For the third year in a row, we are coming to another country in Asia. It feels like there is still an enormous amount of wonders to explore. Also, the planning of the trip is an adventure in itself. Same dates, same route, just switched open-jaw destinations, 400€ difference! Keep in mind it might actually be much cheaper to fly in a country than from another. That’s how we booked this full of fun itinerary.
And this year we are starting from Hong Kong. A place that has a complicated history as well as a complicated present. But surely it is unique in many ways.
Concrete jungles here are a vibe in themselves. It is the soul of the city. Everything is vertical: pathways, houses, offices, buses, even trams are double-deckers.
Honestly speaking, I wouldn’t want to spend that much time in non-air-conditioned trams in the summer here. But in winter (+22ºC is a winter here), for 3 HK$ it is a lot of fun!
When trying to imagine all the layers possible of this city, you quickly realize it is actually less possible than it appeared to be. Multi-layered MRT systems, a number of roads that can be stacked on top of each other, then escalators, houses, crazy bamboo structures, and then… Everything starts over on another layer. Because there are mountains all over the islands.
Bamboo
For the first time in my life, I see something fascinating and genuinely dangerous, in my opinion. Multistory bamboo constructions carefully built for renovation works.
There is no doubt that the bamboo is very rigid and can hold an impressive weight. But the sticks connected just with some plastic straps between each other. More than that, they often just stay on the ground without any additional support! And there are many, many houses covered at least partially by this net.
I wish to have the same amount of certainty and trust as workers climbing to the 20th floor on these structures.
In this journey, I’m reintroducing taking pictures for myself. After a stressful and intense period, I feel there should be a hobby that will take you places. And no matter what, the next place will be, you will always find yourself in there.
The main point is to reduce distraction as much as possible. That’s why I buy a small amount of internet in travels. Just enough for some messages and maps. But not to spend time staring at the familiar screen with new but always the same content that takes you back to the pool of nothing.
Macao
Visiting Hong Kong, I couldn’t miss a chance to visit one of the unique, in its human insanity, places on Earth. Macao. This is a wonderful world that puts your sense of reality on the stage.
This is Venetian. This is not a real Venice. But it resembles very closely if you adjust optics just enough to soak yourself into the endless entertainment and unlucky (or maybe not) gambling here.
As in many places in Asia, some chaotic and rough on the edges places are right in front of one of the most fascinating skyscrapers. The Grand Lisboa hotel and casino will definitely be one of the top places on my list of the most impressive buildings.
It is very hard to explain how you feel in Macao. Stop announcements in Portuguese and Chinese, still Asian beautiful chaos. Endless corridors of boutiques, gold, marble – some of these you don’t know if it is fake or not, and besides, do you really want to know if it is a fake? I think this is the most interesting question I have asked myself in Macao. What emotions will bring me the knowledge that something that looks beautiful is fake? And when I definitely know something is fake (come on, Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, and Venice channels are all in front of each other) – does it make my presence here less valuable or less intriguing for myself? Fortunately, this time the answer was no. And I hope it will stay that way.
Mandatory photos from the airport. This type of picture is growing on me. Some of you who know me know I have a special spot for airplanes and, inevitably, airports. Having a plane that just came all the way from San Francisco across the Pacific Ocean and another one that might take that person to an even more distant place on the planet brings me an incredible feeling of how small we are and at the same time how great people’s achievements are.
Echo 