Outside the City

The last two days I've spent most of my time outside of Hong Kong proper. I went to the top of Victoria Peak yesterday for some amazing views of the City. Some of the mansions on top of the hill were incredible but I'm not sure it'd be worth it since they felt the need to surround the perimeter of their houses in razor wire...

I spent the rest of yesterday in a small village on the south of Hong Kong island called Stanley. It was very nice, very European, and a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of the City. I laid on the beach for awhile, listening to the surf, and enjoyed a frosty beer from the local English pub.

Today consisted of a full day in Macau, another former European colony about an hour ferry ride west of Hong Kong. Macau is best known for its legalized gambling and casinos but the old town Portuguese feel was what I appreciated the most. I had to endure some thunderstorms in the morning and the ensuing heat and humidity afterwards but it was a nice day trip and a reminder of what traveling outside the friendly confines of a former British colony will be like (all of the signs were in either Cantonese or Portuguese. Fortunately I can at least make out the Portuguese words. Cantonese just looks like gibberish). I'll post pictures from the last few days once I get access to a computer that I can download them to...

Tomorrow's my last full day in Hong Kong before I'm off to Shanghai and my official entry into Mainland China. If you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, assume I've been blocked by the Chinese censors. If you don't hear from me in a month on the other hand, then you can start worrying about possible Chinese jail time...