Hello Everyone,
Well, finally I am getting around to writing about life here in Macau. First of all the name Macau is interesting. There seems to be two different ways at spell it Macau or Macao. I think the 'u' is Portugese and the 'o' is Chinese, but I am not sure.
Anyway, things have been good here. It started off really warm but feels like it is starting to cool a bit...or I am getting used to the warm temperatures. Today feels like a nice day. There is a high of 30 and low of 26 with humidity around 85%. Listen to me, I sound like a weatherman!! Anyway, it is a lot different than Calgary!
School has been interesting. I have 15 students. They are from around the world. They seem like a nice group. I know my class size is going to grow. With more and more 'foreigners' moving to Macau everyday, our school grows on a daily basis.
The apartment we are living in is quite nice. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Compared to what is being built in Calgary and Vancouver these days, I think it is actually pretty big. There are air conditioners in every room, so it never gets too hot.
I made a trip to mainland China last weekend. It was a unique experience. It is strange to me to go through immigration for China, but if you live in Macau or Hong Kong, you have to. I guess they want to keep things separate since Macau and Hong Kong are Special Administrative Regions. Also, since gambling is illegal on the mainland, they want to try to control it here.
Anyway, my trip was literally just across the border. There is a huge shopping mall there with about everything you can imagine. You have to barter for everything you buy. It was kind of exciting at first, but after a while I just felt like I wanted someone to say exactly how much they wanted for something, without ripping me off. I did well though. I bought lots of cheap clothes.
Now to the casinos here, they are pretty amazing. Two weeks ago the Venetian opened up. It is huge! Apparently it is twice the size of the one in Las Vegas. I guess the Sands corporation (which owns the Venetian) is doing very well here. Within a year of building the Sands hotel here, it was paid off!! Yes, people love to gamble here, and the casinos benefit. The Wynn is quite beautiful as well. In November the MGM Grand is going to open. It looks like one of the most interesting buildings here. There are plans for lots of other casinos and there seems to be construction everywhere, but I think the next big projects are several years away.
Since the weather has been so hot we have spent a lot of time going to outdoor swimming pools. There are some nice ones here. There are also a couple of beaches. The sand is nice on one of them, though lots of rocks are sticking out of the water. Also, the water quality is not great here. I have gone into the water, but never really swam in it. The other beach is called the black sand beach. It is alright, but there are a lot of food venders by the beach so you get the smell of barbequed fish when you are laying down. There are some great restaurants by the beaches though. They are also very cheap by Canadian standards, which is great!
Well that is it for now. I will write more as I think of it. Have a look at the pictures! Send me an email when you have a chance!!
Vance
Well, finally I am getting around to writing about life here in Macau. First of all the name Macau is interesting. There seems to be two different ways at spell it Macau or Macao. I think the 'u' is Portugese and the 'o' is Chinese, but I am not sure.
Anyway, things have been good here. It started off really warm but feels like it is starting to cool a bit...or I am getting used to the warm temperatures. Today feels like a nice day. There is a high of 30 and low of 26 with humidity around 85%. Listen to me, I sound like a weatherman!! Anyway, it is a lot different than Calgary!
School has been interesting. I have 15 students. They are from around the world. They seem like a nice group. I know my class size is going to grow. With more and more 'foreigners' moving to Macau everyday, our school grows on a daily basis.
The apartment we are living in is quite nice. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Compared to what is being built in Calgary and Vancouver these days, I think it is actually pretty big. There are air conditioners in every room, so it never gets too hot.
I made a trip to mainland China last weekend. It was a unique experience. It is strange to me to go through immigration for China, but if you live in Macau or Hong Kong, you have to. I guess they want to keep things separate since Macau and Hong Kong are Special Administrative Regions. Also, since gambling is illegal on the mainland, they want to try to control it here.
Anyway, my trip was literally just across the border. There is a huge shopping mall there with about everything you can imagine. You have to barter for everything you buy. It was kind of exciting at first, but after a while I just felt like I wanted someone to say exactly how much they wanted for something, without ripping me off. I did well though. I bought lots of cheap clothes.
Now to the casinos here, they are pretty amazing. Two weeks ago the Venetian opened up. It is huge! Apparently it is twice the size of the one in Las Vegas. I guess the Sands corporation (which owns the Venetian) is doing very well here. Within a year of building the Sands hotel here, it was paid off!! Yes, people love to gamble here, and the casinos benefit. The Wynn is quite beautiful as well. In November the MGM Grand is going to open. It looks like one of the most interesting buildings here. There are plans for lots of other casinos and there seems to be construction everywhere, but I think the next big projects are several years away.
Since the weather has been so hot we have spent a lot of time going to outdoor swimming pools. There are some nice ones here. There are also a couple of beaches. The sand is nice on one of them, though lots of rocks are sticking out of the water. Also, the water quality is not great here. I have gone into the water, but never really swam in it. The other beach is called the black sand beach. It is alright, but there are a lot of food venders by the beach so you get the smell of barbequed fish when you are laying down. There are some great restaurants by the beaches though. They are also very cheap by Canadian standards, which is great!
Well that is it for now. I will write more as I think of it. Have a look at the pictures! Send me an email when you have a chance!!
Vance
2 comments:
Hey Vance - great blog! Maybe I should think about starting one up - very cool. I'll check out your pics too. Can't wait to head on out there! :) All the best - Gavin
Vance, Becca's teacher gave me your blog address. Awesome photos. Looks like you are VERY busy. But I have to say, 30c degrees is hot for you? You all need to visit Texas...LOL. Take care & we miss you at FCS.
^^KellyB
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