A New Year

As the year draws to a close, I reflect on my many adventures. This year I moved from Boston to live in Macau. From here I have been able to see Hong Kong, China (a bit), Taipei, Borneo, and Singapore. I have crossed cultures, dealt with culture shock, and expanded my mind in ways I never imagined possible. Being away from everything familiar has allowed lots of time for self reflection. I have seen the person I am and could be.

Tonight I was reading my journal. I wondered about what I was thinking almost a year ago. Surprisingly some of the same thoughts were in my mind then, but they have transformed. I am not fighting with myself in this uncontrollable rebellion. Now I am faced with the possibility that I am not the same person, yet instead a better version of me. Macau is a strange place. I am living somewhere that doesn't seem real. Everything is so easy and I don't worry about anything, expect the occasion break-in. Still I cannot say I would stay for too long. I think one day I will wake up and decide to leave. I will realize my time here is done and then move to another destination in this life-long journey. I am in a place where I can dream, safely and freely dream of endless possibilities. The is only thing I have to do is have faith to believe there is more to all of this and a purpose for everything.

I don't regret mistakes I have made or the decision to move here. Only because then I would not be in this place where I found a deeper part of me and a stronger faith. It seems that I am becoming equip to handle what comes next, and that fills me with excitement and joy.

So cheers to the New Year. May it be more that you could have ever thought or imagined!

My Macanese/Chinese Christmas

As Christmas approaches, I realize how much I miss my family and friends. I hope and pray not to be too sad this Christmas by being in a foreign country away from the people closest to me. Though I have to say I am at a loss. I have no idea how to spend my Christmas. It's not cold here, I don't see the Salvation Army people ringing their bell, and there are no real Christmas trees. It doesn't seem like the Christmas I know and love. My favorite holiday has lost it's magic. I even have to work on Christmas because our company does not recognize it as a holiday, therefore

no double pay. Ignoring Christmas feels so wrong. So this is what's going to happen. I am going to suck it up, pull through, and have a damn good Christmas (pardon my language). I will do my best have a good time. So it looks like I am going to have to improvise...

Merry Christmas!

Borneo

It's been a long time since my last entry. I will do my best to pick up where I left off. On my most recent trip, I ventured further out. It was a perfect getaway that left me wanting more.

The only reason I knew about Borneo was because of a friend I met in Guangzhou, China. He was so excited about this place he had been and he even had the pictures to show. I was convinced then even though it look me a long time after to buy my ticket. Now some more of my money is gone and I have beautiful memories instead.

Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world behind Greenland and Australia. It consists of 3 countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. I went to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah which is in Malaysia. For those who know more about Borneo then me, I already know that it's not even close to the nice area of Sabah. Still, I was not disappointed in surroundings. My time was short so I made the most out of where I was. I went diving for the first time in my life and also laid on the beach and stared out at the ocean. I think I always knew I was a coastal person, but visiting Borneo has confirmed this fact for me and left me with no doubt. I made goals for myself while I was there which were not all entirely met, but I did successfully watch a sunset which is hard to do in Macau.

Guangzhou

I finally got a multi-entry Chinese visa! First stop Zhuhai and from there I went to Guangzhou.

Guangzhou or Guangdong is not very far from Macau. You take a bus from Zhuhai, which borders Macau, and it only takes 2 hours 15 minutes. My first observation is that China doesn't seem as strict as I thought. You don't get facebook and google is limited. Along the way, was most surprising is I was able to see parts of Zhuhai on my way out that intrigued me to take future visits. Our route was along the coast for about 20 mintutes, which had breathe-taking views of the ocean, boats. Most people I know who visit Zhuhai (including me), go directly to the underground mall for cheap items such as clothing, bags, DVDs, and anything else you can imagine.

The journey was quick and I arrived in Guangzhou without a map or destination so I started to wander. I went to the zoo area because I thought I would find a nice place to stay. When that failed I went into a hotel for a free tourist map. Then I went in search of food so I could also sit and make a plan. Also when traveling in China if you go to a sit-down restaurant, there are better chances of clean toilets. I have to say most places have the squatting toilets that I have yet to master. After eating some very bad pad thai, I ventured to Shamain Island which comes recommended by Lonely Planet. Shamain is right along the Pearl River and when I walk along the path it reminds me of walking along the Seine in Paris. All the buildings are Colonial style and painted in various bright colors. This one mile area perimeter (1.6km) has so many different characteristics. Once I got a room for the night, I went in search of food and beverage. Afterwards I met some friendly fellow travelers who were staying in the same place, they enlightened me about Guangzhou and other places to visit. We sat outside and drank the local beer, which isn't so bad and spoke of life and experiences. This all happened the day I arrived, which I surprisingly had to say I didn't get too badly lost.

