Hong Kong & Macau: (Insert Crafty Title Here)

My original title, "Macau: Vegas of the East", seemed a little inappropriate, given that we've entered the age of political sensitivity. Though I will depart from the norm and address it later in the blog.

However, let's kick off my first Chinese blog post by talking about living in Shenzhen. Simple answer: it's easy. This may seem overly simplistic to some, but it greatly contradicts everything I've heard about China prior. I thought I would be lost without nuisances of the language, few amenities for westerners, etc. It's quite the opposite. Now, Shenzhen is an anomaly.  That needs to be stated clearly. Everyone here will say the same thing: this isn't China. A fair statement, considering that Shenzhen is more like a newer, mini Hong Kong than part of the stereotypical Chinese mainland.

But like any new job, shit hits you hard and fast. Two months in and I was looking forward to a short vacation, then using the remaining time to catch up. First stop: Hong Kong.

The bar was set pretty high for this place. I have colleagues that love the place, that go back every weekend, that say it's better than Shenzhen...but I was a bit disappointed. Parts of Hong Kong are fantastic. The harbor is clean and well maintained, there's ALWAYS something going on and it is a shopper's dream. However, amongst the several new buildings, there was a horde of others that were deteriorating. I made the trip exactly what it needed to be: relaxing. Helped along by this gem (above): an Indonesian market right across the street from our hotel. Bought me some sambal, so I'm a happy man.

Macau was vastly different. It's unique blend of Portuguese, Chinese and American was alluring and it's a place where I could visit regularly. Maybe like some of you, my picture of Macau was that of James Bond in Skyfall: spectacularly dressed individuals in over-the-top casinos in which I MAY be able to play one hand of blackjack on my lowly salary. Far from it. It seems a well-maintained city with wonderful food options and the added bonus of a dozen-ish casinos. They took this proclaimed title of 'Vegas of the East' and ran with it. Good news for future visitors: it doesn't disappoint. Within walking distance of most hotels in the Old City, you'll find numerous remains of Catholic cathedrals and buildings from the Portuguese-occupation of Macau. Most famous of these were the Ruins of St. Paul (above). Even on a Tuesday, these ruins were packed. Less so when this picture was taken, because the sun came out....

And what do you see when you look opposite of these ruins of any other part of the Old City? Casinos. Enormously out-of-place casinos monstrosities that light the place up like Christmas.

The Galaxy (above) is one casino. One. It looks like all of Tama would fit comfortably inside. There were several of these in Macau, like the Venetian right across the street: a mall/casino/movie theatre/FOUR different hotels/Narnia. I can only assume the latter was tucked away somewhere, but we just didn't find it (typical). Of course, the selling point for the Venetian was the canals that were built (on the 3rd floor, mind you) in the middle of the mall.

Love to gamble? Can't afford to go to Venice? Want to feel tall? Macau has you covered.

The place went to so much detail that the gondoliers actually serenaded the folks in their boat. I almost literally had to catch my friend whom, after catching the eye of the gondolier, saying she was from Ireland and hearing a whole ten seconds of an Irish song, swooned and nearly fell into the canal.

Crazy place and one I will definitely be visiting again, particularly when you get that itch to lose some money.

Of course, as I'm visiting the Vegas of the East, the real Vegas suffers a terrible tragedy. ISIS, as they do, claimed the attack as their own. Which is bullshit. That smokescreen doesn't take away from the fact that this was a domestic terrorist attack, in every sense of the phrase.

People consistently ask me, "So, when are you coming back [to the US]?" It's a hard question to answer. Indonesia wasn't my home. China isn't my home. America is my home. America is like...the asshole in your group of friends. You can make fun of them because they're your asshole and deep down you love 'em. I understand that, ironically enough, I may very well be this person in your group of friends. But I digress...

I always look for opportunities to come home. I hope for one. Truly. Nothing would give me more happiness than to continue my career at a quality school in the States. However, living in a different country allows you to zoom out and look at the country's event somewhat objectively. Neither party favors me personally, so I'm devoid of bias. Like putting together a puzzle, most of the people in the US are able to link a couple pieces together, but I'm able to see the picture that's forming and it's clear: there's something terribly broken with this country. And it saddens me beyond words.

A senior White House correspondent for CNN unnecessarily states that most of the country music concert goers in Vegas were likely Trump supporters, like that fucking matters in one of the worst massacres in our country's history. The country's President tries to influence the NFL, a private sector business, in their handling of peaceful protesting. The country divided on the latter because they allude protesting during the anthem to disrespecting the United States of America, as their barbecue tableware and Budweiser cans have the American flag on it. All the while, one of US territories suffers the worst natural disaster in nearly a century. The response by the executive branch? We're trying, but the Mayor is colluding with the Democrats to be mean to me.

"So, when are you coming back [to the US]?"As I said before, it's a difficult question to answer.