Weekend Relaxation

Today wasn't much of anything. Michele and I tried to go to the beach about 11, got lost and ended up taking a taxi. We were told that the beach was "15 minutes walking" and we believed them. Turns out that 15 minutes gets you to the middle of the airport, and we couldn't figure out how to get around it. There is a way, but we couldn't find it.

The highlight of this morning? We asked a guy for help and he said to, "jump the fence [to the airport]; it would be fun to watch." We passed on this, but appreciated his sense of humor.

When we did finally get to the beach, we sat and had hummus and french fries. One of my absolute favorite things about Israel is the drinks. First is something that's as prevalent as sweet tea in the south - lemonade with mint. It's cool, refreshing, sweet but not sugary, and utterly delightful. The second is grapefruit soda. Prigat is my favorite brand, but it's basically white grapefruit juice that's been carbonated. It's delicious. I like the tangyness, and I feel like it's more healthy than soda.

So if that's a favorite, a not so great thing is that it takes FOREVER to eat and be served. You sit down and wait twenty minutes for menu, then thirty to order, another fifteen for your food to come, and when you ask for the check, that takes twenty minutes to come. It's all very nice and relaxing, but frustrating when you're ready to leave. 

After some food, Michele's friend Cinderella, from Germany, joined us, and we laid in the sun and took naps on the beach. It was a nice day with no clouds, but was on the chilly side, so we were all in long sleeves and pants. We headed back to our dorms after a bit, mostly because we were cold.

This evening, Michele and I went to meet and Israeli soldier that she knows through a friend, and he took us to show us around central Tel Aviv, and we went to Max Brenner, which is an amazing chocolate shop. We had a lovely time and talked a bit, and now it's time for bed. Ulpan starts bright and early tomorrow (Sunday!) morning, and it's supposed to be super intense.

Lilah tov!

Shabbat Shalom!

Today is Friday, which means that everything closed about 2PM today. I woke up at noon, which didn't actually leave that much time to do much. The apartment needed cleaning, so I did that, and then went on a search for milk before getting ready for services. I finally found some at a 24/7 store - it's sort of like a gas station food mart.

So I searched the internet and found a synagogue for Progressive Judaism (or the Reform movement), that's only about 35 minutes away, walking. I posted in the Facebook group to invite other people, and Michele came with me. It was a nice temple, and the people were welcoming. The sanctuary was gorgeous.

Services were in Hebrew (obviously), and for the most part, I could follow along. The two biggest problems were that the cantor chanted INCREDIBLY fast and there were lots of extra versions. Like, I know my prayers, but I can't say them that quickly, and I'm used to saying each prayer once, not three times.  The order was a little off, as well, but not too terrible to figure out.  My goal is that, by the end of my time here, I will be able to understand the sermon and will be able to keep up with and read all the prayers.

Now it's bed time and tomorrow we'll hang out at the beach. The first round of pictures is on Facebook, so go check them out!

Lilah tov!

Beach and Shopping!

Wow! A long day, and I haven't even started classes yet!

So, the first thing they SHOULD have told us when we got here would have been how to get hot water in our shower. For the past two days, I just took frigid showers because I was too tired to even complain that much. This morning, however, we figured it out. There's a timer/knob in our kitchen that turns on the electricity for the water heater in the apartment. So, you have to turn on the knob for at least 30 minutes so the water will get hot, and then you have to take your shower before all the water gets cold again, which is surprisingly quickly.

After breakfast and a hot shower (finally), I met up with some girls around 11 and we started walking towards the beach. Tel Aviv University is in the north part of the city, over a little river, and is about three miles from the city center (officially). We were told that the beach was 15 minutes from campus, though, and we thought it'd be nice to walk down to the market (Shuk HaCarmel), which is in the southern part of the city, while walking along the beach. Well, we turned towards the beach and started walking, but we ran into the little baby airport and had to make a detour and made it to the beach in about 35 minutes.

The "beach" that we were on was in fact a boardwalk, and really pretty and nice. What's super interesting is that they have outdoor gym equipment for public use.  It's pretty much just your basic machines, and they use your body weight rather than built-in weights.  Also on this boardwalk were huge jungle gyms and swing sets and all sorts of playground equipment that looked like it was for adults. (At least it was big enough for adults.)

We finally did hit the beach and walked some through the sand and felt the water. The temperature while we were walking was fairly high - probably the mid/high 70's, but the water was relatively cold. There were some people in the water, and quite a few on the beach, but still was a lot quieter than I've seen it in the past.

