Post from Hong Kong
As I'm typing this, the bustling traffic of Causeway Bay is slightly audible from my friend's service apartment. She's here for work and has been kind enough to provide me and my girl friend a place to crash for a few more days. My feet are already begging for mercy due to the excessive walking that suddenly became part of my daily routine. The weather here is chilly, ranging between 17-20 degrees, making it ideal for walkabouts. Generally, food has been great. The dim sum, porridge, dumplings, Chinese-style deserts and roasted poultry are all better than what is available in Malaysia.
Before Hong Kong I had reached Macau first, on a Saturday. Time was spent visiting the casinos and historical sites. Venetian, while above par, was surprisingly not as great as I expected. All in all, the sights in Macau were not that impressive. It was fun watching people though. Folks from all walks of life end up in the casinos in Macau at night. Some are very seasoned patrons - obvious from the way the shuffle chips with just 2 fingers - while others, like myself, just tourist walking around. Macau isn't a place that ranks in my 'must-visit' list, but it's so near Hong Kong that it made sense to drop by.
Monday was when I reached Hong Kong where I stayed for 2 days in a hotel along Nathan road. Walked along the many tourist streets there (Temple street, Ladies Market, etc.). Also went to the fishing village Tai-O, Victoria Peak lookout area, Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tia Buddha on Lantau island, Avenue of Stars and Stanley Market. I've never been surrounded by so many Chinese! It's actually just weird looking at all the people with the same skin color as me. The good fashion sense of the people here somewhat offsets this - people here are heavily dressed and makes for good eye-candy. I still felt alien though - not being able to speak Cantonese nor Mandarin fluently enough.
The day has just started. Today will be spent on shopping in Wan Chai (where there's tons of gadgets and phones I heard) and maybe a visit back to Avenue of Stars at night to catch the Hong Kong night skyline. Tomorrow will be spent in Disneyland (girl friend's wish). Time to stop writing and start walking.