Days 92 to 98 - Macau and Hong Kong

Hello from the Las Vegas of the East!  We thought it would be a nice change of pace to spend a couple of days in the city of Macau, an administrative territory of China, and experience for ourselves what this city has to offer.  We flew from Thailand onto a small island just off of Macau and were surprised to learn that this Airport was quite small and showed absolutely no evidence of its high roller reputation.  We hopped into a taxi and crossed over the bridge connecting the small island to Macau, and upon exiting the bridge, fell into the heart of the city and its grand casinos.  We were excited to take advantage of the low-priced five star hotels typical of any casino town and Ines quickly settled into the plush robe and complimentary hotel slippers, as if she were settled in for the night.  But Korey was hungry so we made our way through the Babylon Casino connected to our hotel, crossed the street over to the Sands Casino, walked further over to the MGM, and eventually settled in for a traditional Chinese dinner at the Wynn.  This all happened without us putting a single Hong Kong dollar into any of the slot machines (Korey was really hungry)!  We decided to be adventurous and order some dishes that we hadn’t yet tried, and so Ines settled in on some chili beef stir fry (and when ordering was told no less than three times that it is a hot dish), and Korey went bolder with an order of chicken feet.  What a fun dinner!  Between Ines downing her weight in water to cut the heat of her beef dish and Korey’s repeated attempts to grasp the oily chicken’s feet with his chopsticks, we had most of the surrounding tables guests watching us instead of each other!

After dinner, we made our way through the Casino in search of a blackjack table worthy of Korey’s Hong Kong dollars, only to find that Baccarat was the preferred game (not a blackjack table to be seen).  We watched for a bit, trying to understand how Baccarat was played, then gave up and retreated to our hotel for the night.

The next day we wandered through the streets of Macau playing tourist, visiting Senado Square, an older part of Macau settled by Portuguese traders centuries ago.  The Portuguese culture is very much alive and thriving in Macau to this day, and we settled in for a delicious traditional Portuguese/Chinese fusion lunch at one of the oldest Portuguese restaurants near the square.  Neither one of us had ever had Portuguese food before and we both were happily surprised by the flavors the fusion of cultures had created.  After lunch we walked along the famous Macau streets of Dos Mercadores and R. De Sao Paulo, filled with Portuguese and Chinese vendors hawking local foods and wares.  We stopped to marvel at the Chinese food stalls selling a form of jerkey, in every form of animal meat, processed to look like flat sheets of red shiny meats in the shape of a floor tile.  We were too shy to partake as they offered samples, choosing not to fight the crowds of people waiting in line.  We did, however, stop at one of the many Portuguese food stalls to buy and taste a Pasteis de Nata, a traditional custard pie and fought over who got the last bite.  It was delicious!  These streets led us directly toward the Ruins of St. Paul (ruined by a devastating fire and never rebuilt) and the nearby Fortaleza do Monte, the historical military center of Macau and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In touring the site we learned it was primarily built to protect against pirates.

Off we went to the casino after our day of touring, this time visiting the Grand Lisboa, the most famous casino in Macau.  Its architecture was the most impressive, as it was built to mimic a giant 47-story Lotus Flower.  We walked into the casino just in time to catch a retro Vegas Show Girls dance performance on an elevated stage in the center of the casino.  We were able to catch three outfit changes, complete with feathers, rhinestones, headdresses and more.  What fun! 

Korey also located a few blackjack tables hiding in the far west corner of the casino, sat down to play, and was surprised when a Chinese gentleman placed a bet on his hand!  The man was playing multiple tables at the same time, by placing bets on other people’s hands sitting at the same table.  And high roller bets!  Next to Korey’s minimum bet was a thousand Hong Kong dollar poker chip, awaiting the next card to be turned over.  Korey was quite nervous, as his decisions meant whether or not the intimidating Chinese man won.  Luckily, Korey won us dinner for that night, however his new friend won dinner for the month!  It was very interesting to say the least.  Ines promptly lost her money (and part of Korey’s winnings) on Roulette and Slots and we ended the night with a burger dinner at an Irish Pub in the Venetian next door.

We were in desperate need of a day to catch up on blog, sleep, and life, so we took advantage of the affordable hotel rates and stayed an extra day in Macau.  It was a rainy and cold day, so we slept in late, had a leisurely lunch, wrote some blog material, and wandered through the various other casinos, taking in the crowds of people brought in by Chinese New Year celebrations and comparing and contrasting Macau with Las Vegas.  We had a wonderful steak dinner that night that put us both in a food coma, waking just in time to pack up and make it to our high-speed ferry bound for Hong Kong. 

