SARS!

Yes that's right! I've been to both SARS(Special Administrative Regions) Hong Kong, and Macau. Yesterday I had to go to Macau, a small city west of Hong Kong. It was originally a Portuguese colony until 1999 when it was handed back over to the Chinese as a S.A.R.. Currently it enjoys fame as the gambling capital of Asia.
The boat I took to Macau from Hong Kong took 1 hour and cost about 20 bucks one way.

I went with my cousin Shelb, and we were to meet her friends(who are locals) at the port. Her two friends brought two scooters and we rode on the backs. There is much less traffic in Macau and the drivers drive less aggressively(driving in Hong Kong has a Ben Hur like feel).

For lunch we enjoyed Macau's famous dan tat. I think I prefer the HK style...

The Portuguese influence is still visible in the place names, buildings, and cuisine. Most road signs are in Portuguese and Cantonese, but some include English. The typically Chinese buildings and temples stand as a reminder that "we cannot regulate the feelings of (our) people".

All in all it was a very enjoyable trip. I got my changed my VISA to a student VISA(the reason I went in the first place) and got shown around Macau by locals. Oh yes! I also saw a bus(among the many in the city) picking up locals and with a sign to it's final destination... Toi San(台山). For those who don't know it is the city my Chinese side came from and the mother country for most the Chinese-Americans in North America and Australia.