Last night was Halloween in Lan Kwai Fong. Really fun as crowds of people swarmed the streets in costume. I did not put together a costume, but enjoyed it all the same. At least some cities are not afraid of having a good time (San Francisco and "Honorable" Mayor Newsom, I am looking your direction... shame on you for canceling Halloween in the Castro... a San Francisco institution).
Today I went to Macau (or Macao) which, like Hong Kong, is considered a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Like Hong Kong (and parts of Shanghai) it was a concession to a European power in the aftermath of the Opium Wars. In this case the colonial power was Portugal and only as recently as 1999 was it handed back to China. The architecture definitely reflects the Portuguese influence. The sidewalks also have a much more romantic feel (romantic in the sense of architecture).
Despite its interesting colonial ties and links to associated tourism, Macau is being driven by casino-money. Unlike Hong Kong or mainland China, wide spreading gambling is legal. Think of it as the Vegas of the East, it currently has major hotels from Sands, Wynn, and MGM Grand. Within a 4-hour flight of Vegas is roughly 300-400 million people. Within a 4-hour flight of Macua is roughly 2.5 BILLION (most of China and India). While the average person around Macau does not have the wealth of a typical North American... it is still a huge opportunity. The casinos themselves were nice (not quite as nice as Vegas) and had many baccarat, kai pow, and other games I do not know how to play. Oh well... I will be going to Vegas in a month or so with my swimming alumni friends.
One of the interesting aspects of getting to Macau is you take a 1-hour long ferry. It is a fast moving jet boat and the inside is designed to resemble an airplane. You also have to have a passport and get new stamps!
When I got back from Macau I headed over to the Peak Tram... basically a cable car going up a hill that at times feels like a 45-degree angle. Very nice and very nice view at the top. I am now even more embarrassed that I have never done the cable cars in San Francisco!
Next time I am in Hong Kong, I need to head to the southern part of the island!
Next (and final :-( ) stop Singapore in the morning!
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