The ferry ride to Hong Kong from Macaú was great!  The smooth ride through the South China Sea only took an hour, and included a meal and free Coke Zero’s (Korey was thrilled).  As Hong Kong is a separate administrative territory of China, we were required to clear immigration and customs before finding ourselves in the heart of the city on Victoria Harbor.  We hailed a taxi and drove through a tunnel under the harbor to find our hotel in the Kowloon area on the north side of Hong Kong.  Our hotel included a smart phone with our stay that was preprogrammed with maps and suggested eateries and, amazingly, gave us international calling and unlimited data for free!  We later learned that this is somewhat common for hotels in Hong Kong, and we think it’s a great idea for travelers!  We took advantage immediately and called our parents, of course.  

For dinner that night we met up again with Blake (whom we saw in Singapore a few weeks prior) and his wife Katie.  We met them in their neighborhood, saw their apartment and met their dog Annie.  It was great to see how American living can be in Hong Kong!  They then took us to a trendy fresh fish catch-of-the-day restaurant nearby that was absolutely delicious.  We even tried the crispy smoked fish skin and shrimp heads!  After that it was off to an underground ping pong club.  It’s worth saying again, underground ping pong club.  Apparently there are a number of underground restaurants, clubs and kitschy cool places like this scattered throughout Hong Kong!  Unfortunately for Korey, it was after-hours, and ping pong was not being played.  He was psyched and ready to compete with some locals!  All in all it was a great, fun evening and we really enjoyed hearing about their lives and the things they’ve done internationally over the last six years living abroad.  Thanks again Blake and Katie, and best of luck with everything going forward!

The next day we played tourist in Hong Kong.  We walked up and down Nathan Street, a popular outdoor shopping area, and of course Ines made a few purchases (tea! that’s it!  Who goes to Hong Kong and doesn’t leave with some tea!), but the real highlight was the tiny hole-in-the-wall shop we found, making in mass quantities what looked like bubbly waffle cones.  We noticed a long line of locals waiting patiently to buy the sweet smelling treat, so obviously our curiosity made us stop and stand in line, not really knowing what or how to order.  A few minutes later, we tasted one of the best snacks we had on the trip!  We also learned they are called Hong Kong eggettes, or gai daan jai (literally, "little chicken eggs”), and these sweet egg batter waffles are one of the most iconic and beloved Hong Kong street snacks.

We also found a market nearby that seemed to have everything.  While Ines shopped (to clarify, Ines would like to state she bought nothing at this market), Korey marveled at the skyscrapers all around and how they used bamboo as scaffolding on the ones under construction!  Yes, it looked as unstable as it sounds for 50-story plus buildings, although very common in Hong Kong.  It was quite a sight!  Our day ended with a great recommendation from Blake and Katie.  Every night the city of Hong Kong performs a light show on the skyline over the harbor.  All of the skyscrapers light up and lasers shoot off in sync.  They recommended to us one of the best spots to watch was from the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel on the opposite side of the harbor, and they were right!  Easily one of the most impressive city skylines in the world, and it was great to watch the complimentary light show highlighting Chinese New Year.  Adding in a the music from a live band and some great food, we had ourselves a wonderful last evening in Hong Kong.  

The next morning we were off bright and early.  We had a short, but fun stay in Hong Kong.  We both decided it wasn’t long enough and we’ll have to go back someday!  We both agree it was a bit hard to say goodbye to the hotel smartphone and ended our Hong Kong adventure by making calls to family for the second time in a week before leaving.

Things we learned:  1) while traveling internationally, be adventurous but trust our instincts.  We have learned that if the food seems bizarre and hard to eat, it probably is.  While Korey is glad he tried the chicken feet, it’s something likely to never happen again!,  2) world history is fascinating and has led to some amazing fusion of cultures.  The Portuguese/Chinese mix of people in Macau was very interesting, and we found ourselves surprised and amazed how the world has evolved differently in different places, and 3)  Hong Kong’s skyline is truly beautiful.  With a mountain behind it, it looks amazing from both sides and absolutely rivals New York’s skyline….

....also, a small side note….comparing Macau to Las Vegas isn’t quite accurate.  Macau is a great and fun casino city, but the Las Vegas of the US remains the true Sin City with its over the top glitz, glamour, and debauchery.

Yummy chicken's feet!

Celebrating Chinese New Year, Portuguese style

Hot sheets of meat!  Stand in line!

Nothing to show you because there was nothing left to show you, so yummy!

The Ruins of St. Paul in the background (only the facade is left standing)

The perfect dichotomy between old and new.  The view from the fortress, overlooking the Grand Lisboa

Stop, rest, and blog!  Our typical work day....

All packed and ready to go to Hong Kong!

Big Red, our ferry across the South China Sea

Hong Kong Eggette!  Light fluffy, and delicious!  (That's also Ines' look daring me to take it away from her)

Bamboo scaffold wonders of the construction world.  Amazing, isn't it?

