Macau

"We anoint their fuses with a tiny amount of fire, and they come alive, playing out their life span in a matter or seconds. In those few seconds a crack in the universe is opened, giving us a glimpse of the energy locked within all matter." -Bob Weaver

Saturday night me and four other guys headed to Macau for some fireworks and debauchery, both were had in full. For those curious Macau is the Portuguese equivalent of Hong Kong. Formerly a territory controlled by Portugal, Macau was returned to China in 1999 and is now a Special Administrative Region in China, one of two, the other being Hong Kong. Macau is located 37 miles south of Hong Kong on the opposite edge of the Pearl River Delta. Macau is famous for many reasons some of them being that, it is the most densely populated area/country in the world, it has great seafood and it is the Las Vegas of Asia. So now after that background, lets return to my story. Saturday night me, Andrew, Rodrigo, Casey and Josh got on a turbojet (basically a large hydrofoil) and took the hour long ride to the "bling" capital of China. Our main reason for traveling to Macau this weekend was because the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest was going. On Saturday the two countries that competed were Japan and Portugal, they did not disappoint, but more on that shortly. We got off the turbo jet and after asking two Brits for the best spot to watch the show from we found ourselves sitting by the bay next to the Wynn Macau, a large Vegas export. We could not have asked for a better night, it was warm but sitting by the bay made the heat a second thought and all we could was sit in awe to the amazing performance we were privy to. Japan started of the festivities promptly at 9 o'clock and put up a hell of a show, lasting around 20 minutes, we did not expect to see a better show. We were wrong. We continued to hang out by the bay and enjoy the night until Portugal stepped up to the plate at ten o'clock and knocked one out of the park. I've seen many fireworks shows in my day and while I admit I don't commit a large part of my brain to firework memories this one will stick with me for some time to come. I took a video of the finale and will do my best to get it to all reading to this. If ever you have the chance, get to this firework contest, you will not be let down. After the show we were curious to see how the Asian community approached gaming. We took a walk to the Grand Lisboa, Stanley Ho's marquee casino and Hotel, this building was quite the sight. It was covered in neon, like most hotel/casinos here and was best described in a travel book as a cross between a UFO and a wedding cake. We walked in and headed upstairs to the gaming floor, what we found were more baccarat tables (the game James Bond is so adept at) than I have ever seen. With all of the baccarat tables there was little room for anything else, there were only around six or seven blackjack tables, much different from the states. The five of us played and explored for an about two hours and then decided it was time for some music. We talked to the concierge at the hotel and were told to head down the street and just keep an eye for the sign for a place called D2, we never found D2. We did however find a place called Cubic that seemed to a good time. It was real quiet when we got there around one but were told the crowd would pick up by three as that was when the guest DJ was getting on. So of course as the night continued progress the club got more crowded and eventually you could barely move. The music was some of the best I've heard since I've gotten to China, while it was not my standard choice of music, it was great house music. We had had enough of Cubic about the time the new DJ was coming on and some of the group decided they were hungry. We headed for food and after about a half hour we found some and sat down to take a rest and refuel, we still had two and a half hours until our ride back to Hong Kong. After some food we saw that we were next to the MGM Grand Macau and decided to kill some time before heading home. I played some blackjack and came out the winner overall for the night. The casino was standard but much like the rest of Macau the building it was housed in was massive. You would swear it were in Vegas. At around five a.m. we grabbed a cab to the ferry terminal to begin our trek back. This was the first ride back and it seems that many others did as we did and just pulled an all nighter because the ride back was sold out. we got back to HK at 7 and got on the train to get home. I hit my pillow at 8 a.m. and could not have been happier about the way the night went.

There will be more pictures coming from this night shortly, I didn't bring my good camera so I need to grab some pics from my friends. Thanks

Check out the video on my youtube link!

Ballin

I Was Shootin Some BBall Outside of the School...

Played some basketball last night, I have to say running the courts with locals is a little different than the pick up games back home. I haven't really played basketball on a consistent basis since the earlier years of high school but I would like to think that I am never one to shy away form a game. Having only played on and off a few times this summer at Zack's I wasn't quite sure what to expect of myself as me and five other kids headed over ti the local courts to find a game. We were a ragtag group of non athletes, former highs school players and a soccer player thrown in for good measure. We were quickly asked to run five on five by what I must assume is a local team out practicing. Now the game went like just about any street/pickup game you would find in the states with one small exception, fouls. Now coming from where I play basketball you don't really ever call a foul on a guy, you just suck it up and play through it, maybe give an elbow a little latter on. Last night there were more fouls called by the other team than I have ever seen. I don't really mind the foul call I just happen to be of the mind set that you such stop being worried about getting hurt and just suck it up, a foul really kills the tempo of the game. Another thing that I noticed seemed to missing from these guys (all about my age) is the basic courtesies that come in a pick up game, the most noticeable one being that you don't start the possession until everyone is ready. These guys had no problem starting up a play when one of our guys had just been taken out of the previous play and was still recovering to get back in the game, now I know that a game back home would come with some unwritten rules about such a thing. All in all though our team made it past the differences and managed to win two of the three games before the lights in the park went out. A good victory for the AWAY TEAM.

