What a day! It was a tour with Ken day, and he is a bundle of energy. We left home at 8:30 to get to the Macau Ferry to meet Ken. Getting out of Hong Kong with our Hong Kong ID is always a treat for me, my thumbs don’t work, but this morning it did. Sister Bench’s however, did not. As soon as I got on the ferry the woozies set in. What a way to begin the day. But we made it without having to use the little white bag!!!
By this time the temperature was 31C. Which to us is 94F. Hot and humid, but sunny and bright. It was hot and sweaty trudging up all those hills. After the lighthouse we went down to find a taxi to move on, but all we could find were those that hold 4 and we needed 5 people. So finally we caught the bus. This led to another fun experience, trying to figure out how much to pay for us all and having the right amount without having to give them way more than it actually cost. It was rather like a group of little old ladies trying to figure out how much they owed for lunch. And to complicate this even more, we had to change money, so we weren’t quite sure what exactly we had.
Then we went down into the center of town and visited an old city hall building
, and then to the city square which was wonderful, and packed with people. Everyone was out enjoying the sunshine. Then to an old church, painted a wonderful yellow outside and inside. It had a museum which we checked out, then off for lunch. We went to a small sandwich shop and Ken ordered a salad, but he didn’t tell us that this was to be a light lunch. We all ordered sandwiches and they were huge. So it ended up that he ate half of my sandwich, half of Sister Bench’s sandwich and half of Dew’s. That lightened our lunch considerably, but made his lots heavier. I don’t know how these Chinese do it, they eat big, and stay little.
Right across the street was a little place that sold those waffle things, and another that sold pork buns. There was a steady stream of people there. So after our huge lunch we went over and bought a pork bun to share. It was cooked in a barrel type thing that used charcoal for heat. I had to see how they cooked them, and what they did was stick them to the sides of the barrel and they cooked and then they knocked them off and caught them. Anyway the sign said, "materials used" and then the list of ingredients. They had pork, pepper and onions. And it was pretty peppery. I ate the bread and gave the meat to Dew, I still have a hard time eating the meat here. I know I am a chicken!
Then onto the ruins of St. Paul’s church which is the symbol of Macau. We were there with a few thousand of our closest friends. It was a mad house, but fun. Then we took to the back streets to find a little antique shop. Ken loves antiques and wanted us to get some. He has a good eye, and Sister Bench bought a silver bracelet and hair ornament that were very old, and I bought a couple of dishes. Not exactly the kind of thing I really love, but it was fun to see him get so excited.
Then on through the back streets to get some coconut ice cream. It was at a
dark, scary place that sells coconuts and also ice cream. The coconuts are sold in two’s and have the Chinese "double luck" symbol on them. The ice cream was good, we just tried not to look to close at the shop. Then we strolled around the streets, and bought a few more bargains. We got tea pots painted bright pink, "that you can’t get in Hong Kong because of the lead in the paint". I know, it makes you wonder! And I not only bought the tea pot, I bought a pink dish that matched it. Double the lead!
Then we caught another bus, and Dew was busy counting his change and the driver closed the door. It was only when we yelled at him that he opened it again and let him in. And then he sulked! Ken said we had to be nice, driving bus is a long hard job, so we were a little kinder.
Then back to Hong Kong, where once again our thumbs didn’t work and they had to come let us out of the booth. Sister Bench and I just don’t have good thumbs evidently. We walked back with Ken to the Central Ferry Pier, then caught a bus home. By the time we got home it was 10:30pm, plenty late for us. I think Ken could keep going for at least 6 more hours. I told him, he has to remember he working with the old and infirm, and he kindly said he didn’t think so. It was another spectacular Ken tour.
After making it through customs we caught a cab and headed into downtown Macau. First we went to a home of Dr. Sun Ya Sat, then headed for a cable car that took us to the top of the mountain to a fort. It has a series of tunnels and bomb shelters which were interesting. Then on top is the lighthouse and a small church and great views of the city. Macau was owned by the Portugese, so it like Hong Kong has everything in two languages, and it’s so Portugese it was like being in Lisbon again. They have the same marble block sidewalks and the same architecture. I loved it. And the colors of the old buildings are wonderful, all yellows and greens and oranges.