Walking down the beach was nice, and we finally found the market after about three hours of walking. I got a trashcan and a blanket and some delicious strawberries in the market. Some of the other girls got some things, too. We asked at a stall where to get falafel, and we were sent down a side alley for some that was both good and cheap. (Six shekel! That's less than $2.) Then we headed back to campus, where I took a nap. It was about five hours of walking, overall.

I must say, Israelis love to shop. The market was huge, and there was everything from fresh fruit and bread to clothing and shoes to towels and bedding. And it's all relatively cheap. The food is amazing and fresh and smells wonderful. The clothing is all the latest fashions and comfortable. It's just a fun place to be, especially if you like shopping, and even if you don't, like me.

My roommate woke me up around 7 for tonight's Tel Aviv Nightlife Tour, which was really interesting. We saw some cool places and learned a tiny bit of history, but mostly it was about, "Here's a bar. There's a bar. That's a gay bar. This is a pickup bar. You should go to that bar." Apparently there's a lot of drinking and a lot of bars. It's what all the Israeli's do - go out and get drunk. It costs about the same as in the States for a drink ($6 for a draft beer at a more expensive place), but they do sometimes have specials, like 60 Shekel for unlimited drinks (about $18/20).

Tonight's tour really drove home the whole temperature duality for me. During the day, I wore shorts and a tee and was comfortably warm.  Tonight, I wore long pants and a jacket and was on the chilly side. It goes from a high of 80/85 during the day to a low of 55/60. It makes dressing for the afternoon and evening difficult, but I'm sure I'll get better at it.

Tomorrow is Friday, so it's our official weekend. (SO weird!) Classes start on Sunday. Hopefully I can get my final things in order and catch up on sleep before then.

Lilah tov!

Welcome to Tel Aviv!

So it's time to get back to blogging! I'm sure this will be good for those of you reading to know. =]

I arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday morning, and it's been an exhausting two days. Flying business class (for the first time) on a 12 hour flight was GLORIOUS.  I had a wonderful big seat that laid out flat, real dishes, free wine with dinner, and a delightfully clean airplane toilet. The people around me were nearly all Jewish, and the lady next to me was interesting to talk to; if only she had slept as much as I tried to...

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before the flight, I was in JFK airport for four hours for the group flight. I sat down next to a girl named Nessa, who I'm sure will show up frequently in my writing this semester. She's from Oregon but goes to school in Connecticut and is super cool. Since meeting, we've had some very interesting conversations on a variety of topics.  As a religious studies major, she knows so much more and is able to give academic references for her support, which is really cool.

So yesterday, we came to campus on buses (there were 90 of us on the group flight), and then had to wait to get into our dorms.  Nearly everyone had come alone, but there is one group of girls that are all in the same sorority that came together, and then a couple of pairs and threesomes that knew people. It's nice to be in a group this large where people don't know each other because it's easier to make friends. In fact, I've met quite a few cool people; Erin, from Canada, Helen, who studies in Canada but's from Boston, Miriam, who's from London, and my roommates, Yasmin (from California) and Halley (New York). There are a TON of people from New York, but there are some from other places. Our few non-Americans are from Panama, Norway, France and Britain - at least the ones I've met. It's really cool.

Our dorms are smallish, but decent. Two bedrooms, a double sink, a reasonably sized center room with a kitchen and dining table, an oddly shaped shower and a toilet the size of a closet. (The door opens out because you step sideways into the bathroom and sit. You can't even turn around.)

Today was orientation, so it was an early morning for a campus tour, a welcome seminar, lunch, pictures, ice breakers with other students, and a rules lecture for our apartments.  We did have quite a bit of free time, where I hung out on the wonderfully grassy hills on campus. Our dorms are across the street from the university, and everything is guarded with key fobs and I.D. cards and stuff. It's strange to have such high security, especially coming from a place like Clemson, where there's hardly any at all. I understand it, but it's just something else to get used to.

Oh, we also took our Hebrew placement tests today... Jokes on jokes on jokes. So, we were divided into four classrooms - beginner, one semester, two semester, and advanced. I stayed in the beginner, where we were divided into none to knowing some. I know how to read and write and script, so I said that, and they handed me a paper that was entirely in Hebrew. Every single person who said they knew SOME Hebrew got this test, and we ALL gave it back for the absolute beginner test. They graded them right there in front of us, giving us 0, 0+, A, B, C, D or 1. Somehow, I ended up with a D, but she wanted to put me in higher and I refused, saying that my ability to transliterate was not equivalent with knowing vocabulary or anything. The only reason I understood and got the translation was because it said, "Dani... to university... she... a lot/large... at university" which is fairly easy to fake understand to say "Dani goes to university. She learned a lot at university." So... This should be interesting. I'm pretty sure that everyone expected to do a lot better than they did.

