We're Going On a Trip!

Not in our fave rocket ship, but you get the picture. LOL!

Yes, the kids and I are taking our annual trip to the homeland this week. Many of you have requested that I write about traveling with kids (especially toddlers) since I almost always do it as the lone adult. Well, this isn't going to be THAT blog. Haha!

If you've been wondering why we always go to Hong Kong in July, well that's because Hong Kong has its Annual Summer Shopping Festival on the months of July and August. This year, it started about two weeks early. Yes, it is SALE season in Hong Kong as we speak.

Last year, the kids and I didn't do much as HK was scorching hot AND totally humid. We spent half a day at Hong Kong Disneyland and the rest of the time (we stayed for almost a week), we wasted in the malls (to cool off mostly). Last year's SALE wasn't as great as the years before, so we did most of our shopping at IKEA and Disneyland (imagine that).

Remember this photo from last year? Evidence of shopping at HK Disney. LOL!

On a summer (June to August is summer in Hong Kong) trip once, when RL was about 7 months old, it was soooo hot in Hong Kong, I swear we all got a tan - darker than the tan we'd get on trips to the beach. My kids would get so hot and sticky and RL would get rashes from the heat.

This year, I promise things will go differently. Other than the fact that KY will be with us (Thank You, Lord! I have an assistant! KY, I didn't say yaya a!), I'm gonna come prepared!

A few weeks ago, I had received this from the nice folks of Johnson's Baby, c/o my friends from Nuffnang.

My secret weapon to combat hot, sticky and humid weather! Thank you, Johnson's Baby!

I was busy organizing things for my online garage sale when this awesome pack of products came, that I didn't notice the nanny putting it away. Alas, while looking for "ingredients" for a Baby Blooms order, I found the bag in the attic. Haay, yaya.

So yes, because our nanny left us for good Friday night (I had to let her go because she's giving birth), I had asked her to bring out the things we normally take on trips - black cosmetic bag, stroller organizer, water bottles, medicine and first aid kit, etc.

Weather Forecast
as checked Friday night

On previous trips, I had always thought I was pretty prepared. But see, in Hong Kong, the weather can change drastically. One day it's fine, then the next day, they'll declare a typhoon signal in the morning, a severe cyclone signal in the afternoon, etc. And then it gets all scorching hot again. Yes, it gets crazy like that. Especially in July. And it's wrong to assume that because this country is merely an hour and 45 minutes or so away, the weather could pretty much be the same as ours. True, it's the rainy season there, but it can get really, really hot. As in, extremely hot.

Weather Forecast
as checked today.
Bye, sunny day!
(Yea, right)

I checked the weather for this week. We head to the homeland on Thursday. Looks like rain. But see, just last Thursday, they had a signal 8 - that's cyclone material. Last time, A and I got caught in a cyclone 8 was back in August of 2007 and we were stuck at Central Station for a good 4 hours. Got ourselves on local TV, too. Prior to that day, it was very hot and humid. I swear, the weather can be crazy there.

In 2009, we were at Hong Kong Disneyland on a fine, July day. It was drizzling in the morning. After lunch, it reached the high 30s and I almost collapsed from heat exhaustion. I was still breastfeeding RL then, and I suppose I didn't think I'd get THAT dehydrated. Good thing we had our nanny with us.

In 2010, my kids and I got a bad tan at the park. Last year, I didn't think it would get as hot, as I had relied on the weekly weather forecast. Although the forecast was correct, the weather changed midday and we were sweating in fever-like weather.

So yes, this year, we are coming prepared.

Hot July visits to Hong Kong Disneyland.
From top left, clockwise: Exasperated look on RL's face, while watching a parade (July 2011).
This picture of A speaks for itself, LOL (July 2009).
18-month old RL with two stroller fans (July 2010).
A can't open her eyes for the picture, with the sun too bright (July 2010).
With PEx friends Zalvaje and Gasoline, see the tan line on my arm???!! (July 2010)
Sweaty RL with his stickers. (July 2011)

I am making sure I bring these with us to Hong Kong. Folks, allow me to present my artillery (LOL!):

These Johnson's Baby products have been designed to combat the consequences of staying under the sun!