Typical evening in Hong Kong.  Lights, camera, action!

The Hong Kong Skyline in all its glory!  A rainbow of colors.  

Days 81 to 91 - Thailand (Koh Samui, Bangkok, Chiang Mai) plus some travel time

Sawatdee from Thailand!  We started our week long tour of Thailand with a $25 budget flight to the southern island of Koh Samui (airfares are so affordable between places in southeast Asia, we used planes to get around- much faster than trains or buses!).  Koh Samui is an island known for having some of Thailand’s best beaches and resorts, and it delivered!

Extreme heat and humidity didn’t bother us much, as we settled into our tiny resort fitted with two pools, one of them being over 50 meters long (again, around 150 feet for all of us Americans), it’s own private beach access, and breathtaking views of the Gulf of Thailand.  Much like the Maldives, it felt like paradise.  Ines quickly discovered what may go down as her favorite aspect of the whole trip…$12 hour-long massages!  She took advantage, daily.  She even “tricked” Korey into getting one the next morning (much to the chagrin of the masseuse, who had a heck of a time with Korey’s knots and tight muscles).  Korey apologized profusely afterward (sounds just like him, right?) for his bad posture and the difficulty he posed for the masseuse.  

After a day of relaxing and playing in the pool/gulf, we ventured down to the local Lamai Night Market to get a feel for the local culture.  We knew we had arrived as we saw the streets buzzing with people, voices yelling out deals of the day and, of course, the world’s best pricing.  Again Ines took full advantage of both the exchange rate (divide by 36!) and came away with some great purchases (she thinks they don’t count because they will be used as gifts, but Korey would like to point out that these “gifts” looked dangerously like things Ines would purchase for herself…).  Korey took this opportunity to seat himself at a sideline restaurant and watch football, meeting a nice couple on their honeymoon that coincidentally were from California and also work at one of his favorite breweries (Stone Brewery, for the craft beer crowd out there)!  A win-win this time for both Ines and Korey!  Ines would like to clarify that it’s not American football Korey is referencing, its fútbol-soccer, and that he has started to follow it because, well, it’s everywhere and all he has!

We had an evening flight the next day and had some time to burn after checking out of the hotel and checking into our flight.  We spent the morning lazily, with Ines getting one last Koh Samui massage and Korey sleeping in.  We checked out of the hotel at noon, with about five hours before our flight.  What did we do?  Going golfing was the obvious choice!  So we found “the” (only one 18-hole course) golf course on the island, named Santiburi, and proceeded to see how much our golf skills had declined in the past three months.  After a rough start, we ended the afternoon having played decently and had a great time on a beautiful course.  Korey even had a chance at eagle on the last hole, but missed the putt.  He didn’t complain with a birdie.  After a quick late lunch/early dinner we were off to the airport!

The Koh Samui airport itself is worth mentioning.  The airport’s welcome sign mentions it’s an “open-air” airport, and its true!  We found no part of the airport to be indoors.  From ticketing to security to the odd little benches for sitting at the gate to basically just walking onto the airplane, it is all outdoors with partial shade coverings.  We met what appeared to be a disgruntled Canadian couple sharing our flight on their way home that were so happy to be leaving.  After baking in Thailand’s heat for a week they decided they couldn’t take it anymore and were eagerly anticipated their dead of winter weather back home.  Hilarious!  They each separately told us they couldn’t wait to get back to the cold in Alberta.  Ines thought they were crazy, but Korey definitely could relate!  We’ll both see how living in Michigan goes…

That evening our flight took us from the beaches of Koh Samui to the city of Bangkok, Thailand.  The combination of a delayed flight with a longer than expected train experience finally brought us to our hotel, just missing the closing time of the restaurant/bar, leaving us both cranky and hungry.  So we did what we have been able to avoid on this trip…broke down and ate a late dinner at the only open establishment nearby, McDonald’s.  Terrible and delicious simultaneously, we consoled one another with the saying, “desperate times calls for desperate measures”!  We did learn, however, that even McDonald’s celebrates the Chinese New Year of the Monkey with their very own version of the Prosperity Meal, thought to bring prosperity in the new year to the consumer.

After a good night’s rest our next day was spent playing tourist in Bangkok.  Temple’s appeared out of nowhere, tucked between residential and commercial spaces throughout the city and in front of what seemed like every domain.  We found the most interesting to be the Wot Pho next to the Grand Palace.  The architecture and design of the entire temple space was intriguing, and the highlight was the reclining Buddha that was so big, they carefully built an entire building to surround it.  In between the enormous columns holding up the structure, we caught glimpses of this Buddha’s enormity, all clad in gold.  We were impressed!  After venturing around the famous Khaosan street, we headed back towards our hotel for dinner.  We avoided the street food and ate some terrific Japanese Yakiniku food instead.  After dinner the “night crowd” was starting to come out in Bangkok, and in the interest of keeping this PG for our younger readers, we’ll just say we learned a lot about Thai night culture.  We decided we’d seen enough of Bangkok and would head out the next day.  Plus we’d heard so many good things about Chiang Mai (our next destination, thanks Chia-Ti!) that we were eager to check it out!