Sai Wan

This country never ceases to amaze

Today myself, Andrew and Brian decided to take a trek, a journey, an excursion call it whatever you like. We left Caritas (our home of sorts) at twelve to depart on a trip to find beaches and cliff diving, we did not know exactly how to get there. We took the train a few stops past where we go for school and found the minibus that runs to Sai Kung. Sai Kung is an area out in the New Territories of Hong Kong and it is a rather calm area when compared to the hustle of HK. Upon arriving in Sai Kung we proceeded to ask locals if they knew where Sai Wan was, we were pointed to the number 94 bus. We got on the bus not knowing where to get off, we just figured we would wing it. Sitting on the bus we happened to ask what appeared to be a local if he knew where to go cliff jumping, it turns out that he grew up in HK but moved to Vancouver for work and was back in HK getting his MBA. This guy, whose name we did not catch gave the best directions he could and from the research we had done he sounded correct. We got off the bus at the entrance to the country park and started our walk. Today's weather was quite nice, blue skies with a minimal amount of clouds, the only problem was that it was about 98 degrees. We started our walk and shortly came to a fork, taking the left route, which lead to the beach we were looking for, we were quickly stunned by the massive reservoir that lay in front of us. This was by far, nothing even close to it, the nicest reservoir that I have ever seen. This reservoir made the Caribbean look like the Jersey Shore. Upon arriving to the start of this hike with an amazingly uplifting view we were shortly crestfallen when we discovered that it was to be a ten kilometer hike that was estimated to take two and a half hours. While this news was bad news we took in stride and started off on our hike to what is said to be the best beach in Hong Kong. We walked and we walked some more getting some great views of the reservoir and eventually after quite some time arrived, no one knew exactly how long it took since we didn't check the time at the start. Upon arriving all our tired and sore muscles were instantly relieved at the site of a deserted beach with only a few yachts moored offshore but no one was on the beach. Surrounded by massive hills and mountains we were in our own paradise. We hung out in the water, which was clear and almost to warm, for a few hours and then decided to try and find a way home seeing as the sun was getting low and we didn't want to hike back. We grabbed a ride on a junk/motorboat that two engineers had taken to the beach, on the boat we saw the true beauty of Hong Kong and for most of the trip we were speechless. We arrived at an unknown pier and were lucky to find a bus stop, it was getting dark. We arrived back our home a little over an hour later and were thankful for showers and food, we hadn't eaten since prior to our departure. A successful day that somehow resulted in little to no sunburn.

SCHOOL

It was bound to happen eventually...

I have just finished the first week of class here in Hong Kong and I must admit until Monday, the idea of classes and homework seemed alien but alas it is here and will not be gone anytime soon. I must admit though I am lucky, I only have class four days a week, many of us do, this is a new phenomenon for me and I must say I rather enjoy it. This semester I am only taking three classes, I know, it sounds like a small amount but I am also doing a research paper on mainland China for our previous seminar and I will be doing an independent research project for 5 weeks at the end of the semester. Right now I am taking Mandarin (more on that later) International Economics and Money and Banking. Econ and MandB are good, a little slow but its early yet. The class that I'm sure most reading this are wondering about is Mandarin. Mandarin is intense. We have class for eight hours a week and we move fast. I'm getting the gist of the language but it is by no means easy. Lucky for me our class tends to stick together and we help each other out and study at night together. One thing that I noticed about City U that is different from Nova is the size. While it only has about twice as many undergrads as Nova, 12,000, it tries to fit them into a space similar to the size of my campus back home. The crowds are definitely new but they do make for good practice when it comes to pushing through the streets of HK. Taking the train to school is also new for me but in HK the metro is so nice that I actually enjoy that part of the commute. I will say that it is interesting being the tallest person of the almost 1000 people on the train. All in all my first week here at City U was without any surprises and it looks to be shaping up to be a great semester.