JOHNSON'S BABY COOLING POWDER
RL is allergic to heat. LOL! Seriously, he gets really irritated when it's hot and sticky, and complains about "pawis". So Johnson's Baby Cooling Powder is an answered prayer. It keeps RL cool and keeps his back dry. What I like about this product? It cools the skin in less than a minute. Told you it was answered prayer. Hehe.

JOHNSON'S BABY SKIN PROTECTION POWDER
My kids are prone to heat rash and prickly heat, especially RL who has skin asthma. So this powder is a must! Especially around his neck area and the singit (hehe). I sometimes mix this with the Cooling Powder to give both RL and A double protection. Johnson's Baby Skin Protection Powder has Zinc Oxide that's a proven anti-bacterial agent. It also has magnesium stearate which repels wetness. Together, this main ingredients in this wonder powder helps fight rashes and prevents it from coming back.

JOHNSON'S BABY SUMMER PEACH BATH
I recently discovered this and we are currently using this for RL. It smells so good. Seriously, he doesn't smell like he's played outside all day when we use this for bath time. I'm tempted to have A use this for school days. She tends t be "amoy-araw" and "amoy-ewan", especially after a long day in school. I want my kids smelling fresh, even after a long, tiring, hot day at the park.

JOHNSON'S BABY COOLING BATH
Like the Cooling Powder, this baby bath aids in keeping baby fresh and cool all day. Wanna know a secret? I use this bath to cool and soak my kids' feet! Both of them tend to get really sweaty (and stinky!) feet. So this relaxes them and ensures that their feet come out smelling good after a long soak. LOL! Really, it works! I also like using this for their baths because they always come out cool and fresh.

JOHNSON'S BABY DAILY SUN PROTECTION LOTION
It isn't enough to protect a child from feeling sticky and hot, or from the perils of prickly heat and being "amoy-araw". Most parents forget to protect their child from the number one cause of skin disease - skin exposure to the sun. Check most baby bags, and you will hardly find a tube of sunblock. This is my favorite Johnson's Baby product ever, and I am happy this has been made available here. If you haven't tried it, go and get your kids one. It is light and non-greasy and has a very mild scent, unlike most sunblocks that are labeled "for kids". This being a Johnson's Baby product, you are sure that it has been tested safe to use for your little ones everyday. We haven't left home without one since we first tried it!

JOHNSON'S BABY COLOGNE
Out of all the variants available for Johnson's Baby Cologne, five scents are our favorites - Regular (I'm happy this is still available after all these years!), Summer Swing, Tumble, Bounce, and A's favorite, Slide. I grew up on Johnson's Baby Cologne, and it is the one thing that reminds me of summer days. Nothing like smelling like a baby, despite being under the sun all day. Johnson's Baby Cologne is a must for Play Days!

Thanks to Johnson's Baby, my Hong Kong survival kit's packed with the right stuff.

Field Trip: Hong Kong Disneyland's New Toy Story Land!

It is no secret that I try to take my kids to Hong Kong Disney once or twice a year. I am a kid at heart (and still a kid, really, LOL!) and I never, never tire of Disneyland. Ok, ok, maybe I don't do much of the rides (I enjoy more of the ambiance, looking at all sorts of people, AND browsing the stores) but I still love the parks.

Disneyland is truly a magical place to everyone who chooses to enter its gates. I still remember my first trip to Disneyland in Anaheim. Then of course to Walt Disney World. Eventually, my sibs and I started opting for the bigger, more adult parks for the coasters and wild rides, but hey, I always get excited when we have Disney on our itinerary.

