Trip Tldr;
Place(s): Hong Kong & Macau
Currency: HKD (Hong Kong Dollar) + MOP (Macanese Pataca)
Days: New Year’s 2024
I went on a family trip to Hong Kong and Macau for this new year’s, I like the culture, there is mutual respect between every individual. People are helpful and ready to engage, the parks have clean washrooms and water filters. And everything works with a sensor. Wave to switch to warm drinking water, wave to flush. This was my first time staying in a really high end hotel, so they have security in place. Room key cards are required to operate the elevator. And a single payment card (Octopus card) works everywhere, paying driver, vending machines, shopping. You can load the money at any supermarket store.
Why is it a good country to retire in? The roads are clean and wheel chair friendly. You can stand at the zebra crossing and wave at the sensor to stop the traffic and walking green pedestrian sign will turn on. People actively go for running around the park and lake at nights. They have karaoke bars. People are jogging, running or cycling between 8-11 pm. I liked that, they were having dancing sessions or aerobics among themselves. And the lighting for Christmas made the surroundings more picturesque.
I think my observations are backed by the fact that Hong Kong has the 3rd highest life expectancy rate. And I can feel the air quality difference now here in Bangalore vs Hong Kong, now I can tell it’s not that fresh, I think it’s kinda addicting the fresh air, at least personally for me.
The Hotel
We stayed in HarbourView Hotel in Macau, I liked the efficiency of the placement of things, the hair dryer was placed inside a drawer with a no plug, it was already plugged in internally, you just need to push the button to start. There was a flashlight in the almirah with a stand, as soon as you take it out, it turns on! No buttons, nada! And when you put it back in the holder it turns off. And then there was an iPhone-stand-cum-charger-cum-alarm-box-cum-bluetooth-speaker-cum-clock. And then there were buttons inside the room to turn on DND or Make up my room for hotel services. Oh and at the reception area, a concierge was available to drop our luggage. If you have seen The Suite Life of Jack and Cody, you will understand, it looked a scene from that show. And there were only tissue papers in the washroom :p
We also visited casinos in Macau, where people were winning some and losing some more left and right 😀 And that was also high security, they asked my dad to remove his beret, coz he was not coming in camera.
I have feet and hands and heads in lot of books, I will cover them in detail in next post.
Books
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, loving the contrarian views of Lord Henry.
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, an intriguing opening chapter, by asking open-ended questions in negotiations, making my problem their problem. (one strategy)
Podcasts
The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett, it’s high quality educational content. I was listening to Nir Eyal, the author of the book Hooked. I cannot summarise what he said, one must listen to him themselves. Totally worth the time.
Personal Note:
Macau is the fusion child of China and Portugal.
Thanks for reading,
Peace out V
Calra
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