I’m back in Seattle from my short stint in Hong Kong and Macau. Hong Kong reminded me of a more interesting and dynamic Singapore. There is far more going on and the vibe is far more interesting than in Singapore. I think it also helps that not everyone is living in fear of a $500 ticket for doing something wrong. What was really surprising was the cleanliness. Hong Kong and Macau are both very clean, especially considering their size.
On Saturday I took a turbo ferry to Macau. While waiting for immigration (the lines into Macau take well over an hour to get through) I met three Germans that I ended up hanging out with for the day—Shirin, Marcel and Fabio. They reminded me how fun it is to travel and meet new people. They were a blast to hang out with and they certainly made the day more interesting for me. We had a great time wandering around the old streets of Macau and then hanging out in the casinos to get away from the heat where Fabio made and broke his fortune many times. The Venetian is identical to the one in Vegas. In fact, many of the casinos in Macau are the same brands as those in Vegas. They also had the massive amounts of people streaming in on buses. Go figure.
And, of course, I loved the food. Walking around the old town they give out free tastes of these little cookies that simply melt in your mouth. They are sooooo good. They also gave out samples of this meat “stuff” that looks and tastes like beef jerky, only a bit softer. I think this meat “stuff” is actually a “parts is parts” type of thing, which I tried not to think about too much. I also tried a custard which was really good and apparently something Macau is known for, along with the cookies.
I had a great time in Hong Kong and Macau, but in the end all I can think about are the Shanghai style dumplings. These little dumplings are steamed to perfection in a soup that is contained within a thin outer layer that also holds the meatball (I wrote about these in my previous post). I seriously love these dumplings. They are so damn good I could just eat them all day long. If you go to Hong Kong for nothing other than these dumplings, the trip will have been worthwhile!