Anyway, I digress. Last month, RL and I took a trip to the homeland to meet up with good friends currently based in Japan. They haven't really been to Hong Kong, except for E, who docked once and got to explore a bit of Harbour City. So last year, we planned a February trip. To tell you honestly, except for the weather, I don't really like taking trips to Hong Kong during the winter. There isn't much to buy (Hong Kong is shopping heaven especially during Sale Season) and the stores are stocked with winter clothes and maybe a bit of next season/ spring (read: full price). That, plus A can't really afford to miss school. So I ended up just taking RL.

Yes, I traveled with a toddler. Lone adult + toddler = crazy. But my little boy did so well. What a relief!

RL, on the S1 Bus to Tung Chung.

We got to Hong Kong about 7 hours before our friends, who arrived on the afternoon flight from Okinawa. So because I didn't want to take two trips to the city, we left our big bag at the airport's luggage counter and headed to Disneyland to while away the afternoon. We had Magic Access Passes, so entering and re-entering the park weren't problems.

I don't sleep much before flights (I pack at the last minute, oops), so I was really tired when we got to Hong Kong. RL couldn't wait to see "Yoody, Jessie and Boosay" so after resting a bit, we left on the S1 bus to Tung Chung. There, we took the MTR to Sunny Bay, then to Hong Kong Disneyland.  Hong Kong makes everything accessible via trains and buses - makes traveling with kids a breeze! And it's pretty easy as long as you know where you want to go and you know your way around.

RL and "Yoody", in front of the Disney Train - eager to get going. Hihih.

It was lunch time when we got to Disneyland but RL wasn't hungry. He was more interested in getting to the new themed land he's been seeing on Disney Junior. Supposedly, Hong Kong Disneyland's Toy Story Land is the first ever of its kind among all Disney parks worldwide. However, I also know of Toy Story Playland in Disneyland Paris - a park within Toon Studio, and a smaller version of what Hong Kong has. Now because RL loves Toy Story, this was where we headed first.

This way! To Toy Story Land. The whole area is full of bigger-than-life toys.

Entering the themed area of Toy Story Land, you get this feeling of being shrunk to the size of a toy (think "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids!"). I love how they made use of giant Popsicle sticks and corn stalks to make you feel small.

Howdy Pardner! There's a snake in my boot! Hehe, Bigger-than-life Woody welcomes you to Toy Story Land!

Rex is larger than life! Haha, soooo kyot! I wanted to take him home.

Did you ever play with this? Gigantic TinkerToy parts are literally all over Toy Story Land.

Barrel-o-Monkeys Monkeys and huge domino pieces.

Vertical Velocity on
Andy's RC Racer.
Photo credit: AAM

RL wanted to ride Andy's RC Racer. It was the one ride he was looking forward to the most. However, because of the nature of the ride (it is sort of like Anchor's Away, only in a car and not a galleon), you must be a certain height (1.2 meters) in order to ride. Sadly, RL didn't get his wish. Next time, I guess, when he's around 8 or so.

So we decided to ride the Slinky Dog Spin. The line was about 45 minutes long. I was dreading the wait as my little boy gets impatient really quick - a trait he got from R. Needless to say, it was a looooonnnggg wait, and RL wanted to get out after about 5 minutes or so. But there was a kid in front of us who was interested in "Yoody" - the doll we got from our last HK Disneyland visit around 6 months ago. So RL busied himself by hiding Woody in his woolly jacket. Thank goodness for persistent kids! That kid tried to pull on Woody's string for the next 30 minutes or so. Haha!

RL and Woody waiting in line for the Slinky Dog Spin ride. 

I don't really enjoy rides that go around, this one was no exception. Dizzytabs, please!

Woody: FINALLY! (Little boy is glad to FINALLY be on the 2-minute ride)

We weren't sure they'd allow RL on the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, but they did (minimum height requirement: .81 meters)! I was actually scared for my little boy, who didn't seem fazed by the height of this ride. Woody, however, wasn't allowed to ride this one.

Not sure if he was nervous or excited to be on this ride.

Anxious now, because the cast member took Woody away. And "Yoody wants to ride the parachute, Mom!"

I think, at this point, I was more nervous for him. Great job, RL! 