We did get a local culinary experience in before leaving Bangkok, opting to eat lunch at a five star french restaurant (Ines’ favorite food type!) just before traveling to the airport.  What normally would’ve been a ridiculously expensive five course meal was quite reasonable, taking advantage of that exchange rate again!  Another short budget flight to Chiang Mai and we were in our element.  Still maintaining the excitement and buzz of a city like Bangkok, Chiang Mai also exudes great charm and culture.  And, it wasn’t nearly as crowded, which we both appreciated greatly.  

Our first day was spent exploring the city.  The “old” part of the city is surrounded by a giant moat and old stone gates that date back to the 14th century.  Ines of course had to have a massage (you know, “to see how they compare to other Thai cities” she said slyly…), and after a day of walking around in the heat, we found ourselves at a little Irish pub, exhausted.  We had originally planned for our stopover to be a wedding planning session and it quickly turned into an impromptu night of global pub trivia!  We thoroughly enjoyed our trivia experience during our days in Portland, Maine (miss you Northe, Meg, Chelsea, André!), and were excited to challenge ourselves abroad!  We were paired with a couple from California and a couple from Toronto, ON.  A few hours later after some ridiculously tough international questions, we found ourselves in second to last place.  We quickly realized we weren’t in Maine anymore…yet we still had so much fun and met some great new friends from North America.

The next day was a planning and blog catch-up day.  Our original grand plans of climbing the mountains of Chiang Mai and visiting the Elephant Sanctuary were quickly dashed when Ines’ knee swelled up and prevented her from walking much (the doctor we are traveling with on this trip believes she has re-injured an old ski injury to the knee, likely during Kilimanjaro and further aggravated by golfing).  That said, flying by the seat of our pants on this trip requires us to stop, pause, reset, plan, “discuss”, and repeat- and before we knew it, the day was gone!

Well, the following day it happened.  We took a cooking class…and It was great!  Korey actually cooked some amazing food, he didn’t burn down the building, and others were decently impressed!  We were picked up from our hotel by the cooking class company and joined four other Americans and a woman from France for a trip to a local Thai market to buy and learn about our ingredients for the cooking experience to come.  Our guide/chef (named Apple, who also loved tattoos of apples…) talked us through what to do every step of the way, but really let us do the work.  Six courses of food were made and each was great!  Pad thai, penang curry, coconut milk soup, pork stir-fry, spring rolls, and deep-fried bananas were amongst the culinary delights.  Korey was volunteered (by Apple, not Ines) to make the coconut milk for the group, used as the main ingredient in the soup.  This meant he had to hand squeeze fresh coconut shavings wrapped in cheesecloth until enough coconut milk oozed out.  Ines got a kick out of this…and would like to note that Korey was selected because he is a mammoth in a country full of what can best be described as tiny humans.  All in all it was a great experience and we’d do it again in a heartbeat.  We wish we’d have done it in other countries as well!

One tiny adventure to mention on our way to the airport was our Tuk Tuk ride, a modified motorcycle taxi that consists of a three-wheeled motorcycle with a metal covered two-seat compartment for passengers.  A thrill ride, indeed.  Especially in the rain!

Things we learned, 1) Thai massages are just different enough in each venue across Thailand that all must be tried (Ines), 2) Laundry is so affordable and easy in Thailand, which was absolutely needed as we sweated out our weight equivalents daily, 3) We both have a sorry understanding of global trivia history, entertainment, literature…..we do, however, hold our weight in science, art, and geography!, and 4) Korey is a giant in this land of tiny humans!  Unfortunately for her, so is Ines….

A view from Koh Samui.  Tough debate whether to hit the pool or gulf!

Night market in Lamai.  Korey took this picture trying to get as far away from the shopping as he could

The golf course was picturesque!

This shot actually went straight!  

Post round meal.  Nursing the sore knee...

The Koh Samui airport "gate"

Really?

Center of old Bangkok

Inside Wat Pho

Reclining Buddha

Khaosan St.  It's actually not as crowded as other parts of town...

The old gate surrounding Chiang Mai

Global trivia night!  Korey blended nicely into the background

Apple at the market

Ines hamming it up per usual

This is how coconut milk is made?!

Ines not paying attention while the cooking crew is hard at work

Don't disturb chef Korey while he's creating his masterpiece

Penang curry, pork stir-fry, and some pad thai.  So delicious!