In which I spend a day in the bizarre, yet very special Administrative Region of Macau, China.
16 April 2011 - 1100 Hong Kong
In five minutes, the TurboJet hydrofoil ferry I’m currently sat on leaves for Macau (or to give it its full title, Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China), my last territory on this trip. I’m really looking forward to today. HK hasn’t been the mix of British and Chinese culture that I was expecting. It’s China through and through. According to the photos I’ve seen, Macau looks like it’ll offer a more noticeable mix of culture, that being Chinese and Portuguese. Street names are in Portuguese and buildings are in a Portuguese style… Well, let’s see shall we.
If the way the boat is crashing into the pier is anything to go by, it might be a fun hour long cruise. That said, it’s a modern turbo-engined boat so we may well cut through any choppy waters.
Departure is already delayed. The captain is revving the engine but passengers are still ambling down the gangway.
Very comfortable onboard. Nice window seat & air-con. All good.
1309 Macau
Arrived in Macau. Mopeds and written Portuguese everywhere.
1341
Flip! This place is messed up. The Portuguese language is much more prominent here than English is in HK. The style of architecture is overwhelmingly Portuguese down to the streets being tiled in black and white waves. It’s a truly bizarre experience. I’m on the third floor of this pokey restaurant awaiting some genuine Macanese tucker. I could choose from Portuguese, Chinese or Macanese menus. Seemed right to go for a combination. My Wonton has arrived. There’s ten on the plate. Oh boy!
1351
Wonton were good. Bring on the main. I have rice with shredded chicken and vegetables. Yep, rice again!
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So much rice! A whole plate full of egg fried rice with mystery vegetables and diced chicken. Yum!
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This is such a unique place. So much going on, so much to see. And it’s completely packed! Macau seems to embrace it’s tourism industry much more than HK, having put up a lot of directional and informative signs and notices. And people seemingly flock here as a result of their efforts. Particularly busy are the various beef jerky shops. Each one gives out free samples but every shop was so busy, I couldn’t even get close to trying some. Resting on the steps of one of the city’s catholic cathedrals.
1805
And that was my whistle stop day in Macau. I’m now back at the ferry terminal, having got here on a very cramped bus. I went to Macau expecting a mix of Portugal and China and I’m going away not having been disappointed. I’m really surprised at how prominent the Portuguese language is still. Portuguese flags still fly in some places. I cannot recommend enough a visit to Macau. It’s somewhere I’d love to return to one day. What an extraordinary place.
Back now to HK for a light supper and to reflect on a brilliant day!
2034 Hong Kong
Just had a lovely chat with a local couple on the tube. They were interested in why I was in HK. Their baby saw my iPod and said ‘Apple’. The grisly impact of capitalism. Even babies aren’t safe. :)
2144
Had a slice of Tiramisu from the cake shop I went to before. It was actually very good. Well done China. Also good was the Melon Tea with Seaweed Jelly I had earlier.
In which Matt does his laundry, laughs at the Symphony of Lights and nearly capsizes on the Star Ferry.
14 April 2011 - 1013 Hong Kong
Sitting outside the in-house laundry mart waiting for my clothes to dry. I have a view of the surrounding neighbourhood from up here on the 12th floor. Bit clearer today so I’m heading to Victoria Peak by tram to check out the skyline.
Went to see the Symphony of Lights last night in Kowloon. It was tasteless and boring I’m afraid. The soundtrack was hilariously bad. Having seen the light show in Singapore and actually been quite moved by it, Hong Kong is going to have to try much harder.
The best things that happened yesterday were (a), riding the double-decker tram. It was really good fun and a great way to see the city; and (b), riding the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour. Upon arrival at Tsim Sha Tsui, the water suddenly became very choppy, pitching the boat into a frenzied sideways dance. Passengers lunged back to their seats, children screamed and the drawbridge was raised again to the sound of staff members yelling into the public address system. For some reason, I felt I was merely an observer to the panic rather than being thrust suddenly into a precarious situation. Perhaps it was the tiredness, but I didn’t even flinch. In retrospect, it was rather good fun.
Gonna wear my shorts today. Far too hot for jeans. Hopefully that’ll keep my temperament on the cool side.
Sat next to a couple of vending machines. One serves hot drinks in a can. Gonna try it I think.
1038
Lovely! It was Soybean Milk. Seems like the cans are kept constantly warm as it was vended immediately. Really liked it. Theres a similarly designed can next to it only it’s brown so I assume that’s chocolate flavour. I’ll try that one another time.
Not only did it taste good, but the ordering process was really cool. I used my Octopus card to pay for it. I just had to wave the card over the octopus logo on the machine, press the button and out came the drink. Awesome! Cost about 45p too.
In which I take a ferry and spend a day in the gloriously sunny and beautiful Auckland suburb of Devonport.
29 March 2011 - 1049 New Zealand
Day 20 of my trip and you join me on Pier 1 at Auckland’s ferry terminal. I’m off to Devonport today. Sun is shining, there’s a light sea breeze and I’m off to explore some wartime tunnels.
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I very glad Iain suggested Devonport. It’s lovely, though perhaps my opinion is helped by today’s perfect weather. I’m sat on a bench right on the beach with a view of the North Head, an old volcano laced with old wartime tunnels. It would probably have been fun enough walking around on top of the volcano but exploring the pitch black tunnels was great. Before that I had a quick wander around at the Navy Museum which had interesting British empire exhibits - very appropriate. Both attractions were free. Kerching!
In which I go to Manly Beach in the rain and am forced to enjoy my own company.
19 March 2011 - 1415 Sydney, Australia
I’m chugging my way through Sydney Harbour onboard the world famous Manly Ferry after a half day in Manly, a nice little beach suburb of Sydney. It was only when I entered the housing estates that I got a true sense of Australia. It looked like the set of Neighbours. Onwards I walked to the Sydney Harbour National Park where I saw snakes, massive spiders and Kookaburras. The ferry is now pulling onto Circular Quay alongside the Opera House. I’m now gonna chill at the hostel for a bit before heading out again to watch some live rugby. Very wet today. Hasn’t really stopped raining.
1820
God, the folks in my dorm room are an unsociable lot! Just asked whether any of them wanted to grab a pizza and none of them were hungry. So I’m at another bar on my own waiting for a tandoori pizza to arrive. Lively place called The Australian. What I should remember is that people really don’t notice other people sitting and eating on their own. It’s not weird. Is it? Generally speaking, the hostel hasn’t been great for meeting people. I just spent the past 30 minutes wandering around aimlessly hoping a conversation might start up. None did. Everyone in the hostel is either with someone else or strange looking. The new guy that’s just walked into my dorm is like someone out of Happy Days. Weird accent, apparently Australian, with bizarre mannerisms. Lucky I came into this pub when I did. Really rammed now. Where’s my pizza???
