Macau: A Day Trip

Seeing as Hong Kong is one hour away from Macau by ferry, it would be a shame to be here and not visit it. Commonly known as the Las Vegas of Asia, Macau definitely has a lot to offer. Macau was a Portuguese colony for several centuries, and the Portuguese influence is undeniable. A mixture of colonial buildings and modern architecture occupies the city centre. It was really interesting to see the sharp contrast of sleek, modern luxury casino hotels right next to intricately designed colonial government buildings and churches. The present-day culture is a unique combination of Cantonese and Portuguese, with shopping and cuisine that also reflects this. A must-try in Macau is the Portuguese egg tart (shown below), which is a pastry cup filled with an egg custard. The top tourist destinations in the city are The Ruins of St. Paul,  Senado Square, Macau Tower, and of course the many casino hotels. I ventured inside a few casinos, but knowing my luck, would have lost all my money, so I decided to play it safe and just watch other people try their luck at the various slot machines, black jack tables, etc. Pictured below is Senado Square, in addition to other neighbourhoods and local markets which showcase the unique cultural blend in Macau.

YYZ - HKG

This post is a little overdue, but August 19, 2016 was the day I left to Asia. I landed at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday evening, after a long but worth-while 15 hour flight. Arriving a week before I was supposed to check into my university hall, I had the chance to explore HK for a few days. I stayed at a great hostel in Kowloon called The Mahjong, which I would highly recommend as it is clean, comfortable, and a great way to meet new people. It's quite close to the city centre but is also located in a more local/non-tourist neighbourhood, so you can really experience authentic restaurants, shops, cafes and bakeries (some restaurants didn't have menus in English, so it helps if you have a friend who speaks a little Cantonese!) I'll be adding a series of posts that more specifically showcase the rich and unique culture Hong Kong has to offer. 

An Introduction

Born in Romania, my parents immigrated to Canada when my brother and I were young. Growing up in Canada was a great experience because of the many opportunities it offers. Canada is also a great place to meet people from all over the world and learn about different cultures, which is what I think fuelled my desire to travel. I'm now a business student studying at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and am fortunate enough to be able to study abroad for a semester. On August 19, 2016, I embarked on a four-month adventure to Asia, and will be spending the semester studying at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Although the cliche is obvious (a student doing a semester abroad and starting a blog - so original), I'm doing this as more of a way to document my time abroad and have a place to put my memories (and I'm not crafty enough to start a scrapbook). Anyways, if you've gotten to this point, thanks, and hope you can find something interesting!