Hello Everyone!
Well, last weekend was my birthday, and that means, of course, that I got up to some crazy antics (I.E.: Exploring).
On my birthday itself, I went to the world's largest statue of the Buddha. I took a cable car up, with fantastic views of the surroundings. On site, I went to visit the Buddha itself (that's one big statue!) as well as checking out the nearby temple, and digging in to some vegetarian goodies. One of the coolest parts of the experience was the fact that there were animals roaming around the area: cows, dogs, and, I think, one was was even a bull! There was one aspect I hated though: It was far too touristy and commercialized. The idea of a Starbucks restaurant located on the way to the world's largest Buddha somehow seems distracting from attempting to attain Nirvana.
The next day, Tracy and Francesca, two of my friends from Hong Kong, and I all went to Macau. For those who don't know, here's a brief history lesson: Macau was a Portuguese colony until it was given back to China in 1999 (I did say brief!). Like HK, it's an SAR (Special Administrative Region), and retains it's legal system, it's own immigration procedures (meaning we had to bring passports; also meaning I have yet another new stamp!), and retains the Portuguese language. The fact is a strange one, because you see Portuguese on all official signs, on buses, etc., but not in most private establishments. What's more, I never actually heard it being spoken.
So, anyway, Macau is pretty cool. It has alot of Portuguese architecture, big public squares, cobble stone streets, etc. It also has some unique cuisine, which we sampled, including almond cookies and dried meet that are given as free samples (and thus eliminating the need to purchase any!). One of Macau's signatures is the Portuguese egg tart. This proved rather elusive for us: we decided we'd get some after dinner, but it turned out that that was when they stopped selling them. So, we wound up going all over Macau before finally finding any. Another enigma in Macau was the money. Sure, they accept HK dollars, but they give change in MOP (Macanese Patacas, almost equal to the HK dollar). What's more, MOP aren't accepted at the Casinos, which is Macau's main attraction (it's like Vegas, really, truly), and so I still have around 75 MOP just sitting around (any takers?).
Well, there's my great adventures. Hope all is well! As always, comments are welcomed!
