Sleep all...sleep all day!!!

April 23, Sunday. We left the house for Zhuhai at around 11am Sunday morning. Before heading for Macau-China border gates, my brother took us to Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kee, a local restaurant similar to a “carinderia” or “pares” (if you live in the Philippines). Kuya told us that Chinese/Macanese locals and even tourists from Hong Kong and Singapore would stop at this place to try out their pork chop bun and noodles. It wasn’t as full-packed as the past days, said my brother, because it was too early and a lot would dash into this place around late afternoon ‘til early evening.

Anyway, since they didn’t serve pork chop bun in the morning, I had to try the pork chop noodle. Hehe! The soup was okay, but it really was weird eating those big fried pork chops out of a bowl of noodles. I thought there was nothing special about the combo, though I really liked the authentic Cantonese noodles, way better than what I regularly order at Chowking. =)

After a quick brunch, my brother drove us to the Macau-China border. Since we couldn’t take the car past the gates, he left it at a nearby parking building, then just walked our way to the border gates.

The place was flooded with locals and tourists. Still, majority of those crossing were also from the Mainland, most of which actually go to Macau to work on weekdays and then return to the nearby Zhuhai Meixi district of China’s Guangdong province for the weekends.

It was rather amusing that people would frantically change lines whenever a counter was opened. It was probably the closest thing to a stampede that even this overly familiar dash of passengers at the MRT Cubao station during the rush hours wouldn’t even match up. Di lang pala sa Pilipinas nangyayari yun. Hehe!

We got really hungry after lining up for nearly an hour, so we decided to have lunch. Everything seemed typical, except that one of the servers in his early 20s tried his best to speak to us in English. He spoke at a snail's pace, but much to my admiration, he was grammatically correct. He rendered very good service and I guess he was just happy to have found people to speak English with. I asked him if he attended classes in school, but he said that he only learned by tuning in daily to an English radio broadcast and constantly playing the Carpenters on his CD player. I thought it was exceptionally impressive to learn it through these alternative means.

We left the restaurant around 2.30 pm and finally set for the Zhuhai Meixi Torii.

Riding a cab, we got a glimpse of the booming Zhuhai city, which is one of the established special economic zones in China. I assume the residential condominiums and high-rise business and amusement centers outnumber historical landmarks and traditional Chinese dwellings – certainly characterizes China’s modernization over these past few years. We were cruising down this avenue alongside extensive South China seashore, which I’d compare to our very own Roxas Boulevard-Baywalk area. It would have been nice to stop by and join the locals, but we were time-constrained.

It was about a 20-minute drive to the Meixi Torii. This landmark occupies an area of about 12 hectares, which housed the first Chinese consulate to Hawaii by the end of the Qing Dynasty.

The stone archway was built in tribute to Mr. Chen Fang and his family, who became one of China’s prime movers in business. There are several other halls relating the history of the Chen Family and the Zhuhai over these last two centuries.

(will upload photos on my next post...)

There weren’t a lot of activities when we went there, but on special occasions, they’d show Chinese operas, lion dances, and other cultural presentations. We left around 5 and hailed a cab on our way back to a shopping center near the China-Macau border.

I was not very good at haggling, and I learned it all in China. =) It necessitates one some good acting skills to get big discounts on the bargains. I bought mainly for friends expecting to receive “pasalubongs.” I wanted to buy shirts and pants, but I decided not to because the designs were way too rugged for my style. I needed to buy something smart-casual that I could wear at work. For myself, I bought few pairs of underwear. =)

Taking a break from shopping, we had dinner at this little café called Fruity Mix, similar to Fuzion smoothie bar. They serve really good pizza and pasta by the way.

Last round of shopping followed and at quarter before 10pm, we decided to leave the mall. It was still jammed with people at that time of the night and the way to the border gates were even more crowded. It was the most stressful part of the side trip. We lined up again for a little over half an hour to pass through the gates.

We were done with the immigration checks at nearly 11pm. Kuya drove us back home and we arrived at around 11.30pm. I guess I was just so tired that night that I slept right away after cleaning up and changing to my usual sleep clothes.

April 24, Monday. We had lunch at a Portuguese restaurant beside the Quartel del Mouros in Barra. This time, the food is certainly much better and I specially liked the roasted beef with garlic and potatoes.

We proceeded to the Coloane Island to see the Temple and Statue of A-Ma, located on top of a hill where one gets a good view of the Coloane Beach and the high-class suburbs. The temple is over 5 centuries old and showcases splendid Chinese art and architecture.

The statue of the Goddess A-Ma stands majestically on the pinnacle. The locals, particularly the fishermen have venerated the statue and have relied on her protection whenever they sail off to the sea.

We really intended to reach the summit, but it began to rain just after few minutes of the trek. We chose not to go, so we drove to the Macau Sky Tower for more adventure.

We had a spectacular view of the Macau cityscape and the islands of Taipa and Coloane because it wasn’t hazy on that side of the peninsula. We were about 230 meters above the ground and mejo nakakalula when I saw passing vehicles beneath my Chuck Taylors. I’ve always had fear of heights, but I suppose I was feeling a little more daring that day.

The thought of skywalking at the outer rim of the tower 233 meters above the ground never crossed my mind. It took Kuya and I about few minutes before we finally decide to walk the walk. After paying about 400 HKD for us both, we hopped on to our suits and gears. I remember I was discharging cold sweat as we exited through the secure gates. At first I couldn’t take my eyes off the plank we were standing on, but we had to get going because a number of other tourists were excitedly waiting for their turn.

I had mixed feelings as we skywalked. I feared that there would be some sort of harness malfunction that, if I may morbidly imagine, would end it all. But then, I couldn’t deny how breathtakingly beautiful the cityscape at sunset was. The experience was simply priceless.

It seemed quite a long walk, which I did together with my brother and two other Indian tourists. There were a number of photos taken and I’d really hate it when our guide would let us sit over the ledge. I silently freaked out as I felt the void around my legs and of course my Chuck Taylors. But anyway, it was a great adventure, and we’re certified to talk the talk. I’m super if I sky jump the next time around. =)

This capped off day 5 of the trip. Quite tiring but uber cool!!!

April 25, Tuesday. We started our rounds past lunchtime since we had gone to so many places over the past few days. Tuesday was Fisherman’s Wharf day!

The place was newly built and an Australian firm actually commissioned the construction of this theme park. This could be part of the reclaimed land fronting the Sands Casino in the Macau downtown.

The place is a luxurious spectacle of some of the world’s greatest wonders. For about 10 patacas, one can get a guided tour of the place, which showcases replicas of great landmarks like the Roman Colosseum, Aladdin’s Fort, the Qing Dynasty castle, and the period-style residences in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. I particularly liked the alley with old New Orleans-inspired buildings. It would be fun to celebrate Mardi gras at this venue. Mascots and men on stilts were also an amusing attraction.

More picture-taking along the dockside, after which we went to buy souvenir items at a store selling various Portuguese and Macanese novelty goods and gucci bags.

We went back to the apartment around 5 in the afternoon to rest for a couple of hours. At dinnertime, we went to Oi’s parents’ house where we met the rest of her extended family. That was my first interaction with a Chinese family (na hindi Chinoy), and I must say that the Chinese value their kin as much as the Filipinos do. I didn’t comprehend a single Cantonese word they utter, but there was some mutual understanding. Dinner was yummy, and just for the record, it was the first time I tasted sea snails and sipped on Chinese rice wine. =)

to be continued...