PENANG TOURISM WEBSITES AND SOME UPDATED COURSE INFORMATION. (PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS SLOWLY AND YOU WILL DEFINITELY WANT TO INVEST THIS COURSE AND HAVE A HOLIDAY BEFORE THE CONGRESS IN PENANG FOR A FEW DAYS. DISCOUNTED HOTEL RATES ALSO APPLY FOR UP TO 5 DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER THE COURSE . PENANG is referred to as the Pearl of the Orient and is an island in the North West of the upper part of the Malaysian Peninsula .
It is a very historic city with a lot of British influence. It is well known tourist island and is famous for its sightseeing and most famous for its cheap and delicious food especially the Hawker style food . The venue of the conference is Batu Feringghi which is one of the best beach locations in the island and also outside of Holiday Inn is the famous night market where one can buy a range of goods and souveniers and branded goods etc at very competitive prices. Handbags , watches , T shirts, DVDs are all sold in this night market which opens from about 7pm and closes at about 11pm at night . A large Hawker Food Centre is in the centre of this stretch of night market known as Long Beach restaurant. Only food we would suggest avoiding is the oysters which sometimes can cause food poisoning .
The following are links which will be useful to plan to stay and holiday a few days before the congress and after the congress is usually School Holidays and all the sightseeing destinations may be packed with long queues. The special rates for the congress include stay up to 3 days before and after the congress so don’t worry about this. By the way for just 1 US dollar there is a nice public bus that will take you to the main shopping areas Bus 101 to Penang Jetty which passes Tanjong Bungah , Komtar Building , Tesco and other sites. Cabs within the city of Georgetown are cheap and you can insist on using the meter in the city .
Alternatively , if all the taxis are not using the meter and charge the same rate that is also sometimes acceptable . Travel from the airport to the hotel is easy . There is a fixed price BUDGET taxi counter for RM 74.00 to the hotel and most taxis will charge about RM 60-RM70 to go from the hotel back to the airport . To check in one hour before the flight it is advisable to leave three and half hours before the flight from the hotel and you will reach the airport early and in good time. Money changers are available right outside the hotel so please don’t change your money at the airport which gives very poor rates. The taxi counter also takes credit card payment at the airport and no tipping of the driver is necessary after arriving at the hotel unless you want to tip .
For tipping usually – bellboys depending on number of luggage RM 2-5 . Here are some of the useful links http://holidaysinmalaysia.org/images/map/Penang-George-Town-Map.jpg http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/ http://www.visit-malaysia.com/penang-tours/top5-tours.htm NOW REGARDING THE COURSE ITSELF: Free Wi – Fi is available in the conference room to do your web check in etc. If really urgent printing facility is available for 1 ringgit per page by the Secretariat just for your flight boarding pass . Please note it is important for you to check with the nearest Malaysian embassy on your personal visa requirements .
For the first time the ultrasound training will be based on previous training in MSK ultrasound and you will be requested by Prof George to email him using a standard template on what is your current level of training MSK ultrasound and MRI ) . This means if you are already well versed with standard MSK ultrasound joint technique you can join the advanced group where the basics WONT be taught but you can ask what you want to learn and be shown and also be shown some advanced ultrasound for each joint.
For the MRI section of the course we have to teach from the basic anatomy followed by pathology and then MRI videos showing different types of abnormality with discussion on the clinical relevance. We have more advanced cases to be shown in 2015 based on the feedback for those with intermediate expenses even though many missed the pathology on the intermediate cases. The MRI and practical ultrasound teaching in 2015 is going to be awesome due to inclusion of new cases which fellows and radiologists have missed being included. The homework cases given at the end of the day help to act as a reminder to use the principles taught the previous day .
We will go through 95% of what you should not miss and for very advanced MRI of some niche areas we will give articles to read regarding these areas which you will now understand easily with the base knowledge now acquired . It becomes much easier to understand journal articles in MSK ultrasound and MRI after this course.
Recent Comments