By this time the temperature was 31C. Which to us is 94F. Hot and humid, but sunny and bright. It was hot and sweaty trudging up all those hills. After the lighthouse we went down to find a taxi to move on, but all we could find were those that hold 4 and we needed 5 people. So finally we caught the bus. This led to another fun experience, trying to figure out how much to pay for us all and having the right amount without having to give them way more than it actually cost. It was rather like a group of little old ladies trying to figure out how much they owed for lunch. And to complicate this even more, we had to change money, so we weren’t quite sure what exactly we had.Then we went down into the center of town and visited an old city hall building
, and then to the city square which was wonderful, and packed with people. Everyone was out enjoying the sunshine. Then to an old church, painted a wonderful yellow outside and inside. It had a museum which we checked out, then off for lunch. We went to a small sandwich shop and Ken ordered a salad, but he didn’t tell us that this was to be a light lunch. We all ordered sandwiches and they were huge. So it ended up that he ate half of my sandwich, half of Sister Bench’s sandwich and half of Dew’s. That lightened our lunch considerably, but made his lots heavier. I don’t know how these Chinese do it, they eat big, and stay little.
Right across the street was a little place that sold those waffle things, and another that sold pork buns. There was a steady stream of people there. So after our huge lunch we went over and bought a pork bun to share. It was cooked in a barrel type thing that used charcoal for heat. I had to see how they cooked them, and what they did was stick them to the sides of the barrel and they cooked and then they knocked them off and caught them. Anyway the sign said, "materials used" and then the list of ingredients. They had pork, pepper and onions. And it was pretty peppery. I ate the bread and gave the meat to Dew, I still have a hard time eating the meat here. I know I am a chicken!Then onto the ruins of St. Paul’s church which is the symbol of Macau. We were there with a few thousand of our closest friends. It was a mad house, but fun. Then we took to the back streets to find a little antique shop. Ken loves antiques and wanted us to get some. He has a good eye, and Sister Bench bought a silver bracelet and hair ornament that were very old, and I bought a couple of dishes. Not exactly the kind of thing I really love, but it was fun to see him get so excited.
Then on through the back streets to get some coconut ice cream. It was at a
dark, scary place that sells coconuts and also ice cream. The coconuts are sold in two’s and have the Chinese "double luck" symbol on them. The ice cream was good, we just tried not to look to close at the shop. Then we strolled around the streets, and bought a few more bargains. We got tea pots painted bright pink, "that you can’t get in Hong Kong because of the lead in the paint". I know, it makes you wonder! And I not only bought the tea pot, I bought a pink dish that matched it. Double the lead!
Then we caught another bus, and Dew was busy counting his change and the driver closed the door. It was only when we yelled at him that he opened it again and let him in. And then he sulked! Ken said we had to be nice, driving bus is a long hard job, so we were a little kinder.Then we went to see ADT - another darn temple, but it was closed. They use the bat as a symbol of good luck and this temple had bats decorating the door. I’ve never quite thought of bats as a symbol of good luck. Will have to give it more thought.
Then we went to a group of old Portugese mansions. So pretty! All painted a cool green with white trim. They were museums and we toured them. They are on a small lake with lots of lotus blossoms floating in it. Spectacular! And across the lake is the Venetian casino, which rather ruined the view. In one of the houses we met a young man who was there from the Philippines. He said he was here trying to get a permanent work card, and his wife was home and expecting their first baby. What a hard life these people from the Philippines live. They say that the Philippines greatest export is it’s people. And you can really see that they leave if they want to have any future at all.
By this time I was really beginning to feel the heat, and Ken had at least another half day of fun to go. Sister Bench had back surgery just before coming and she was also ready to throw in the towel. So we walked over to the Venetian and they all had Fat Burgers, I was at the point where I knew that if I ate I would not last the ferry ride home, so I just had a coke. Then we caught the free shuttle back to the ferry terminal, and home. I was so tired that I slept most of the way, which kept the sea sickness away, thank goodness.
Then back to Hong Kong, where once again our thumbs didn’t work and they had to come let us out of the booth. Sister Bench and I just don’t have good thumbs evidently. We walked back with Ken to the Central Ferry Pier, then caught a bus home. By the time we got home it was 10:30pm, plenty late for us. I think Ken could keep going for at least 6 more hours. I told him, he has to remember he working with the old and infirm, and he kindly said he didn’t think so. It was another spectacular Ken tour.
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