MACAU 澳門

I made it from Hong Kong to Macau via the TurboJet in about an hour. Docked and promptly headed into customs for a very fast entry process. The last time I came to Macau I didn’t really have much time to explore. We were only there for about a day. However the Portuguese inspired architecture and the small winding alleys left a deep impression in my memory. Luckily this time I had a little more time, and was a little better prepared with at least some basic knowledge of the cities layout.

Macau is known as the Vegas of the east, its a gambling haven for mainland China and the rest of Asia as well. However the casinos don’t quite have the fanfare that comes with the Vegas casinos. Gambling halls are often quiet, with no drinking or smoking on the floor, and huge sums of money on the tables. Outside and away from the casinos, Macau is a completely different city. There are many parishes and old western style buildings left over from the Portuguese rule. Historical gems are hidden all over the city along its alley ways and side streets.

Once I got settled in the hotel, it was just past 2pm, still plenty of daylight left. I walked through the city center and past the Grand Lisboa Hotel and down into the side alleys to the older part of town. I didn’t exactly have a destination in mind, but just a general direction. I knew if I went south eventually I’ll come to the edge of the peninsula, where there should be a lake with a view of Macau Tower and Taipa Island.

First I came upon a theater. It was drizzling a little bit, so I went inside for a break from the humid air. Unfortunately there was a recital going on so I couldn’t get into the auditorium, but I did sit for a little bit and enjoy the soft classical music coming through the crack in the door.

Then I came upon a church. Having spent a lot of time in catholic churches while I was small, it felt strangely familiar, but the distinct Sino-Portuguese architectural style was a little different. There were people paying respects inside, so I didn’t go in, but I couldn’t resist taking a photo at the door.

I kept on walking and eventually the street turned and I was presented with a view of the city center and the surrounding casinos. A little farther and I was down by the lake side.

At this point it was starting to rain harder. I was too excited to explore and forgot to bring an umbrella. Realizing the potential predicament that I was in, I decided to turn around and head back to the hotel.

The light rain quickly turned into a torrential downpour. I tried to run to the nearest cover I could find but it was to no avail. Within seconds, I was soaked from head to toe. Eventually I found refuge under the front entrance of an office building, where I found a few other people who also forgot their umbrellas. The storm was picking up pace, and the light was getting dimmer. I remembered that there was an underground parking structure and tunnel system that can lead me across the square to the Wynn hotel, but the entrance was a few hundred feet away. I was already soaked, so I figured I can at least get across the square and make a little bit more progress towards my destination.

I ran as fast as I could, the ground level entrance is a glass structure reminiscent of a entrance to a subway station. Walked down four flights of stairs and the tunnel opened up to a large parking lot. I followed the signs to an elevator and found three other people waiting. There was a young couple, and another woman. Once we rode the elevator to the top, the couple ran out into the rain, with their umbrella flapping. The woman and I waited a little bit more. She complained to me about her cheap umbrella and how it didn’t work very well. I politely mentioned that a bad umbrella was still a little better than no umbrella at all. She looked at me and chuckled a little bit. By then the rain was reduced to a drizzle again, so we walked out and parted ways.

The whole rain incident disoriented me and I found myself lost. By then the sun was already down and all the neon signs were turning on. I walked through a quiet but brightly lit promenade, lined with stores selling everything from luxury watches to exotic health remedies. Eventually I found my way back to my hotel. By then I was exhausted, I showered and decided to turn in early.

I started the next day looking for something I consider a must have when coming to Macau, Egg tarts. A quick search on google (not blocked in Macau) netted a result for Margaret’s Cafe E Nata right near the center of Macau. I gobbled up 3 freshly baked tarts with a cup of coffee. After the yumminess, I went to check out Largo Do Senado (Senado Square) and walked through the alleys until I came to the Ruin’s of St. Paul’s.

I was greeted with hundreds of tourists taking selfies. In another day and age, this would have been an odd sight. This area, the historic center of Macau is a hugely popular tourist area, also a UNESCO world heritage site. I hung around only for a little bit, somewhat tired from yesterdays adventures and a little overwhelmed by the crowds of tour groups. A few minutes later, I got into a cab and headed for Taipa Island across the bridge.

The cab dropped me off at The Venetian. Much like the Vegas Venetian, it also sported a indoor mall with a faux canal. I walked around a little bit, and chanced upon a performance by some very beautiful European ladies and string instruments. After the performance I walked around a little more but lost interest pretty quick, so I took another cab and left for Macau Tower.

Macau tower reminded me of the Space Needle in Seattle, and the tower in Seoul. Up top the view was incredible. If you are a daredevil, there are also several activities that you can try, including walking the circumference outside and doing the worlds tallest bungee jump.

I spent some time admiring the view, watched a few brave souls jump off the edge, and eventually took the elevator back down to the base. Outside, I found myself on the opposite side of the lake from the day before. It was starting to drizzle again. Not wanting to get soaked again, I quickly snapped a few photos and took a cab back to my hotel.

