Eight Hours in Macau 26th Dec 2005

Hac Sa (black sand in Cantonese) Beach, where unimaginatively, the sand is black. I thought the whole stretch of beach would be black. It turned out that only the strip nearest to the shore was. But nevertheless quite special. Strikingly similar to Singapore's own Changi Beach Park.

Minas Morgul. No, the Ruins of St Paul (Da San Ba, the transcription of St Paul into Mandarin, to the locals), in the centre of Macau. There's nearly nothing behind the facade, save for a small museum which occupies some kind of basement. A ghostly sight at eight o'clock in the evening.

Macau Tower: somebody told my Dad who told me it's the seventh tallest structure in the world. They erected it so that people could jump off the top, scream and get high while freefalling.
Neither Lisboa nor Sands. This is the most lively vantage I could obtain of casinoes while I was there. The aforementioned juggernauts in the gambling industry looked rather dreary on the outside, and did not quite convey the stereotypical image people have of casinoes in Macau.

A little about the marketing strategies employed by these casinoes to draw customers. They often plant promoters in the ferry terminal, or the airport, and often bundle the gambling with other essential services like accommodation. In order to keep women occupied while their husbands gambled, these casinoes also contain beauty salons in a bid to appeal to their vanity. And of course, there are the skimpily-clad waitresses...

A police detachment will be stationed outside the casino, in the event of any armed violence, brawls, robberies and the like.

And no, I did not step inside. These were furnished by Sio Ngai months later.

I thought this was an interesting sign. Sala means wrong in Malay, it also meant gate in Portuguese. Initially I was rather amused by these Portuguese signs pointing out all the wrong exits and leaving the commuter to deduce which was the correct ones. At midnight one is often tickled by the most ridiculous things.

The Far East (well, no, not very far) - Hong Kong 24th Dec - 27th Dec 2005

Hong Kong at half past seven in the morning, on Boxing Day. Very like Singaporean streets, except that it was more built-up, and had no trees to punctuate the monotony of concrete. The streets were absolutely deserted. I could have taken a nap where I stood, at least for the next hour or so, and yet not lose a single hair.

At the Peak, or Victoria Peak to be more precise. Steep ascent. Below, Victoria Harbour separates Hong Kong (near bank) from Kowloon (far bank). The tram that took us to the top is Hong Kong's oldest tram service.

Hong Kong's famous skyline. Why? They never fail to make up the background whenever the credits are played at the end of almost every Hong Kong drama serial. Only thing that differs is the angle.

Theseus would have lost himself silly here. The MTR stations, especially those which functioned as interchanges, were as riddled with tunnels as cheese is with holes. And they never seem to end. Eerie, isn't it?

Tsing Ma Bridge, the world's (third, I think...) longest suspension bridge, and only one half of it. It's splendour is dimmed by daylight, and by the thin veil of mist that accompanies it. It was my first attempt at travelling solo (my family were still asleep in the hotel) and I very nearly got stranded there. The viewing gallery was situated in a confluence of several motorways which was in the middle of nowhere because the road signs made little sense to me.
Atop one of the neighbouring hills from where the Giant Buddha sits, on Lantau Island, courtesy of some very friendly fellow travellers. Took me forty minutes on a train to get to Tung Chung (the nearest town centre), and another bumpy forty minutes on a bus from there to here. Apparently the largest outdoor bronze Buddha in Asia or the world.

Before the start of the Wisdom Path. Lining it are wooden beams on which are etched the verses of the Heart Sutra. Scenic, and peaceful. Lesson learnt: if on your own, and if you want your picture taken by somebody, go for those with the large lenses and the tripods.