One Day in Macau

February 16, 2010 --- While Nathan and I were traveling in Hong Kong, we thought it would be nice to take a day trip to Macau. I didn't know anything about Macau other than gambling and the Ruins of St. Paul's. We went to buy a ferry ticket to go to Macau on February 15, but all the tickets were sold out. Of course, it was during the Chinese New Year, and all the Chinese people were traveling, so the last-minute plan wouldn't work during this biggest holiday. Luckily Nathan and I got a ferry ticket for the next day in the afternoon, so we could at least spend 4-5 hours in Macau.

We took a ferry at Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal (Shun Tak Centre) at Sheung Wan. The ferry ride was very smooth, and the journey took only about an hour. The tickets also included lunch. We got a very delicious grilled eel over steamed rice. This wasn't my first time eating eel, but it might have been Nathan's first time. :-)

When we got to Macau, getting through  immigration was easy. Neither of us needed a visa to explore the city and were allowed to stay up to one month. From the ferry terminal, we saw a lot of nice, air-conditioned buses from The Venetian waiting to take passengers to the casino at no charge. We hopped on the bus right away even though we didn't want to gamble in Macau. Why not, it's free!

The Venetian here wasn't much different from the one in Las Vegas. I'm not sure if this one is a little more spacious..... Actually, I felt like the one in Las Vegas is more attractive.

Nathan and I didn't spend much time here because we had a lot to see and so little time. We got on a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the Ruins of St. Paul's.

The Ruins of St. Paul's is the most famous attraction in Macau. It was built in 1850 and  caught on fires three times and was damaged by a typhoon, so the only remaining parts of the church are the front facade and the grand stone stairs. It used to be the biggest Catholic church in East Asia in the late 1630s. Now it has become the most famous tourist site of Macau. Nobody who has visited Macau would miss it.

Behind the Ruins of St.Paul's there is a museum called The Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt. It's a very small museum but very interesting. You can check on this website for more information: http://www.macaumuseum.gov.mo/w3ENG/w3MMabout/ScaredC.aspx

 Later I saw that there was a hill right next to the Ruins of St.Paul's, so we decided to climb up there. We got a really good view of the Ruins of St.Paul's and the city of Macau.The buildings were old looking, as if they never repaint their homes since they are first built. That is typical for any Asian country. The climate is so wet and humid, so it is difficult to keep things from getting moldy or peeling on the wall.

On top of this hill actually is Monte Fort, the oldest fort in Macau, originally built in 1616 to help defend the church from pirates. It later became a military fort. The view from the fort is incredible. A lot of people came up here to get a good view across Macau and to visit the Macau Museum.

Macau Museum is the biggest museum in Macau. There are three floors of exhibitions. The theme of the museum was all about different cultures, nationalities, and religions in the history of Macau .

Nathan and I spent quite some time at the museum. I would recommend anyone who visit Macau to consider spend sometime here. For more information about this museum, you can click on this link: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/macau/museum.htm

After visiting Macau Museum, Nathan and I walked back to the Ruins of St.Paul's and walked down the steps to Senado Square. There were a lot of shopping stores, restaurants, historical landmarks, and famous churches. Nathan and I visited all the famous churches like St. Dominic's Church,  St. Augustine’s Church, and The Cathedral.

We also tried Macau's famous egg tart here, and it was the best I've ever had! I bought a nice, green hat here, and I still have it till now. We went to one of the traditional restaurants, and all the food was fabulous! All of this good food and interesting historical landmarks have made us want to go back to Macau ever since!

 Our 4-5 hours in Macau were unforgettable. If we have a chance to be around Asia again, we would like to stay in Macau for a couple of nights to explore the city more. The Portuguese left a lot of influence on Macau's food, architecture and religions, and the harmony of Chinese and Portuguese traditions in Macau make it so charming and attractive to all tourists around the world. 

Adventure in Siem Reap (2007)

July 12-15, 2007 -- Nathan got a scholarship to study Thai in Bangkok for 3 months, so we decided that we would go to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia as a side trip while we were in Thailand. We decided that we would go like backpackers since it seemed pretty safe there. We took a bus from Bangkok to Poi Pet border and applied for the visa-on-arrival there to enter the country. It was totally a scam at the border since the immigration officers over-charged us for the visa. It was stamped $20 on the visa, but they wanted 1000 Baht or about $30 in cash. If we didn't pay the amount, we would have to wait forever. Nathan and I didn't want any trouble, so we paid the full amount.

After the hassle at immigration, we looked for a bus to Siem Reap, but there wasn't any bus visible around there. There were also hundreds of touts trying to sell their services and numerous desperate beggars asking for money and stuff. We were overwhelmed with all the hassles, so we agreed to jump into a private cab, which, of course, was really over-priced, to Siem Reap.

It was the worst ride ever! It took about 3 hours on a winding, bumpy road, and we were desperate to get to the destination. People there seem not to care about the traffic rules and drive in every direction. All the cars seemed to come from all over the world since the driver's seat could be on either the left or the right side of the car. Well, we will never want to drive there.
         
Once we got to our hotel, which Nathan found using info from his Lonely Planet book, we were so happy that we made it safely to town!



The next morning we decided to first go to the Angkor Wat, the most popular tourist spot in Siem Reap. We hired a local Tuk Tuk  (a three-wheel motorcycle taxi) driver to take us around for the whole day.

Angkor Wat is located in a large area, so walking around wouldn't be possible. The landscape is very pretty, but I think the architecture of the temple isn't very impressive since there isn't much wall painting, pole carving or other art.