Not wanting to end my day too early this time. I went out to wander again after dinner. At night when all the shops are closed, the streets offer a different kind of vibe altogether. I went back to the historic center. The Ruins of St. Paul’s stood, without the crowds, solitary and lonesome, in quiet magnificence. I then walked behind the site into the neighbourhood, until I found a quiet local bar. A few beers later, I felt pretty good. I said goodbye to the bartender, walked back to the hotel and slept soundly until the next morning.

The next day I woke up to two really sore and slightly swollen feet. I guess I overdid it a bit for the last few days. It was my last day in Macau so I decided to take it easy. I started the day off with more egg tarts, and then went in search for some good Portuguese food.

I spent the afternoon on top of Fortaleza Do Monte (mount fortress), named for the fortress that sits on top of the hill in the center of Macau, that has since been converted into the Museum of Macau. The hill offers a vantage over all of Macau, One can walk to each corner of the battlements and look to the edge of the peninsula. The museum offered a lot of insight into its past, although a section of it was closed for an upcoming exhibit.

After the museum I went back to the hotel to rest my feet. That night I met up with some friends I met on my trip for some drinking at the local bar street. It was a lot more quiet than I expected, but I guess most people that come to Macau are busy at the tables in the casinos. After a while I decided to call it a night and went back to the hotel. I needed to be rested for the next leg of my journey.

SHANGHAI 上海

I left early next morning for the Macau/Zhuhai terminal. Much to my dismay, upon exiting the China border crossing area, I found out all Zhuhai to Guangzhou trains were sold out for the morning. I needed to get to Guangzhou to get on the bullet train for Shanghai. Luckily Guangzhou is only about an hour away by car, so I found a cab that would take me and negotiated a flat fee. On the way the driver and I chatted and he told me his life’s story.

He used to be a policeman a long time ago. One night on the job he got called to break up a fight at a local KTV club. He went in and found a drunk guy with a knife. The drunk guy lunged at him and stabbed him in the leg. His fellow officers beat the guy and subdued him. Turned out the drunk guy was the son of someone important, and he was forced to leave the police and have been driving a cab ever since. The money is not great, but he is pretty happy. He told me he grew up in Shanghai. I told him that was where I was going that day. He laughed, and told me it has changed so much since he was a teenager, and now everything is expensive. Soon the cab stopped at Guangzhou South Station, I said goodbye and got out of the cab.

Being in a Chinese train station is also quite an experience. There are endless crowds of people traveling in all directions. People of all sorts come and go. I got in line to buy my ticket for the HSR to Shanghai. Then I found a quiet restaurant and had a simple lunch and waited for my train to arrive.

The train to Shanghai travels at 300km/hour, which roughly translates to 186mph. It took about 8 hours to get to Shanghai. By the time I arrived, it was already pretty late. I got a cab and headed for my hotel.

The next morning I got up early and set out for the Shanghai F1 Circuit. People that know me know I’m a pretty big gear head. Shanghai F1 circuit has an adjacent karting track that offers an phenomenal karting experience. Last time I was there was the first time I experienced the joy and craziness of 2 stroke karts (not my video), definitely not something easily found stateside.  Unluckily for me, the karting track was only offering their slower “fun” karts that week because of an upcoming race, all the pro karts were in for service. All was not lost because at the F1 track Ferrari was hosting a race for their 2015 Ferrari Challenge series. I stopped by to catch the end of the race, and a parade lap with some of the older Ferrari F1 cars. The sound of uncorked Ferrari V8s coming down the straightaway was simply amazing.

Still dejected by the failed attempt for some 2 stroke karting, I looked online for alternatives. I ended up going to QM Karting Club all the way across the city. This facility had an outdoor and an indoor track. The outdoor track was designed for high speed and didn’t have that many turns, the kart was bigger but going over the curbs while cornering hurt my ribs a little. The indoor track was definitely more fun, it was well designed and even had elevation change. Plus it was timed. I ended up doing 4 sessions total, and managed to shave 1.5 seconds off my initial indoor lap. Happy with the results, I decided it was enough for the day. I boarded the MTR, and decided since I was already in Pudong, I could get off a station early and walk to the water front.

I got off at Pudong Road Station and found myself in a older neighbourhood, still a little ways from the main financial center. Walking towards the river I was treated to a breathtaking view of the Pudong sky scrapers. The walk was farther than I anticipated, so I got to the next MTR station and took another train to get across the river to get back to the hotel.

The next day I had a late start, and then I met up with my local Shanghai friend for lunch at Xintiandi. Afterwards we strolled around the area exploring the alleyways in between the main streets.

Later we walked to the Bund. It was already late in the afternoon, the Bund was packed with people and tourists. We strolled around and watched the barges float down the Huangpu river. Soon, we became hungry again. With the help of the internet, we found some good eats not too far away on Nanjing road.

After we ate, we had a fortuitous run-in with the local rollerblading spider man! He was awesome, and soon attracted a large crowd of people all armed with cellphones and cameras. We waited our turn to take some photos, and soon Spidy was again on his way.

After I said my goodbye and farewell to my friend. I went back to the hotel and turned in early for the night, because the next day would be another long traveling day.

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