We were this high! Woohoo! (Overlooking Disneyland's expansion!) 

We were thinking about getting us some grub from here, but Jessie's Snack Roundup offers just that - Snacks. There was a wide variety - cookies, yogurt with toppings, pizza cones, popcorn, etc - but we wanted rice. So we decided to wait 'til we get elsewhere.

RL munching on Skittles.

Right when we were about to leave Toy Story Land for It's A Small World, we caught Woody and Jessie posing for photos at the Big Barrel by the entryway to this part of the park. Since we were here to while away the time, I thought it was best to see this through. We hardly ever get photos taken with Disney characters because the lines are looooooooooonnnnnngggggggg (you get the idea). When RL was 6 months old, we tried to get our photos with Mickey and Minnie over at Main Street, and we got sunburned waiting under the sun a good whole hour. So we rarely take photo ops. And like I said, RL gets grumpy waiting. It was no different this time. I had to distract RL with all sorts - Yakult, milk, Skittles, etc. Pretty soon, we were so near and he had a great view of the two characters that that distracted him enough to wait it out.

RL with Woody, "Yoody" and Jessie!  This made him so proud to have met his fave characters.

Overall, Toy Story Land is great for Toy Story fans. When we went back to Disneyland with our friends two days later, RL still enjoyed the themed land, except that he wasn't too keen on riding the rides anymore ("line too long, mom!) and opted to ask for stickers from cast members instead. That, plus the nice lady manning the gift kiosk had him play with a Slinky toy. He was happy doing just that while waiting for our friends take in the rides there.

Playing with this Slinky Dog toy.

This kept him entertained for a good 15 minutes.

Toy Story Land is Hong Kong Disneyland's newest themed land. Located right behind Adventureland, get to it through the back access road between Adventureland and Fantasyland (follow the path behind the Pixie Hollow photo kiosk). Aside from Toy Story Land, two more sections are set to open in the next two years.

2 more themed areas are coming to HK Disneyland! Plan your trips carefully if you don't want to miss these!

My kids and I really love Hong Kong Disneyland! Toy Story Land gives us more reason to see the park each time we're in the homeland.

See you again in July!

~~~

Toy Story Land attractions close approximately 1.5 hours before the fireworks spectacular. This part of the park gets extra full midday, so plan your visit well and make sure you get to see Hong Kong Disneyland's latest offering!


Know more about Toy Story Land here.
http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com

Home Away From Home.

This post has been edited (and edited, and edited through the months I was on hiatus) so much so that I decided to just write a new one. My sentiments are the same, however -- Hotel Benito will always be my Hong Kong home.

~~~

A and I were walking back to Ramada (a dinky hotel my dad booked at the last minute - long story!) to meet my folks before they headed out on the A21 back to the airport. We had gone to Mongkok for the day and decided to get out of the B2 MTR Exit. I normally do not look up while walking on heavily-populated streets, but that evening, as I walked down Cameron Road, I decided to stop and look up. On the huge billboard in front of me was a sign announcing a new hotel that had just opened the month before. This was around 4+ years ago. The new hotel was news to me and my friends on the Pinoy Exchange Hong Kong thread (an online thread we help moderate). See, we had been looking for a nice boutique hotel. A number of us wanted to organize an EB in Hong Kong. Many of us budget travelers, we had wanted the comforts of a nice, clean hotel, without the hotel price. Hotel Benito was just that - the location came as a bonus.

Not the same billboard as this one replaced the one announcing the new hotel.

Home away from home - Hotel Benito.

Hotel Benito opened in 2007. An IKEA-inspired (well, we all think so, as it smelled like IKEA when we first walked into our room back then) boutique hotel smack right in the middle of busy Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.

