 million.
Friday 2 September 2011
Walking in Mount Butler
Here is my recommendation for something to do this weekend.
I went on a walk around Mount Butler last weekend and here are some photographs by way of introduction.
The route is fairly steep so you do get a bit of a workout (well, at least for a non regular hiker like me.)
Start your walk from the bus 11 stop just before Boyce Road on Moorsom Road in Jardine’s Lookout. Walk up the
stairs towards the 聖公會 kindergarten. At the top of the stairs, keep walking uphill……………….
You can either head up to the top of the hill to the Bomb Disposal Depot or you could head to Braemar Hill (North Point).
The view from the top is quite good, you can see all the way to the Harbour and over to Kowloon.
In any case, do take your time to enjoy the flora and fauna. Look at these beautiful blooms. I was early enough to still catch the morning dew on the flowers.
Here you can see a some ants busy stiching some leaves together to make a next. Simply amazing!
This is a picture of a little creek, not enough for fish but nevertheless, a refreshing sight.
I went on a walk around Mount Butler last weekend and here are some photographs by way of introduction.
The route is fairly steep so you do get a bit of a workout (well, at least for a non regular hiker like me.)
Start your walk from the bus 11 stop just before Boyce Road on Moorsom Road in Jardine’s Lookout. Walk up the
stairs towards the 聖公會 kindergarten. At the top of the stairs, keep walking uphill……………….You can either head up to the top of the hill to the Bomb Disposal Depot or you could head to Braemar Hill (North Point).
The view from the top is quite good, you can see all the way to the Harbour and over to Kowloon.In any case, do take your time to enjoy the flora and fauna. Look at these beautiful blooms. I was early enough to still catch the morning dew on the flowers.
Here you can see a some ants busy stiching some leaves together to make a next. Simply amazing!
This is a picture of a little creek, not enough for fish but nevertheless, a refreshing sight.
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