Taken on the observation deck of the Macau Tower, home of the highest bungee jump in the world; this might be my new life motto.
Sorry for the delay in this week's post- it's been a busy week, filled with readings I had little interest in, the assignment of a group project, and yet another typhoon (insert obligatory eye roll). In other words, classes are actually starting to demand at least a little bit of attention. As usual, though, I found some time (read: procrastinated) to explore more of Hong Kong life.
On Wednesday night, some friends and I decided to check out Happy Valley, the local horse racing course. I've never been to a horse race; to be completely honest, I've never even taken an inkling of interest in horses. I didn't even want a pony when I was a little girl. Nothing against them- my first college roommate was a dedicated equestrian, so I'm fully aware of the amount of dedication that horses require. To be honest, though, the only horses I ever really cared about can be found on poles, moving around in circles to happy childhood melodies.
That being said, I was a bit skeptical about how much fun I would actually be able to have at this place- but everyone else was going, and I didn't really have anything else to do that night, so I tagged along for the experience. When we arrived, I made two major observations. First, the spectators were predominantly Western- I think I saw a sum total of maybe 20 locals amidst the several hundred patrons. My second observation was the area in front of the track known as the Beer Garden, which featured several tents selling beer by the pint or the pitcher. Being an American, and thus being of the opinion that beer makes everything better, my skepticism waned.
The main attraction of the horse race is, of course, the betting aspect. The only gambling I've ever done was in the form of poker games with my brother's friends in high school and those scratch-off lottery cards that my grandmother used to send us for Christmas (I have what you might refer to as a 'progressive' family). We arrived at the course in time for the 5th of 9 races that night, so I grabbed a card and decided to bet $20HKD on the crowd favorite to place in the top three. My friends and I lined up by the fence to watch and see if we would gain untold riches from our four-legged friends.
Come on, #9!
Unfortunately, the horse that I had bet on didn't place. Disappointed and dejected, I decided to place my next bet on something that wouldn't let me down- a pint of Tsingtao beer. It turned out to be a better investment.
Drinks with friends > betting on horses
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful until Saturday. I mentioned in last week's post that I'd fallen victim to an upper respiratory infection, and my mother told me she was sending me a care package with some little goodies from home to help me feel better- soup packets, dried fruits and nuts, multivitamins, etc.
On Saturday afternoon, I received an email from the student mail office, informing me that my package had arrived. To put it plainly, 'little' is not at all the right word to describe the box I picked up. When I returned to my room and opened the box, I couldn't believe the contents: my mom had packed it full of not only the aforementioned goodies, but also some preserved packs of fish, Triscuits, granola bars, chocolates, even Pop Tarts!
I never thought I would ever become emotional over a box of Pop Tarts, but there's a first time for everything, I guess (I should probably mention that they're impossible to find here). I've successfully managed to deal with my spurts of homesickness since I've been here, but to receive a box filled with all my favorite treats made me realize just how wonderful and supportive of a family I have. I set up all of my new goodies on the shelf above my desk, and they've been serving me well for those times when I just don't want to trek all 15 floors down for food. I almost included a picture of my shelf so that you all could appreciate its splendor, too- but then I realized that would be a little too American of me ('Look at all my food! Be as happy as I am about it!').
On Sunday, some friends and I decided to go visit Macau, a nearby Special Administrative Region. After traveling to the ferry terminal, buying our round-trip tickets ($310HKD- not exactly cheap, but considering we were technically going to a different country, not so terrible), and enduring an hour-long ferry ride, we landed in Macau. At the ferry station, we found a tour guide who offered to take all seven of us to the major tourist spots for $100HKD each. We talked him down to $500HKD for all of us, and followed him to his minivan (looking back now, the situation was a tad on the sketchy side). First stop: the Macau tower.
Inside the Macau Tower main lobby, posed next to a replica made completely of noodles.
At 338 meters high, the Macau Tower is among the tallest architectural achievements in the world. The main observation deck is only 223 meters up, but it still offers incredible views (not to mention the opportunity to sign up for the tallest bungee jump in the world; I'm trying to convince my mom's boyfriend to do it when they come to visit next week).
The Macau skyline as seen from the Tower
Macau is most famous for its casinos (MGM, Sands, and the Venetian), but since we were only there for the day (and maybe because none of us were particularly lucky at the race course earlier in the week), we decided to forego the gambling for the historical landmarks. After visiting the Tower, we ventured on to a few more hot spots- St. Lawrence's Church, the A Ma Temple, the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, and the city center.
We took this on the deck outside of St. Lawrence Church: that's the tower behind us.
The entry to the A Ma Temple, one of the oldest temples in the region.
The steps to the St. Paul's Cathedral ruins, which are all that's left from the fire that burnt down the rest of the cathedral in 1835.
The center of the city, decorated to celebrate International Tourism Day.
The group with our tour guide, David, and his minivan.
Overall, this week was another great one in Hong Kong- I might have lost $20HKD on that disappointingly slow horse, but that hardly matters in comparison to receiving a box full of love from home and getting some fresh stamps in my passport.
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