journal from Hong Kong and Macau

Now that the suspense has somewhat dwindled from the email I sent you last week, perhaps you'll actually be able to focus on what is written in this entry. Heh.

Sorry for the procrastination on this one --

Hong Kong was a great trip, and in fact, I wouldn't mind moving there, to be quite honest. Although it's now regained its status as part of China, one still needs a passport to go in and out. The same is true in regards to visiting Macau. Needless to say, I acquired 8 stamps in my passport over our 4-day vacation.
1. Leaving China
2. Entry into Hong Kong
3. Leaving Hong Kong
4. Entry into Macau
5. Leaving Macau
6. Re-entry into Hong Kong
7. Leaving Hong Kong
8. Re-entry into China

I think about those businessmen who live in Macau and work in Hong Kong... I wonder how many times they've had to get a new passport due to the accumulation of stamps? That would seemingly take all the joy out of getting your passport stamped.

Shanghai vs. HK
Shanghai is westernized, but the feeling of westernization here is more of a forced commercialized concept, as if Shanghai is the daughter of a workaholic father, vying for his attention, screaming, "Look at me!". Everything is flashy and gaudy and, just forced. I'm not sure how else to describe it. Though if you never knew HK, you might not have come to that conclusion.
Hong Kong's westernization is much more natural and cultural. Now, obviously, Hong Kong was under British rule for 100 years, so they sort of have a one-up on Shanghai. But the people in HK are more relaxed, cleaner, fashionable and appreciative of the things around them. HK is also a much more diverse and international city, which is one thing that really draws me in.

Perhaps it isn't fair to compare the two cities, but I couldn't really help it when I walked the streets. And, I suppose I should qualify that this is not a competition, only an observation.

HK was decorated so well for the holidays! The temperature was wonderful, which made it seem as though it wasn't actually Christmas. The average temperature during our 4-day stay was in or around the low 70s. My wardrobe consisted of t-shirts and jeans, my back sweating from the backpack in which I carried.

Hong Kong people speak Cantonese, another form of Chinese. HK has palm trees like Miami, and steep streets and trolley cars like San Fransisco. The steep streets were also filled with double-decker buses like England. Hong Kong people even drive on the opposite side of the road like they do in England. I remember noticing all the flowers, as well. The subway system, otherwise known as the Octopus (for whatever reason), is very nice and well-kept, though ridiculously busy and crowded like most everywhere in China. I noticed the subway stations are lined with an abnormal amount of bakeries, too. I really feel I like HK better than Shanghai, though not simply because of the bakeries.

Home Sweet Home
Our hostel was one in which most of you would not have wanted to stay in. Let me explain. Our hostel was on top of a sort of fake market run by Indian men. They sold watches and bags and had a small Indian food venue. The name of it was called Mirador Mansion, which is rather misleading. Each floor of this 16-story venue was sub-owned by others. We stayed on the 16th floor. Our owner's name was Apple, a woman from Shanghai who spoke really good English. We only payed 100RMB a night, per room (100 RMB is equivalent to $13). She hesitated in giving us official receipts because our floor was not licensed; we were staying on an illegal floor. Of course, we found out as we were checking out, by the way. Our floor was filled with a handful of men from Kenya and Ethiopia, most of them very creepy and quite forward, attempting to get our numbers so they could "show us around town." Riiight... Honestly, our hostel was pretty sketchy. Luckily only one unfortunate event happened: The guys' room was broken into while we were out one afternoon, the culprit getting away with $200 USD and a pocketknife. The guys had left their room unlocked because they couldn't find their key, so perhaps it was to be expected that something like that occur.

I'm sure my mother is freaking out at this point in the story.

We were able to go to a Christmas service in HK on Sunday night. The body* was actually in a huge office building on the 14th floor. The elevator door opened up right into the foyer. It was wonderful to be among fellow believers at such an important celebration of our faith.

The previous night, the praise team from the body* had put on a Christmas event in the center of downtown Hong Kong, complete with a huge Christmas tree and a jumbo screen for the words and video. Downtown was decorated for the season; the atmosphere was so refreshing. I remember dancing and singing as loud as I could with the other people who were attending... what a great China moment.

Interesting fun fact:
I was able to ride on the world's longest escalator ride while in HK.
http://www.4to40.com/recordbook/index.asp?id=414&category=human

Macau is a city known for its casinos, and yes, I did gamble 5 HKD while I was there. I, along with 3 other teachers, ventured to Macau on the Monday of our vacation, breaking away from the others who wanted to stay and see more of HK. I felt as if I had stepped into Latin America. The architecture there is phenomenal. It was once under the rule of Portugal, so Portuguese is one of its languages, along with English and Cantonese. I loved feeling immersed in a culture so similar to that of Spanish! I was able to read some signs and portions of pamphlets. We walked so much in Macau, stopping at every bright and colorful cathedral we passed. We made it back just in time to meet the rest of the group at Outback for our Christmas Eve dinner.

I spent Christmas Day away from the group, and though as sad as that might sound, I actually enjoyed myself, sitting in a Charlie Brown coffee shop listening to Christmas music. I walked more of the city and did some shopping, and I was even able to sit in a foreign bookstore flipping through a Spanish-English dictionary before meeting the group to head back to the airport.

I would have liked to mention everything we did over our holiday... Some of you are thinking, there's more?! :) We walked so much during this trip! It was hard yet very convenient to carry a backpack all weekend, especially when traveling through the airport and getting to skip the dreaded baggage claim.

Pictures are in the next post since this one was already getting pretty lengthy.

Enjoy!