Hong Kong Bound

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It sounds so easy to get places in Asia if you're based in Tokyo...China, Australia, Seoul, etc. It isn't. Add an "epidemic" to the mix, and it becomes harder to get to Hong Kong than getting to England from the States. So, it was under this scenario that we spent 11 hours making our way to Macau, The Vegas of China. Macau is an island with Portuguese heritage. It was handed over to the Chinese at the same time the British gave back Hong Kong. They speak Chinese, Spanish, and English. They don't speak Japanese no matter how much Maureen tries to get them to. Chinese is not a romance language. In fact, it's kind of ugly. There are times that the Chinese have no idea what other Chinese are saying...there are that many dialects.
Macau is Vegas. It's not little Vegas. It's every bit as big. There are more dollars spent here than in Vegas. Supposedly, it's every bit as wild, but we didn't quite see that side of it. We stayed at the Wynn and were treated like royalty. The service was superb, we had the pool to ourselves, the meals were solid, and the tables were actually friendly. They gamble a bit differently...they don't drink while money is flowing. In their eyes, gambling is to make money, not have a good time. The good times come later, after you've made your money. There are very few slots, and if someone gets hot, they ride them. I had a couple of hot streaks, and there was more money backing me than I was wagering myself. It actually taught me something. They don't stick around when the wheel, dice, cards turn against them. They move on to the next table that is hot and ride it until it's not.

We toured the city as well which has been destroyed by fire, rebuilt, detroyed by governmental overthrows, rebuilt, so it's a city on a city on a city and as a result doesn't make a ton of sense.
We toured the Ruins at St. Paul, a museum, Monte Fortress, and several shopping areas. It was unique. It's crazy to think about cities being 3000 years old when the U.S history is a quarter of that.

From Macau, we headed to Hong Kong via ferry. An hour long boat ride, and you step out into the middle of a tiny city with 7 million people. The city is a traffic jam. If everyone walked out of their apartment at the same time, they would spill into the China Sea (thanks, Dan). It's extremely international, it's dirty, and the people are aggressive.
Add to this a shopping mecca, and you get Hong Kong. A city built around the ocean with British, Indian, U.S., and now Chinese influences, Hong Kong is the gateway to China and ultimately Asia.
There is a Louis Vuitton shop on every corner. Next to it, there is a Tiffany's and next to that stands Gucci, and they are all crowded. The Asians are still spending. Every corner of Hong Kong has a shopping district...even the peak which we went up to hike.
We looked for knock-offs at the thousands of shack-stands that are put up daily, and Mo even found one, but I'll never tell what it is. Okay, it's a purse. But she has 1000 of those, so you'll still never figure it out.

We had a wonderful time visiting another part of our great world, and we're happy to be back home in quiet, clean, conservative Tokyo.

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