Macao is very hot (90 degrees) and high humidity (90%), and we live on a steep hill. After a few minutes walking around, we are absolutely covered in sweat and very tired.
Journey begins at 10:40 at DFW airport. The flight to LAX was 3 hours. American Airlines is terrible and was by far the most uncomfortable part of my trip.And, they lost my bag. I took EVA air to Taipei, which was a 13 hour flight. It was actually quite enjoyable, especially if you are used to the terrible service and cramped conditions on domestic flights. I had plenty of space, lots of in-flight entertainment. The meals were actually pretty good, and you could ask for cup noodles if you got hungry. I landed in Taipei early in the morning their time. I then took a flight to Macau, which was 1.5 hours. I bought some duty-free make-up on the plane. I met fellow ETAs Austin (from Pitzer), Susan, and Jen in the customs line.
We were met by Erica Hashiba from MPI, and Eve from UM. They had prepared little care packages with snacks and travel maps for us, and bottled water, which was was very thoughtful. We took the bus back to UM, where I am staying. Since I didn't have much information prior to leaving, I was happy to find such nice accomodations. We had a/c, with sheets and towels provided, and a kitchen with a hot pot and fridge.
Macao is very hot (90 degrees), humid (90%), and we live on a hill. It's a tropical city, with these giant snails that come on the sidewalk at night. Every morning, we see poor little crushed slugs on the concrete where they have been stepped on. The outdoors are not very comfortable, and we are always tired and covered in sweat. We walk through a sketchy junkyard as a shortcut.
The four of us explored a bit that day and went to lunch. That night, Austin and I walked around went to the Venetian on the Cotai strip. We decided to go bungee jumping off of the Macau tower sometime in the next year. I love how there are so many boba tea places on the street. Macau has the highest population density of any place on the planet. It reminds me a little bit of Manhattan.
Macau is made up of the Macau peninsula, and then Taipa and Coloane islands. Taipa and Coloane have been connected by a patch of reclaimed land which is now called the Cotai strip, which is where the newer Casinos are.
I have been completley overcome by how big the casinos are; the scale is enormous. So much bigger than Vegas.
The next day, I met two of my MPI etas, Amy and Emily. All of us met up with two UM students for a tour. We saw the ruins of St. Pauls cathedral, a 17th century Portugeuse church of which only the facade and crypt remain. It's quite interesting and beautiful to see this moss-covered, medieval looking church facade emerging on a hill from the buzz and overwhelming density of a Chinese city, flush with people, a strange language, and undecipherable street signs. I purchased a cell phone, and felt a little less lost.
Today, we had quite a full day. We had "survival cantonese" lessons, lessons on cultural norms, lesson planning, etc. We met up with many UM people and had excellent Thai food. Luckily for us, the cost of living is much lower than in the states, and the meal was ~ 7 per person. I had breakfast with Amy the other day, and we had sandwiches, a sweet bun, hot tea, and coffee for $4 for both of us. I love that we automatically get hot tea at every restaurant we go to.
Now we are in a small cafe, with excellent sweet rolls and espresso, and Portugeuse-speaking baristas. I love the fusion and dichotomy of old-European and new Asian culture. The architecture, food, etc. really offer the best of both worlds.
Love, hpoole