Campus is really big, but pretty. There are a fair amount of green spaces and everything seems pretty open as far as lower buildings and trees and big areas.  Other than a five or six coffee shops, there aren't many places to eat, but my classes will be in the afternoon/evening, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. The buildings are all very different and very distinctive, with unique architecture. I'm looking forward to learning my way around.

Yesterday night, Nessa and I went to central Tel Aviv to see the apartment (I tried to get some things, but couldn't) and ate at the falafal place I liked last time I was here. Then we walked the three miles back to campus, which was nice, but exhausting, especially considering our day and traveling. Tonight, we went with Helen and Erin to a place right around the corner from us and had some more falafel. It's SO GOOD. This place is right behind the huge mall that's about a block away from us, so I'm guessing we'll be going there often.

Tomorrow we're going to Shuk HaCarmel, which is sort of like a flea market or fresh produce stand.  It has clothing and food and household items and you can haggle and explore and get things cheaply. I have a list of things to get for our apartment, like a blanket and a trashcan, but am most looking forward to the fresh food. Then, at night, there is a university sponsored night tour of Tel Aviv (basically a pub crawl). It should be a fun day.

Lilah tov! (Goodnight!)

Graduation and Spring Plans

I can't believe it! Graduation is in THREE days!

I have to move out, pack, and get ready for ISRAEL!!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!

Not much news yet, just getting ready for my next adventure!

Beijing ~

Oh hello,


Beijing side of the train:


After 8 hours of sleep (I was confortable but it seemed like I was possibly the only one). Everyone woke up at 7 AM. We had some breakfast of ham and cheese we bought before we left and read and hung out and talked, took a nap, had a light lunch and we were there!


This space is reserved for a rant - Smoking, is rampant in China. Basically everyone smokes. The bathrooms which were already dirty before we even got on and even dirtier every time you had to go in, was littered with cigarettes. There were cigarettes in the sink, the trash can, and in the passenger car. Why? I have no idea. There were clearly marked cigarette disposals everywhere. The sinks weren't self cleaning, the cigarettes just sat there. The ones on the bathroom floor at least absorbed some of the urine and spit which covered most of it. Oh yes the other thing. If you ever happen to go to Singapore or China be prepared for spitting. Its a constant sound in the background, much worse in China then Singapore. In Singapore spitting is at least relegated to bathrooms. China it was everywhere, on streets and in buildings and while people where talking to you. Its not just a nice southern quick spit on in the bushes either. They hauk these for seconds and let it slowly drop while looking straight at you. Saliva and flem are like mine fields in every walkway and public place. And while I am on the topic vomiting is also a much more common occurrence; especially for children. I saw plenty in Singapore and was reminded of it in China. Kids will be walking normally, then suddenly vomit with no warning. They do it while walking and just look down and let go. Parents then scoop them up and hold them up from the armpits or hips at arms length and point them towards the street or bushes then put them down like nothing is wrong and keep on walking. It happened twice in Hong Kong and we were there for only a week. I didn't see any children in Beijing so no vomit either.


We arrived in a station that had a metro, then inconveniently was the only metro that didn't connect to other metros. After breaking a 100 with some Jujube juice (delicious), we tried to get out of there. So after a lot of pointing and trying to read chinese, we took a bus to what we hopped was a station. And so we were able to find it because of some English that was in some places. From there we metroed (only 33 US cents to anywhere) to our hostel. Where we checked in and then made our way to dinner. On the way we stopped at a grocery store and I got some cantaloupe flavored soy milk and on the street some fried tuber like thing with salt water and garlic which was delicious. For dinner we only had a choice of western places in the area, so I had a pork burger and Michelle had a philly and we watched Super Bad while we ate (not our choice). We then showered (finally) and slept.


Beijing ~ the first day.


Just a note: Sun rises at 5. We woke around 8 and made a quick escape from the hostel and got breakfast nearby. We split a british breakfast of sausage egg toast and baked beans. We then wandered through some Hutongs (local side streets where people actually live). They were nice and we saw a duck and a chicken. We got some drinks in a store (ice coffee mix bottle thing and some mix fruit juice), and walked in a cute park bordering a main street. This delivered us to the Lama temple, which was visited thoroughly. It was nice, not to grand but large, with some unique architecture and an active monastery. There were no llamas (or Lamas due to some political things).  After a long walk we came to our lunching spot. A local chain restaurant that sells dumplings cheap. For 6 USD I had 600 ml of the best local beer (it was ok) and 24 dumplings (Shreyas will hear of this). Twas delicious.