Shek O

The old adage may be that revenge is a dish best served cold but everything else is best served in a pineapple!

Okay so I think I have finally gotten caught up with this blog, I apologize for the poor timing. Today is a lazy Sunday, slept in and have been writing this blog and getting various errands done, laundry and steaming my clothes, no iron. I am not writing to tell you about what is going on now, I am writing concerning yesterday, possibly the best day in HK so far. Our main goal for the day was to find Shek O which is a beach about an hour from where we live and find the Thai restaurant that serves food in a pineapple, little did we know how much of a success this would be. We got on the MTR headed for Central and got off at the Admiralty stop where we transferred to the Chai Wan route, from there we got off at Shau Kei Wan and headed for the bus. We got on the number nine bus and took to the end of the line, Shek O, this bus ride was quite the adventure for you most buses are rather massive double deckers and the driver maneuvers it as if it were a Ferrari. The views on the ride to the beach are stunning, vast views from windy mountain roads that make leave in awe and great fear that you may go over the edge. Once we arrived to the quite seaside town of Shek O we could not have been more excited, the vistas from the ride over only built anticipation. We wasted no time finding the Thai/Chinese restaurant that our seminar professor told us about, we quickly found it and grabbed a table for three. The restaurant only has al fresco seating and is covered in a tin roof with many fans blowing the 95 degree air about, it looked just like something you would see on a travel food show. The menu was the best I had seen yet, it had anything and everything you might want from both sides of the Thai/Chinese mixture from sweet and sour pork to pad thai, but we came for one thing and one thing only, the pineapple. Now for anyone who has yet to try it, I highly recommend eating something cooked in a pineapple. I ordered the fried, Andrew ordered the vegetarian fried rice and Rodrigo ordered the chicken, all in pineapples. When I get back to the states one of the first things I'm going to try to cook is this dish. After we finished the most satisfying meal of the trip thus far we headed for the beach, only a minute away we were stunned when we finally came across it. This may have been the most beautiful beach I have been to, surrounded by mountains and small rocky islands the beach was as secluded as you could get in one of the most densely populated places in the world. We were told that the weekends in Hong Kong meant that the beaches were mobbed, we found though that Shek O was relatively quiet compared to our expectations. The beach was clean and water was perfect, it wasn't clear like the Caribbean but the temperature was in the 80's and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This beach was the perfect way to beat the HK heat, 95degrees and humid and made for a great day trip. All in all this trip was a great success, we had great food and great beach time all only an hour away from our lowly digs at the Caritas Bianchi Lodge.

Shanghai

A city bursting at the seams

Shanghai at night is something that everyone should find a way to see, this city lights up like no other with the only exception being Vegas. Shanghai is a peculiar place, throughout the city there are unmistakable relics of European architecture that are some of the most beautiful buildings on can find anywhere. These buildings are a look back at a history most Chinese are not proud of, one of European and American chauvinism wherein we built what we wanted where we wanted and made all the rules. The Chinese look at this time in there history with much contempt for outsiders as well they should, we were wrong. The only good that one might be able to pull out of this time is the architecture, great buildings with classical features that are timeless but as Shanghai moves from its past so does its architecture. The modern architecture of this city is something one has to see for themselves whether it be the very odd TV Tower or the ever looming World Financial Center (the second tallest building in the world). This skyline is epic. Perhaps the best way to view everything from the beautifully lit European buildings to the massive skyline is from atop the Grand Hyatt in Cloud 9, the highest bar in the world, located on the 87th and 88th floors of the worlds tallest hotel the view is simply stunning. From atop this building one cannot help but feel as though they are the master of all things below, it is truly an awe inspiring view. As Shanghai prepares for the 2010 world expo you will hear more and become much more accustomed to what this city is truly about but until one sees it for themselves they cannot fully appreciate the grandeur that is Shanghai.

798 Beijing

The best kept secret of the city

We went to Beijing, we did all things that you are supposed to do in Beijing, we saw the Great Wall, we visited hutongs, we even went to the Temple of Heaven, but one thing we did that most don't is visit 798, the best kept secret in Beijing. 798 is an old factory district in Beijing that has become a blossoming art community filled with galleries and lofts. The idea that here in China's capital one could find modern art when the city carries a stigma of rigid structuralism is amazing. I'm am no art guru, I don't know anything about any artists other than Rene Magritte(my favorite) but I do know that there was some truly spectacular work on display here. When you get to the district you wonder through small streets meandering in and out of galleries admiring the work and determination in front of your eyes. There was one gallery called Childhood Memories that used iconic toys and images of my generation to make rather interesting art including but not limited to GI Joe abstinence adds and Transformers last supper pictures. While the galleries were great, the best and probably most unappreciated part of the district was the street art. It is important that I don't call this graffiti because that, to most, implies a mess of colors that shouldn't be there in the first place. This street are was stunning, everything from pieces of fruit dressed as gangsters to a panda wearing what looks to be a uniform. The best place to see this art was on a two story building that surrounded what might be the coolest street soccer court I have ever seen, watching fifty year old men play while smoking their cigarettes was awesome. District 798 is a place anyone interested in art should visit, it is a needle in the haystack that is Beijing.