Nathan climbed the steep steps to the top of Angkor Wat and got a few good shots inside and outside of  the temple. I didn't feel like climbing, so I just waited on the ground.












There are a lot of reliefs of Apsarases (female angels) on the wall around the temple, and I just imitated the way they dance.








 After touring around Angkor Wat, our Tuk Tuk driver took us to Angkor Thom. I loved the beautiful bridge and the gate there.

My favorite part of Angkor Thom is the Bayon. It is very pretty but can be a scary and mysterious spot at night since you feel like someone is watching you all the time. The Bayon contains 200 faces with mysterious glances looking in all directions. They are huge stone faces of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

My second favorite spot is Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is extensively ruined, but there is the most famous spot with trees growing over buildings that most people have seen in the Hollywood movie Tomb Raider.












On our second day in Siem Reap we went to Tonle Sap Lake, the largest fresh water lake in Cambodia. The ride to the lake was fascinating. We saw a lot of poor people living in a tiny shack that had nothing but a real nice TV! It's interesting that TV seems to be such a big part of Cambodian life that nothing else seems to matter.

The lake itself isn't impressive to me, but the people's life around the lake is interesting. There were a lot of Vietnamese living around the lake, fishing and running small businesses. I love the floating school houses and churches. Life there seems pretty easy-going and peaceful.

The only complaint I have about the lake tour is that the boat driver asked for ridiculous tips from us. I normally like to tip good service, but it's unprofessional to ask for a big tip from a customer.

Since we had time left, Nathan and I asked our Tuk Tuk driver to take us to Banteay Srei. It is a little out of the way, so we had to pay extra to go there, but it's really worth the trip.

Banteay Srei is our most favorite place of the entire Angkor trip. It consists of a lot of well-preserved carvings on red sandstone buildings. It is said that the reliefs on this temple are so delicate that they could only have been carved by the hand of a woman.








After Banteay Srei, we made a stop at the Cambodian Landmine Museum. It is very sad to see a lot of landmines during the time of the Khmer Rouge and to know that a lot of people died or lost their limbs from this tragedy. The story about Aki Ra trying to clear these weapons from the land around the Angkor is also amazing.










Let's talk about food in Cambodia a little. Nathan and I really like the food there. We tried to be like local people, went to local restaurants instead of the tourist-trap ones and ate what local people eat. The food was pretty clean, and we never had any diarrhea while staying there. Thumbs up for the food!

After two full days wandering around Siem Reap, Nathan and I hired a different Taxi driver to drive us back to the border because the previous one over-charged us. We got to the border safely on the road from hell. I bought some snacks to give to poor kids at the border, but that was the biggest mistake because they were fighting like a mob to get the treats, and I was almost hurt.

Well, overall the trip was ok. After calculating the amount of money we spent traveling as backpackers (for the first time), we came to a conclusion that it would be better to go with a tour from Thailand. We would have slept in a nicer hotel, eaten better, and most of all gotten better transportation.

One day in Seoul (2007)

June 14, 2007-- Nathan and I flew with Korean Air to Thailand, but we had about 14 hours waiting for our connecting flight in Seoul, so we made a plan to visit my friend, Lee. Lee and I met in the US. We were in the same ESL classes at SBCC in 2006.

We landed in Seoul in the early morning. As a Thai citizen, I don't need a visa to enter the country, and I can stay up to three months. As an American, Nathan doesn't need a visa either, but he can stay up to only one month. What a difference!











As soon as we got through immigration, Nathan and I cleaned ourselves in a restroom in the Incheon International Airport. Then we took a bus to town where Lee had told us to get off.


I wanted to call Lee as soon as I got off the bus, but I didn't have any change for the public phone, so I went into a little convenience store next to the subway to get some change.


It wasn't too difficult to learn how to dial the phone in Korea. Lee came to pick us up almost right away. 


His family is very warm and welcoming. I fell in love with his nephew right away, and he seemed to like me a lot since he kept clinging around me and said that he wanted to take me home. :-)


After a welcoming breakfast that Lee's sister made for us, Lee took us to a palace. I don't really remember the name of the palace, but I guess it is Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is pretty big. There weren't many tourists in the early morning, so we had the best chance to see a lot of things. Koreans seemed to live a pretty simple life in the past. There is only one room in a building to sit, sleep, eat and work. It really reminded me of my favorite Korean series Dae Jang Geum, which shows how the royal family lived in the past.

















Lee took us to see the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, a beautiful building that is represented on the 10,000 won Korean banknotes.















Our portraits right in front of the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.

After touring the palace, Lee took us to a famous shopping mall. I don't remember the name of the area, but it's a perfect place to get some food and souvenirs. I bought some Korean traditional rice snacks for my family in Thailand.

After a long walk, Lee took us to get some lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant. This is the best Korean food I have ever had in my life. Nathan and I always think about it whenever we are craving for Korean food. Lee ordered many dishes, and I was surprised that there actually are many kinds of kimchi. I knew only the spicy kind from the Korean series I watched.

Before heading back to the airport, Lee's family took us to Seoul World Cup Stadium to chill out at the park. We had such a great time wandering around for about 10 hours in the city. Nathan was so fond of Lee's nephew and ran around the park with him.

It was a great stop-over. I'm so glad to have visited  Lee in his home town. I wish to take him around in Thailand as well if he ever visits Thailand again. Apparently he and his family have visited Thailand more than 40 times!

Nathan and I will definitely visit South Korea again, and we will stay for at least a week to do more traveling around the country.