The next day I got lost constantly and wandered mostly. I thought I knew where to go but I didn't. The problem with Guangzhou is there is so much development everywhere that it completely covers all the scenic areas. It reminds me of Taipei because you could be walking near different buildings then all of a sudden there is this gigantic park with wonders to see. I found a nice cathedral and a couple temples, but what I really loved was the park which I accidentally found and had to pass. I was staving because I had not eaten a meal all day so once I was well-nourished I returned to the park. It reminded me of Central Park in NYC because it of size and multiple sights within the grounds. I saw an amusement park, museum, memorial, and huge goat statue. I didn't even see everything. While in the park I met this kind Chinese man who helped me find the goat statue and the exit. He was kind to even take my photo. I really loved that fact that people were so friendly because I find that most Chinese people only stare at me because I am always so out of place and then they have nothing to say to me except: "Can I take you picture?" or "Where are you from?"

I sadly did not have much time to spend in Guangzhou. I missed so much because of sheer exhaustion; but I know I can easily return. Here are some strange things I noticed:

Chinese muslims

A lot of Africans

Overloaded bikes

Very few Westerners

Painfully hot weather in October

Recycling bins

Crossing guards

Chinese people playing hacky sack

Only a few Starbucks locations...

Personal space

Say you are walking down the street. There are usually 2 flows of people going in each direction. If someone has to stop, they usually step off to the side to let others pass. Generally speaking people know when they are blocking traffic, I am speaking strictly in the pedestrian sense. Now you get to Macau or even Hong Kong, and once you are there you realize walking as you know it has become a struggle. Now I have to preface the fact that applies to everyone. The truth is you will face these difficulties in supermarkets, shopping areas, going sight-seeing, and basically anywhere there could potentially be people.

In Macau people stand in your way completely oblivious of other people. They will push you, cut you off, and even block any escape routes. I am not sure how this reality came to be, but I am realizing that I have to fight back. If I even want to get anywhere in a sensible amount of time, I have to make my presence known. You will have to master weaving in and out of crowds because there are never clear pathways. God forbid if I were running late. In those situations I prefer to run in the street. Did I mention how slow people walk here? Slow as molasses is like speed walking to almost every local. There are always exceptions, but my advice to you is if you are in a hurry and there are tourists or a family in your path, just take another route.

Now I want to clarify the "fight back" I mentioned earlier. I don't want to come off like I have been beating up Chinese people because it's not true. There have been circumstances when it was quite necessary to push people out of the way. "Mm goi jeje" is the phrase for people to get out of the way. If it is a noisy, crowded area people will not hear or choose to ignore you. So this is when the gentle, yet forceful push comes in handy. It's better to do this because people will drive you mad. People here literally stand in a busy area thinking they have the power to block others from passing. They have no idea what they are doing, because if they did, they would move to the side. I also recommend big bags on both sides to get people out the way. Nothing says "move!" like a big-ass bag pushing you to the side. So if you feel bad about the gentle yet forceful push, you have the bag to blame instead. "It wasn't me, sir/mamam, it was the bag."

The key creating your own personal space is not to get carried away. I am still trying to find a balance so I have become a little aggressive. Oh well, it's not personal so make some space!

*The visuals are examples when you need to use these methods.

Lamma Island

Even though it seems like I go to the same places, I still find there is so much to see.

Recently I had two encounters with Lamma Island so I thought I should share it with the rest of you. My first encounter was planned and the second was a happy accident. I don't know much about Lamma but here are the basics. It takes 30 minutes to get there on a ferry from Hong Kong (Central ferry terminal), it's quite popular for expats, there a restrictions for vehicles, therefore no one really drives on it. There are motor vehicles people may use but they are smaller and less harsh on the land. Lamma Island is the 3rd largest in the Hong Kong next to Hong Kong Island and Lantau.; if you did not know Hong Kong consists of many islands. The great thing about Lamma is there are such of a variety of people, which allows for a variety of food. Personally I love being in place where I can easily find a vegetarian restaurant.

You can walk around Lamma because there are clear paths to take. The tricky thing is some are steep because they are built into the terrain, but the view if the coast along the paths are breathe-taking. The stipulation is that you don't rent a bike and assume you can ride the paths, you are certainly wrong. There are beaches to chill on and adventures to be had. Personally I could see myself exploring Lamma constantly because it fascinates me.

Taipei Take 1: Just a Taste

It took a while to post this, once again. Recently I went to Taipei for 3 days with a few friends. Sadly my friend who I wanted to see was moving back to Boston earlier the day I arrived so I barely missed her. I still was quite excited to do some international travel which consisted of a 2-hour plane ride with food. I don't even get that in the states! I've had the itch to travel since I arrived in Macau so this was my chance to go before worked picked up. This post will be in parts because spare time has been quite scarce lately. We are on a 6-day work schedule and it's really busting my butt. I did not have much time in Taipei so we basically tried to cram as much as we could into each day. In addition, we had to take rests because it was ridiculously hot.

Here are some of the highlights, details to come.

1. 101

2. Chang Kai-Shek Memorial

3. The Palace Museum

4. Snake Alley Night Market

5. Friendly People

6. Peace Park

7. High Speed train

8. Japanese food