China Seminar: Xian

Craziest bike ride ever...

Sorry about the delay in terms of entries, its been an event packed two weeks with either no time for internet or no free internet. My deepest apologies. So looking back on Xian, it feels like ages ago, there are a few things that really stick out in my mind. The first of these things being the bike ride around the city wall of Xian. This wall is one of the oldest most well preserved city walls in china and what a wall it is. This wall is 9 miles around and 54 feet wide at its base. Us Americans being the idiots that we are decided a ride around the wall would be a relaxing and pleasurable experience here in Xian, of course it was far from what we hoped for. We found a place to rent some beat up old bikes, that's all there are here, and were told that we had an hour or so until we needed to get back on the bus. While I hadn't seriously ridden a bike in more than 4 years and I guess the old standard holds true, you never forget how to ride a bike. We started off at rapid pace and a group of about 15 of us broke away from the pack, some on single bikes others tandem, I rode solo. we got to the first corner of the square course and were still moving at quite a good pace, this pace would not cease until the final stretch of wall. the path was quite bumpy and left its share of riders quite sore. As we continued I found myself leading the pack with a tandem bike and one other solo rider, we went to a straight sprint and after dodging and shouting on the crowded wall could see the finish line, I pulled ahead and won by half a length. We did the loop in 41 minutes and were exhausted. It was hot, humid and smoggy and I was covered in sweat but it was definitely worth it. The wall was quite a site, outside of it is a rapidly growing city while the inside holds onto the small parts of ancient life that it can.

Aug 2009 - Reflections on my first days in HK

Observations and thoughts from my orientation experience in HK

So I have been here in HK for three days and four nights and man what a city. The closest place I know that I could compare this city with is NYC and that is still a poor assessment. So far the city has been really simple to navigate and we have found little trouble when it comes to finding where we need to be.

The school is pretty nice, it huge, it has an enrollment of 30,000 compared to a mere 6,000 back in Philly. It is a short commute to school, three stops on the metro (more on that later) and then a quick walk through a huge mall and you find yourself right in the middle of campus. The cafeteria at school is pretty good, there is some really good barbecue dishes, I'm not the biggest fan of the atmosphere there though, I'm not sure why but it just doesn't sit well with me. We usually leave the university during rush hour so the metro is packed but it just helps add to the experience. The subways here are amazing! The subways are spotless and nearly silent, a big step up after being used to New York. The routes they take are also very simple and concise and they require very little thinking when it comes to planning a trip. The only thing about the metro that I find annoying is that it stops running at on in the morning which is quite inconvenient for getting home from HK Island.

The night life here is pretty good, there are only a few areas here that cater nightlife scene, in HK culture bars are not popular and therefore you find that it almost completely tourists and expats. While there might not be clubs and bars on every corner like NY there is something for everyone and its usually not to tough to find.

So today I am headed off to mainland China for two weeks and will visiting Xian, Beijing and Shanghai. These two weeks are going to be jam packed and I will do my best to keep everyone posted on my journey.

P.S.- I am still working on the best way to share my pictures with you

Aug 2009 - I'm Here

16 hours after one of the most painfully boring flights ever I have landed in Hong Kong!

So here I am, in Hong Kong, this city is pretty amazing when you see it in person, everything is so tall. The flight was quite long, 16 hours and I got zero sleep during the flight. I was up for a continuous 30 hours yesterday.They did have a great movie selection and the food was half decent which helped, but there were a lot of little kids making quite alot of noise. We got to Hong Kong around 7:30 pm local time on Monday night, and took a bus to our hotel, it small but nothing I can't handle after living in Sullivan last year. After putting our stuff down in the hotel me and some of the guys went to do some rudimentary exploring, we checked a night market and I had some octopus leg, it tasted pretty good, what you would expect octopus leg to taste like. This city is hot and muggy, last night at ten o'clock it was 88 degrees and about 90% humidity, nasty. More to come today we see the city.