This is a two installment entry because I took a little trip across the bay to Macau and then crossed the border from there into China. The Macau part is called "Where have all the Dicsees (Taxis) gone" because that was the main theme of our experience expecially on the first day. For some reason the small Island of Macau is home to 400,000 thousand people, a small number compared to HK's 7 mil. This formere Porteguese colony is like HK's euro-latin cousin. It seems that Macau is made up mostly of blue collar workers and has resently begun to import professionals and investors from overseas. Including American investors who have begun to build enourmous casinos that attract an influx of tourists from Hong Kong, China and all over the world. What this has meant for the local people, is that most young people try to work at the casinos because they pay the most money, leaving the local establisments at a loss. This perhaps is not that unlike the situations in Reservations where young people can usually only get jobs at the Casino or none. The investment in tourist industries has also meant that there is a sort of jetlag in the accomidation of transportation to meet the teeming swarms of visitors who have no idea where they are. This is why, a group of Hong Kong natives got lost in Macau, who are perhaps so used to a Taxi on every street corner and buses to everywhere. We spent most of the first day getting lost, but we found, after asking many strangers, a bus to a little shopping street. It was on one of the islands of Macau called Taipa, a portugese word that I think means "boy street" or something to do with a boy because the chinese character was boy on the sign. We ate at this littel portugese resturant...but I didn't eat anything but rolls. I had gastrocitis or something...honestly don't ask me what it means the doctor said that word and I asked, what does that mean. After five minutes of my cousin trying to tell me what it meant, I still was at a loss. Something to do with bad food and grease and my intestines. Anyways the cure is no eating anything but plain foods for two to three days. Unfortunately those three days were spent in Macau and Zhong San. I liked the euro-latin mix with chinese feel, it was fun to hear latin music and see chinese people. There are amazingly cute buidings, it really felt like Europe in some places, although I've never really been there.
After eating we went to the down town central square, which was gorgeous in the evening, with all the lights. All the streets were cobbled and many were black and white cobbles. The buildings were sweet. I took many pictures. There are these really old churches, that have huge flat colomed fronts with amazing doors. One had a yellow outside and green doors. Everthing looked like something out of a movie to me, with coulpes and old ladies sitting on the steps of beautiful buildings. We went up to see the ruins of an old church that had burnt down just leaving the front slab which is held up by steel bars. It is called "the ruins of St. Augustine's Church" I think. My little cousins and their friend Jordon, who is one of my students, bought some sparklers and we lit them by the ruins. I felt like a little kid, I haven't played with a sparkler since... I was 15 or something. It was fun to play. But, I was ever reminded that I'm usually thrown in with the kids even though I'm not. When I'm with family here everyone treats me like a BB...that is how they pronounce "Baby". After a while it gets sort of wearisome, although i'm grateful its nice to sometimes feel you can give something and are responsible enough to feed, clothe and wash yourself. Or maybe I just like being capable.
After that, yes we had a late night, we tried to find our way home and got lost again. but, this time it was kind of fun, it started to rain. And again, this was a down pour. the city was even prettier in the rain, with all the streets and signs blurred and glossy. With the rain making puddles and reflections coming down all over our maps and heads. Macau that evening was one of my favorite times on the trip, especially when it rained. We found sanctuary in a Casino and on the side of the casino. It took us over an hour to get to the house we stayed at, we were tired and foot sore, I was cranky. But, it was a good long day afterall.
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