On our next trip to Hong Kong for Holy Week of 2008, my mom wanted no other hotel. It was Hotel Benito for its location! So I called and booked us 3 rooms. Needless to say, the experience was superb! My dad especially enjoyed their business lounge*, with free-flowing coffee, tea, hot choco, water, juice and Japanese Rice Crackers! Haha! My siblings loved the fact that they had laptops available for use at the lounge (if you're the type who hates lugging a laptop when you travel) and free net access** in rooms! We also loved the idea that the hotel was surrounded by bakeries, fast food joints, and shops. It was also a 2-minute walk to the nearest MTR exit; A stone's throw away from the A21 bus stop (DIY travelers know how important proximity to the bus stop is!). My youngest brother loved it that it was next door to Tom Lee Music. My kids and I just loved everything about it.

Watsons Personal Care Store right below the hotel, the famous dessert place - Hui Lau Shan, right across. 

McDonald's 24-Hour store, KFC, Yoshinoya and Burger King right outside your hotel! Look! A Crocs store!

When I first took my little boy, who was then 6 months old, to Hong Kong, I considered Hotel Benito right away. It was most convenient for kids. Especially when you have to take numerous trips back to the hotel for naps, poop breaks, or just to dump half a day's worth of shopping. Parent travelers would know what I mean when I say: Convenient location is NECESSARY when traveling with kids. LOL!

6-month old RL, looking out the window at Hotel Benito.

No way we're staying at a guesthouse again!

There was one last-minute trip to the homeland where I didn't get to book with Hotel Benito. We were so last minute then, plus it was peak season, that we decided to book ourselves into a guesthouse to save on budget and the hassle. I felt so sorry for my kids that I allowed them that experience! RL (who was then 1), A (then 8) and I had to squish into a room the size of my bathroom. Heck, even my itsy-bitsy bathroom at home is bigger than that room! Sure, I may have saved half of what I would've spent at Hotel Benito, but I learned my lesson that trip. We were booked for 6 nights - 3 of which we spent in that small hole. A small hole not even worth my 300HKD.

Let me tell you this, nothing is worth the extra moolah when it comes to convenience and the comfort of your kids. When all is said and done, a nice, safe hotel puts a single parent's traveling dilemmas at ease. After that small box of a stay, each Hong Kong trip was planned with Hotel Benito in mind. We haven't stayed anywhere else since. I've probably convinced every aunt, cousin, friend, pastor, officemate, etc to stay at Hotel Benito! So far, we've stayed at this hotel a total of 8x, not counting the separate times my family has booked with Hotel Benito without us.

RL checking out our Deluxe Twin Room. Nice! 

Mounted LCD TV that shows Cartoon Network, National Geographic, HBO, etc.

Book Direct and get welcome fruits and a note from their manager when you arrive.
You also get a daily supply of bottled water (2 bottles/ room) if you book directly with the hotel.

Nice, Clean Bathroom.

Shower enclosure, with Shampoo and Body Wash.

Coffee, Tea, and Bottled Water! Personal ref inside the cabinet to the left.

Of course it's not the Four Seasons nor The Pen. It's a Boutique Hotel.

But the hospitality here beats any 5-star hotel in Hong Kong. Their concierge, Louie, greets me with a "Welcome Back" each time he sees me. But because Hotel Benito is my Hong Kong home, to me, his welcome is synonymous to "Welcome Home."

Perfect location! Click on the map to enlarge. 

Hotel Benito is at 7-7B Cameron Lane cor. Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Standard Room Rates are HK$825 and up. Rates vary, so write to them to inquire for rates for your stay.


For inquiries and bookings, email them direct at info@hotelbenito.com or through reservation@hotelbenito.com. 

*Business Lounge access is HK$40 for single entry, HK$70 for multiple entry for the duration of your stay - inclusive of free-flowing water, coffee, juice, crackers, and use of their laptop computers with internet access. 

**Free wifi in rooms! Wired internet is also available, LAN cables are available upon request.

Check out the Hotel Benito webpage here.


http://www.hotelbenito.com

Harbour City's Baby Center!

