china – Travels with Ali

~ Exploring Macau – A Visit to Taipa ~

After flying from Bangkok to Hong Kong, we immediately took the bus over the new HKZM Bridge. This is something Anthony has wanted to do for a while. Normally we would take the ferry, but after researching how to buy tickets, this was such an easy way to travel. There is no need to pick up your luggage as this is arranged for you. All we needed to do was follow the signs at the airport. Everything went smoothly and the bus ride was very comfortable. Our hotel was just a short taxi ride away.

HKZM Bridge (Hong Kong – Zuhai – Macau – Bridge) s a 55-kilometre (34 mi) bridge–tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixed link in the world. The cost of construction was US$18 billion and is meant to last 120 years. Source: Wikipedia.

We were staying at Crowne Plaza, Macau. Possibly one of the few hotels without a casino! Our room was on the 21st floor and we had amazing views over the sea and looking towards China. Although there was massive construction going on below for more reclaimed land.

Macau is a special administrative region of China. It is the most densely populated region in the World with a total of 710,000 people. It consists of three regions, Macau Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. These three regions are connected by road bridges. There has been so much land reclamation over the last century that Macau has tripled its land size.

One of the places I wanted to revisit was the old Taipa houses. The last time we visited they were not open to the public. These houses were built in 1921 to house the wealthy Portuguese families.

Taipa

There is still a wonderful Mediterranean feel about Macau. With cobbled stone streets, louvered windows and street signs in Portuguese, you could imagine you were in Portugal. Being very near Christmas, there were hundreds of poinsettias lining the stairs and walls.

Old Taipa Houses

We only went into one house, all houses were free to enter. To have indoor plumbing on this tiny island would have been a blessing indeed!

When they were first built, there would have been a view over the sea. Since the land reclamation, there is now a wetland.

It was past lunchtime by now so we headed back to the main streets and found a cute Portuguese restaurant.

This was actually on the ceiling of the restaurant. I thought it must have been hard on the artist’s arms to paint this.

Our delicious lunch.

I hope you enjoyed visiting Taipa with me, next up I will be posting about Macau’s famous casinos.

I’m joining Jo on her Monday Walks also!

Nostalgic Journey: My Adventures in Guilin, China

This week for Lens Artist, Sofia has challenged us to look back. I was inspired by her post to dig out some old photos of my first trip to China. Like many of you I have numerous photos of long ago travels. Many are in albums but there are a great deal of loose ones.

I took a trip to Guilin in 1989 and had been in Hong Kong for a few months. I had already met Anthony but had some free time between jobs. It was an organised trip made through a local travel agent, one of those all inclusive tours. As I was travelling solo I thought this was the best option. There would be no stress about where to eat and what to do.

I had agreed to share a room, quite brave when I think about it now. When I arrived at the hotel, which was a Holiday Inn, I met the other people in the tour group. I quickly deduced that the only other single person was a man, who was with two friends. I had a slight panic attack until I got to the counter and was told I was being upgraded to a King Size room. Phew, awkwardness averted.

The views from my large balcony. I was very impressed!

One of the tours was a trip down the River Li. Guilin is famous for its towering lime stone cliffs and beautiful scenery. The trip was meant to take three hours, with a bus back. As it was the dry season, the boat trip itself took 6 hours! I had got to know the others on the trip, so we spent this time chatting and taking photos. I do remember there being no drinking water, only Coke.

All photos were taken on an old film type camera. I can’t remember the make. After scanning these, I did some editing and brought them back to life.

At some bends in the river, the men sailing the boat had to jump out. They tried to push the boat through the extremely shallow water. We did wonder if we would have to also jump out to help.

Without a care in the world, enjoying the views and thinking how amazing China is.

The famous Elephant Rock at the end of the trip. There were many stalls selling small artefacts and gifts.

One of the American men on my tour, he was travelling with his daughter. We both ended up buying a hat each.

Before reading Sofia’s post I hadn’t thought about this trip for years. Now I’m remembering small details from the trip that have been locked away for a few decades.

~ Hong Kong – Arts and Flowers ~

The annual flower show was on while we were in Hong Kong recently and when we arrived we were ushered in promptly through the free gate. There are some benefits to being a senior! The crowds were out in force, bus tours from old people’s homes and also school tours. People waited patiently in line to have a photo in front of the spectacular displays.

The theme for 2024 was “Floral Joy Around Town” and attracted more than 200 exhibits from local and mainland horticultural societies. The colourful Angelonia was the feature flower.

“Flowers don’t tell, they show.” – Stephanie Skeem

It was held in Victoria Park, named after Queen Victoria.

The sheer variety of flowers was overwhelming. Some were so intricate and would have taken hours to put together.

There were classic designs and fun exhibits. Something for everyone to admire.

The Art of Ikenobo

“Though we pursue an economic value in life, it is in admiring beauty and creating things that we enrich the ground of our mind.” – Senno

The art of Ikenobo dates back to the 15th Century and was founded by the Buddhist Monk Senno. Japanese people like to give deeper meaning to flower arranging and prefer them upright rather than casually placed.

There is an elegance and simplicity to these designs that bely the hard work that goes into creating them.

After leaving here we went back across the harbour and walked along the sea front to our hotel. On the way we noticed yet another new shopping mall and popped in for a look around. We were astounded by the sheer size of it, not just that but the fabulous art works on display, not something you would normally find in a shopping centre. Of course there were the normal high end designer shops and high class restaurants but I think most people were there to have a look at everything else on display. We were wondering how these shops make any money because most were empty.

K11 Musea