Hi, Mom! Today I decided to grab my passport and head out to Macau! Like Hong Kong, Macau is another territory separate but a part of China. You need to go through immigration to get there. I'm always a fan of more stamps in my passport, so I thought that was pretty cool!
I hopped on the ferry for an hour long ride, and then I finally arrived. Macau is known as the Vegas of Asia. With that being said, I took a shuttle from the ferry station straight to the Venecian Hotel...which is identical to the one in Las Vegas! Aunt Muffy and I got dinner at the Venecian in Vegas, and I wanted to compare them...they really were the same! It was pretty cool.
After killing time at the Venecian, I hopped on the bus to go see PANDAS! I was so excited...unfortunately, I got on the right bus, but the wrong direction...so I ended up wasting two hours of my day riding the bus the wrong way. I finally made it to see the pandas about 40 minutes before it was closing. I hurried in, and squealed with delight when I saw them! Oh my gosh, Mom! They were so cute! I fell in love. So, after the pandas...I kept following the trail...which I didn't realize most people were walking back where we came from instead of following the trail. I walked along the trail, and suddenly I found myself climbing stairs and walking pathways in the middle of the wilderness. I started freaking out 1. because the park was closing soon, 2. I really had to pee, 3. I thought I was going to fall down the steep stairs made from rocks, and 4. if it had been a movie, a kidnapper definitely would have been in there waiting for me. I kept walking, none of the signs were in English, so I had no idea where I was going. I kept chanting to myself over and over again, "I will not pee. I will not fall. I will not get kidnapped." Finally, I managed to come across the exit...and fortunately, I did not pee, I did not fall, and I did not get kidnapped. I walked back to the bus, and took it back to where all the casinos were.
I decided I would get some real, authentic, local Macanese food, so I went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. All of the staff there were Filipino, and they were so excited about how I am going there in two days! I had the best waitress ever. Her name was Frency, and she was so adorable. She came over and sat with me for about 20 minutes, and we talked all about the Philippines. She told me that the area I'm going to has lots of beaches, which made me so excited. I need to be by the water right now. It's so calming, so comforting, and so freeing. I got a picture with Frency, and then we said our goodbyes. I headed back to the Venecian to catch a shuttle to the ferry terminal. I met a very nice lady from Portugal, named Ines, on the ferry. We talked the entire time, and the hour went by so quickly. I have been so fortunate to meet the nicest people along my journey. It makes everything so much more worthwhile.
I finally made it back to my hotel around 9:30. I am going to turn on a movie and knock out for the night. I'll post pictures tomorrow morning. I'm too tired to upload them now.
I miss you so much, Mom. Oh! Guess what...one year ago today I left for the Bahamas to start my journey with Semester at Sea. Can you believe it's already been a year? I have been so profoundly changed over the past year, and this journey of life, of exploration, of love, of loss, has been so unbelievably beautiful, and at times incredibly bittersweet. I am so fortunate for you to have been there through most of this past year with me to see the ball in motion. I will do my best to make you proud, Mama, and to never give up on my hopes and dreams. Thank you for giving me the wings to make me fly. I love you.
I hopped on the ferry for an hour long ride, and then I finally arrived. Macau is known as the Vegas of Asia. With that being said, I took a shuttle from the ferry station straight to the Venecian Hotel...which is identical to the one in Las Vegas! Aunt Muffy and I got dinner at the Venecian in Vegas, and I wanted to compare them...they really were the same! It was pretty cool.
After killing time at the Venecian, I hopped on the bus to go see PANDAS! I was so excited...unfortunately, I got on the right bus, but the wrong direction...so I ended up wasting two hours of my day riding the bus the wrong way. I finally made it to see the pandas about 40 minutes before it was closing. I hurried in, and squealed with delight when I saw them! Oh my gosh, Mom! They were so cute! I fell in love. So, after the pandas...I kept following the trail...which I didn't realize most people were walking back where we came from instead of following the trail. I walked along the trail, and suddenly I found myself climbing stairs and walking pathways in the middle of the wilderness. I started freaking out 1. because the park was closing soon, 2. I really had to pee, 3. I thought I was going to fall down the steep stairs made from rocks, and 4. if it had been a movie, a kidnapper definitely would have been in there waiting for me. I kept walking, none of the signs were in English, so I had no idea where I was going. I kept chanting to myself over and over again, "I will not pee. I will not fall. I will not get kidnapped." Finally, I managed to come across the exit...and fortunately, I did not pee, I did not fall, and I did not get kidnapped. I walked back to the bus, and took it back to where all the casinos were.
I decided I would get some real, authentic, local Macanese food, so I went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. All of the staff there were Filipino, and they were so excited about how I am going there in two days! I had the best waitress ever. Her name was Frency, and she was so adorable. She came over and sat with me for about 20 minutes, and we talked all about the Philippines. She told me that the area I'm going to has lots of beaches, which made me so excited. I need to be by the water right now. It's so calming, so comforting, and so freeing. I got a picture with Frency, and then we said our goodbyes. I headed back to the Venecian to catch a shuttle to the ferry terminal. I met a very nice lady from Portugal, named Ines, on the ferry. We talked the entire time, and the hour went by so quickly. I have been so fortunate to meet the nicest people along my journey. It makes everything so much more worthwhile.
I finally made it back to my hotel around 9:30. I am going to turn on a movie and knock out for the night. I'll post pictures tomorrow morning. I'm too tired to upload them now.
I miss you so much, Mom. Oh! Guess what...one year ago today I left for the Bahamas to start my journey with Semester at Sea. Can you believe it's already been a year? I have been so profoundly changed over the past year, and this journey of life, of exploration, of love, of loss, has been so unbelievably beautiful, and at times incredibly bittersweet. I am so fortunate for you to have been there through most of this past year with me to see the ball in motion. I will do my best to make you proud, Mama, and to never give up on my hopes and dreams. Thank you for giving me the wings to make me fly. I love you.
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