This is such a late post. As it is always the case with travel posts and photos (I have my siblings constantly reminding me that I owe them photos, etc, even from trips two years ago). But my brother has yet to install new memory on my laptop, so I like to save the space. That, plus my external drive is FULL - blame it on full-sized DSLR photos that you just can't trash.  Anyway, I owe a friend a few posts on HongKong, so I thought I'd start with something easy to write.

I was telling a bunch of breastfeeding friends that the new baby rooms at Harbour City are way too cool. I've stopped breastfeeding RL when he turned 2, so I didn't really make use of these much during our last homeland trip (July - I know, eons ago, sorry!) but I just wanted to say how lovely they are! Nothing compared to the breastfeeding and changing rooms at our local malls. Nothing!

So allow me to share photos of one of Harbour City's uber-cool baby centers!

We actually made use of the new, albeit small baby room fronting Ocean Terminal's Toys R' Us (located right under the stairs) to change RL's diaper (and to throw away some boxes so we didn't have to bring them back to the hotel). I didn't take photos of that particular baby room because I wanted to check out this one. Also located inside Ocean Terminal, which is part of Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, this baby center is beautiful!

This one is beside the ladies' loo, and looks like it is part of the wall, you won't actually notice it is there, unless you notice the signs.

See that hand on the wall panel? You touch it and those mirrored doors open!

Yes, you may park your stroller here. The room is big enough to accomodate strollers!

Communal Feeding Area for bottle-fed babies! Or for breastfeeding moms who don't mind nursing in front of others. :)

Diaper-changing area... I love the faucet!

Private Nursing Areas (with privacy curtains) at the back come with their very own changing tables. 

Nurse in Private!

I love how they thought about how some moms prefer to nurse in private. I remember trying to nurse RL in one of SM's nursing rooms and had to endure this lady's husband's numerous glances. I mean, gimme a break, mammary glands are mammary glands! Stare at your wife's, not mine! And I was wearing a bib ha? LOL!

Anyway, I hope one of the malls take into consideration the actual needs of nursing moms and come up with something as cool as this.

It's Here!

The box, that is! The box I had sent from Hong Kong on the 11th of July is here! This is a late post since I have been sick (again!) and busy. They delivered the box to my office on Wednesday last week, July 20, or exactly 9 days after it left the hotel.

Hooray! My shopping loot is here!

Yey! I think my nanny was happiest when I brought the box home Friday night. Her pasalubong sneakers were in the box. Hehehe.

To learn more about shipping stuff from Hong Kong, see my previous post on this here.

Shipping from Hong Kong to Manila

I am no rich girl, so I don't fly Cathay (well, not anymore) and hardly ever do I fly with PAL. Ever since I got married, I had to make that choice to fly budget, just so I can take my kids to places I've been to as a kid. It's harder when you're living off a single income. But don't sue me for wanting to travel. I am sure every mom wants what's best for their kids. All I really want is for my kids to experience the perks I had growing up.

Well, so far, they've been to Hong Kong and Beijing. LOL! (We're getting there, we're getting there. Momma just has to save up some more.)

Anyway, since we always fly budget nowadays (yes, yes, that's 5J for you folks, but can you beat P2,700 for 3pax, RT to Hong Kong? I didn't think so.), we've had to find ways around the baggage allowance. Lately, it's been easier, given that RL has to have his own seat now. That means, an extra 15kg! Yes!

But what I haven't mentioned on this post is this: I am the only adult when we travel. Well, most of the time. Yes, the only adult with 2 kids. It was harder last year, since you couldn't ask RL to hold on to anything. T'was easier this year, with A being a more responsible Ate. She helped me lug 9 bags to the bus stop. Yes, 9 bags. LOL! She had 3, I had the rest, plus pushed the stroller with RL on it.

But I digress from the main point of this post. See, we may have had a ton of bags with us, but they were either empty or light. Two were filled with junk food. One had an ergonomic pillow and 4 plush toys from Disneyland. Relatively light, albeit bulky. The heavy stuff went inside a box we had shipped to Manila on the last day we were in Hong Kong.

