Four countries, four days

On Wednesday of last week, I decided that I had to get on the traveling ball and go somewhere this past weekend. Seeing that I didn't want to be bothered with getting visas or overly concerned that I still haven't gotten my JE shots as yet, HK & Macau seemed like perfect destinations. So, I booked my tickets and headed out on Friday.

Of the two, I preferred HK. Not that Macau is all bad.

In fact, there's a lot of unique cultural sites to tide me over for the day I was there. Macau was, until recently, a colony of Portugal which has made for an interesting mix of architecture and unexpected quirks. (Check out these pictures.)







Also, in the midst of signs written in Chinese you'll see street signs for Rua da [insert Portuguese name here] or Travessa da something.

Nonetheless, I'm not much of a gambler so I was at a loss for things to do at night because they don't even have the shows you can find in Vegas. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm going to lose money I at least want to get something out of the process - be it new clothes, shoes, fat or a pleasant buzz - but gambling doesn't actually make me feel good because from the start I know I'm just going to lose money with no return.

However, I do feel obliged to share one utterly delicious encounter in Macau... egg tarts - YUM! Imagine the best creme brulee you've ever had and then combine that with really flaky, buttery pie crust... almost like a croissant... with each bite you can just feel the fat piling on but it's oh so good.

As for HK, it's a lot more like any big city as far as skyscrapers, crowds of people and efficient transportation is concerned. While HK cannot claim the ridiculous cleanliness of Singapore or Tokyo, it is a far cry from the dirt of Bangkok. On my scale of big city cleanliness, I'd probably say it's somewhere around Chicago or NYC.

What's really striking about HK to me is how the towering skyscrapers of the Central district are flanked by huge hills (they could be mountains but I'm pretty sure they're just hills... I must confess my ability to judge these things is a bit off) on one side and then the harbour on the other. The result is that HK is an incredibly picturesque city. (Of course, it was overcast when I was there but I could still imagine what it must look like on a clear day.)





Across the harbour (and yes I took the Star Ferry), in Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon), you can get a fantastic view of the lights from Central and at 8pm every night the tourism folks put on a show - The Symphony of Lights - which is actually pretty cool (that or I was really feeling my cocktail... which I suppose is possible). I couldn't get a good shot of the light show but here's a taste of the lights in general.



And of course, what would a trip to HK be without some Bruce Lee action? :)



[If you're trying to figure out the other two countries referred to in the entry title... S'pore (a little too obvious perhaps) and Malaysia. I flew into Johor Bahru, Malaysia and then took public trans across the border back into S'pore. So yes, it's arguable if I should get to count it but c'mon, four countries in four days just sounds cool.]