Hong Kong, Kowloon and Lantau

Not so easy to get a blue sky in Hong Kong, the city is covered with mist quite often, because of the heat and humidity.

I cross the harbour, taking the famous Star Ferry, to get another boat and head to Lantau, in order to visit its monastery and its Great Buddha:

For the last day in Hong Kong, I am blessed with blue sky, for the first time (I have already been here in 2011)

Noodles and cod fish balls for lunch:

Man Mo Temple, dedicated to the civil god Man Cheong and the martial god Kwan Tai.

Wing Lok Street, with all its shops selling ginseng roots, and all sorts of natural medicine.

Last night in Hong Kong, enjoying the Symphony of Lights show on the harbour:

Macau

In case you had forgotten that Macau used to be Portuguese, you remember it pretty quickly: everything is written in Portuguese in the streets, and you can find pasteis de nata at every bakery in the city center (yummy!!!). You can also find azulejos, but with Chinese drawings on them

 

The whole city is a mix of colonial buildings (palaces, churches, cobblestones...) and of very modern architecture (specially when hotels and casinos are concerned). Depending on where you look, you could be either in Latin America, in Dubai or in Las Vegas.

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like the specialty is to prepare upon request big bowls of broth with noodles, and the vegetables and fish / meat you chose, all of them presented on sticks.

  

 

Mandarin's House is a historic residential complex, which was the residence and family home of Zheng Guanying. It is now listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a World Heritage Site.

 

And here are the casinos. I looked for James Bond, but couldn't spot him, I guess that we don't play in the same rooms ;-)
If you are wondering how much I lost, the answer is about 1,25 euros. Which kept me entertained, with a comfortable chair, in an air-conditioned environment during one hour and a half, so the investment seems reasonable.

 

And now, let's take the ferry to Hong Kong!