But heading on to Singapore after a whirlwind 26 hours in Macau.
Baccarat and Sic Bo (3 dice) seem to be the game of choice. But nobody is drinking!
Not many poker rooms.
And now I have a whole new meaning for mall walking.
The World Heritage old town sights are interesting and the Macanese food is good.
At 4:00 I awoke briefly to pouring rain and hoped it would continue so I could relax instead of sightseeing. But alas it waspartly sunny today.
Right now I’m sitting as the lone passenger in the upper deck “super” class (only about two dozen folks in steerage – ha! How do you like that Titanic reference?) on my way direct to HKG airport (no HK customs involved) and am now back into HK cell coverage – I missed it in Macau!
Those who hold a hand over their mouth but speak so softly it’s a wonder the other party can hear them.
And those who don’t and speak 3x louder than normal.
Ferry terminal was much like the airport, without the annoying security measures. Checked my bag. Went through exit immigration; Macau immigration is on arrival.
Turbo jet is fast and smooth, gliding through the harbour like… oh, never mind.
Just got served an airline style meal. Wasn’t expecting that – just had a snack in the mall before entering the restricted zone.
Still very gray weather which doesn’t make for good photos en route.
The dinner place I chose near my hotel turned out to be food from Macau (which is where I head in the morning).
Enjoyed the sizzling chicken and eggplant in pot with lots of garlic cloves, onion and Ginger chunks.
HK$79/US$10.
Plus an import beer for HK$21/US$3 – poured into a stainless steel coffee cup!?
Don’t put loose vitamins in your pocket (like vitamin C) in a humid country and then forget about them. Unless you want mushy vitamins and an orange stain on your pocket.
Downpour and cold. Put the damper on shopping in the market.
Because I travelled light today and didn’t bring my umbrella to Stanley near the south end of the island.
HK$9.9/US$1.15 one way by minibus, 15km and 30min for the route I took.
Saw some other seaside towns and beaches on the way.
I hadn’t realized how mountainous the entire island actually is.
Dropped off laundry around the corner. Even though they spoke English, I’m not sure what the price is – it sounded expensive as I wasn’t sure if she was quoting me a per-pound price or not (it turned out to be reasonable, HK$42/US$5.40 for a few pounds of laundry, possibly up to 7 pounds).
Ate tasty dim sum at a resto called Dimdimsum Dim Sum Specialty that I found on openrice (a user resto review site, like Yelp) in Mong Kok (Kowloon). By oneself is not the optimal way to enjoy dim sum, as it’s meant to be shared, but I won’t let that stop me.
Walked around Tsum Sha Tsui a bit and stumbled on the (in)famous Chungking Mansion, a group of highrise apartment buildings that contain a lot of cheap guesthouses and hostels. I’m glad I chose Causeway Bay, even if my room more expensive. Area feels a little dodgy, but most annoying are the Indian touts (“SIM card!?”) who get a little too in your face compared to the rest of the city. The ground floor of the mansion is like walking through Little India (inc. Indian food) where you can apparently buy just about anything you want… That and there is only one little elevator for about 8 floors), which makes it very slow, especially when people have luggage. Interestingly, a monitor on the ground floor next to the elevators showed the elevator-cam images.
HK Space Museum – interesting exhibits, though I only perused the ground floor. It was free museum entrance day (Wednesday), so it was probably busier than usual and I didn’t wait in lines for the little interactive things. I’d go back and spend more time there on a future trip.
Avenue of Stars – like Hollywood Boulevard (i.e. stars and hand/foot prints of local movie stars embedded in the sidewalk) but much more scenic, as it is on the waterfront promenade looking directly south over the harbour at “Hong Kong” (vs Kowloon). There is also a statue of Bruce Lee (the only statue of an artist).
HK Museum of Art – skimmed this since it was free (you’d have to be an art junkie to appreciate it more, I think, or have specific art interests that match their collection)
I did a 1hr45min buffet dinner cruise harbour tour (which I had bought on groupon.co’s HK site a week before my trip). I chose the 17:45 sailing since I wanted to see both day and night views of Hong Kong and Kowloon. It was sprinkling a bit, but the view was still good and I got to see more than just on the ferry crossing, as it went deeper into
the harbour. The buffet was better than I expected from reviews, with lots of seafood. The boat was only 1/4 full – I’d hate to see the buffet lines if it was completely full. Oh and a live “band consisting of a guy on keyboards, a tambourinist (is that a word?) and a singer, playing recognizable Western songs, albeit a little lounge lizardy.
I sat at a round 10 person table with 2 nice Filipino women (and the
daughter of one of them) who have been living in HK for 20 years, both married to locals. They were supposed to be a bigger group of coworkers, but a few people couldn’t make it. They even bought me 2 drinks, which was a pleasant surprise.
A few dim sum dishes
Elevator monitors in Changking Mansion showing inside of the elevators
Me on southern tip of Kowloon
Bruce Lee statue on Avenue of Stars
Jackie Chan’s star on Avenue of Stars
Funky painting “the break (la rupture)” in temporary exhibit near Avenue of Stars
Bride posing with her bridesmaids (or friends?)
Kowloon at east end of harbour (from dinner cruise)