Shipped, you say? Yes! Hong Kong has a number of Philippine-based couriers that ship off balikbayan boxes to Manila. They cater to OFWs and regular Hong Kong travelers. My favorite company is called Worldwide Elite Express or Worldwide EEC. We first used WEEC in March 2009, when during a buying trip with my brothers and a friend, we had no choice but to ship off textile samples back to Manila. We had heard about balikbayan box shipping from a friend based in Hong Kong and ventured to Worldwide House in Central to check all those couriers out. The shipping companies are all on the 3rd floor of Worldwide House, right next to each other. I don't remember how we chose WEEC, they were the cheapest, I think.

Others had promos if you planned to ship a combo of boxes. Others had referral promos, tracking points, etc. WEEC just seemed okay, and came highly recommended by Filipinos around the area. That was the start of our business friendship with Kuya Steve. The guy who mans WEEC in Central.

Worldwide Elite Express at 3F Worldwide House, Central. Look for Steve!

Today, every time he sees me in his store, he doesn't need to ask. He already knows. And yes, that's how often I've been to Hong Kong since that day in 2009! LOL! Shipping usually takes a week or two, depending on the day of the week you have your packed box picked up, and/ or if their shipping container is full and ready to go. The fastest I've ever had to receive a box would be a record 5 days! Bilis no?

Here's how to ship a box from Hong Kong to Manila:

1) CHOOSE A BOX. You can either go to Worldwide House in Central to pick up a box, or have them deliver a box to your hotel. Boxes vary in sizes, so make sure you know which size you need. If you choose to have them deliver an empty box to you, take note that the prices below reflect pick-up box discounts, so you have to add at least 20HKD to the shipping price (30HKD for D'King).

Current Rates still applied today. :) 

2) PAY FOR YOUR BOX AND SCHEDULE FOR PICK-UP. I usually pay for the box and shipping in full when I pick up my empty box at Worldwide House. That way, I don't have to worry about waiting to pay the guy who will pick up my box from the hotel. I also make sure to schedule pick up with Kuya Steve so I don't have to pay storage with the hotel's concierge, in case I leave the box with them after I've checked out.

3) PACK YOUR BOX. A box comes with at least 2 rolls of packing tape. I wondered why there were 2 rolls once, and Kuya Steve mentioned that some Filipinos liked to wrap their boxes with tape. I saw proof of this on my recent trip to WEEC in Worldwide House, when an oversized Jumbo Box was literally covered in tape. Remember that you ship these boxes regardless of weight, so fill your box with the heavy stuff. Make sure you wrap the fragile ones in paper or cloth before packing those in.

4) SEAL YOUR BOX. I like to line the edges with tape as well, just to secure the box from bumps and accidents. Write your complete mailing address on all sides of the box (I also write down the tracking number from the waybills to make sure the number's on the box, if in case the stickers come off). Stick all five (5) Waybill Tracking stickers on the 4 sides and top of box. Stickers will be provided when you pay for your box in full.

5) CALL FOR PICK UP. Or if you've scheduled this when you picked up the box, just bring down the box to the concierge. Tell them WEEC will pick up the box from them, leave a contact number, in case the box doesn't get picked up on time.

C'est tout! I know, I know. Why ship? Well, if you're traveling budget like we do and there's a cap to baggage allowance, the cheapest way to go about getting all that shopping back to Manila is to ship them all back. The biggest box, D'King, which can fit a huge automatic washing machine costs only 600HKD to ship, that's roughly P3,500 or so! Beats paying overweight charges, I tell you. I paid about the same amount getting breastmilk back to Manila in 2009. That, plus I don't have to take everything back when there's only one little ol' me to pack and lug everything back to the airport.

Jumbo Box vs. D'King, with monoblock chair for comparison. 

WORLDWIDE ELITE EXPRESS is at... 
Shop 342/ 343, 3F Worldwide House
19 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong 
Tel. No.: 2774-9736/ 2578-2773
Look for Steve and tell him Kaye Catral referred you. :)