SARcasm included

With the Chinese New Year craze happening right outside on the street, I sat down to report about the last couple of days, which at the same time were the first of my road trip. The two places I've visited so far, namely Hong Kong and Macau, are termed SAR (Special Administrative Region). Although they have their own language, currency, administration and immigration laws, China still tries to hold on to them in some way. This is said without any intent of encouraging a political discussion though. It should just be said.

Macau, the Vegas of the East, is a city full of contrasts. Having been under Portuguese administration, all the street signs feature the Portuguese version before the Chinese or English one. Although nobody really speaks the language any more, it still creates an interesting feeling that reminded me a lot of Brazil. While the old town of Macau is really nice and European-like, the outer parts divide into poor living districts and big-ass Casino resorts. Some of them feature a luxury that could easily make the city a nice place when being distributed equally. Instead, it is mainly used to attract rich Chinese people and gamblers from all over the world. All in all though, it's hard to find anything more to do in Macau than gambling and having a stroll through the old town.

Not so in Hong Kong. This second SAR is a true world city, and an amazing one for that matter! Full of Westerners (both expats and tourists), Hong Kong features endless opportunities of sightseeing and going out. Over 70 percent of the islands that comprise Hong Kong are green, making weekend trips fairly easy. In downtown, however, green is a colour that is hard to find. Skyscrapers are crowded to an extent that I sometimes wondered how construction work was even possible. This fact makes the skyline the best I have ever seen, both from across Victoria Harbour and down Victoria Peak. But not only the different mix of skyscrapers makes Hong Kong so unique - it is also the mix of people. As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of Westerners to be found in this city. This might be due to the fact that Hong Kong is a lot like other world class cities (say New York, London, Seoul) and a convenient place to live in if you fancy a metropolis. Actually, I am strongly considering of coming back here for a longer time, maybe for an internship or so. I could definitely see myself living in Hong Kong for a couple of months or a year. Since it's more a light version of Asia (an introduction to this continent, as to say), you can easily get around without knowing Mandarin or Cantonese. The English level is fairly high, owing to the fact that Hong Kong used to be a British colony. This also makes cars drive on the wrong side. Or the correct one, depending on whoever you ask.

To sum up, these two cities have provided an excellent start into my winter travels. As always, so many amazing people crossed my way, some of them being on the road for a year or so and gaining more personal experience that some 50 year-old doing 9-to-5 will ever have. I feel that travelling is not only about getting to know places. It's also about getting to know yourself, to an extent I have never thought possible. The world is just too big to think small!

Yours,
Martin