We then made our way to the touristy shopping district. Which had the most aggressive vendors I have ever seen and the only place in Asia we have been to where people tried to screw you over in a in your face way with no tact or attempt to hide the fact that they are screwing you over. It was off putting. There were scorpions and other crawly things on sticks that were still alive and squirming, pics on facebook. A shirt vendor tried to sell me a shirt at 30 USD and wouldn't drop it down so I walked away until he grabbed my wrist, but I shook him off and walked away. We bought some food, which somehow magically quadrupled in price when he gave it to us. I had given him a 10 (about 1.5 usd) and was waiting for my 5 in change, but insisted it was 20. He took half the food back and tried to shove me off, but I did not relent and asked for my money back and for him to take the food back. I blocked off his sales for two or three minutes of an intense staring competition until he grew tired of me and put the half of the food he put on the plate back and I just cut my losses and left, no doubt leaving both parties unhappy. A hat selling lady gripped michelles wrists hard enough to bruise them at one point. We walked away from the place. Michelle got some fruit covered in caramelized sugar at a stand, and I got a local drink which turned out to be fermented milk with honey. Basically a honey sweetened light fizzy yogurt in a reusable glass with a skin stretched over the top and punctured with a straw. It was good. 


After all the excitement we returned to the dumpling place for more. Then made our way to the hostel. There we showered and slept.

Finishing Hong Kong

Macau day- On Macau day we woke up to go to Macau.


Making sure I had the passports, we made our way to the ferry again. There we purchased our tickets (about 15-20 USD) each, and picked up some breakfast from McDonalds to go. I had hotcakes. The ferry ride was nice. It took about an hour, which was used to eat and then take a quick nap. Upon arrival we tried to get some local currency but failed. But it was ok because in Macau the exchange from Hong Kong dollars to Macau dollars is roughly 1:1 and they accept Hong Kong in lieu of their own (which is called Patakas). In the station we were hawked for taxis, an interesting mix of Cantonese, Portuguese, and English calls. We ignored all of them and tried to find a way to walk to the city. The only sidewalk was obscured and at the end of bus parking but we did manage to find it. This took as along the coast for a bit, passing some smaller Casinos and a giant theme park that was closed in the morning. It did not take long to find one of the many giant golden casinos on our walk. We decided to investigate and were confronted with incredibly overly done luxury and a guard who would not let me continue in my flip flops. 


So we continued. We found a bunch of churches and old church libraries and visited them and took pictures. We then stumbled onto a wide road of touristy sites and shopping. We found a Portuguese eatery and had some wonderfully Portuguese themed sandwiches. Then we wandered till we found a cheap super market, where I had banana flavored Milkis (the carbonated yogurt drink) and some local stout. I was trying to open the stout by bumping it on a corner of a bench, when suddenly i was confronted; not by a police man, but by the Chinese beer fairy. I heard rumors but I did not think it was true. He was wearing dirty pants and no shirt and was wandering around with multiple beers and was drinking one. He pointed and showed his displeasure at the possibility of me cracking the bottled and produced a well used bottle opener and opened it for me. After an approving nod he walked away and moved on, no doubt to open the beers of countless others in need.


The beer a mildly sweet version of Guinness and was pleasurable.


We then returned to go buy me some shoes. We found 3.5 dollar cheap rubber things that covered my feet and looked mildly like lace-less leather shores, Michelle found a nice purse for about 4 dollars I think. With our new purchases we made our way to the biggest and goldest casino (the Lisboa) and entered the casino. Our first site was that of severely under dressed prostitutes of a quality resembling my new shoes. Just pass them was the gambling room, where to our surprise was located no black jack, roulette, craps, or poker. It took 2 more casinos to even find these games, only to have to walk away do to high minimum bids. The really like games of pure chance there. The casinos are exclusively slots, 3 dice, and 3 card Bakarat. The minimum bid on any table we found was 15USD per hand. We played 3 cent slots. Michelle made about 3 dollars, I lost about 1.5 dollars.  I did however get some free milk coffee. 


We then asked the lobby for eating suggestions and were directed across the island to a nice portuguese place where I had African Chicken (the local dish) and Michelle had some delicious vegetable soup and sausages. Both where good. We then walked all the way back, on the way we encounted a place that had an orange eyed cat, some old porutugese houses, a lake with a scenic view of the city, some locals gibbering in heavy portuguese accents. We took a taxi the rest of the way to the marina and took the ferry home and MTR back to our hostel and slept.


HONG KONG- Last Day


On our last day in Hong Kong, we walked a long long ways. For breakfast we went to a bakery where I had some British tea time cake, which was pumpkin cake with nuts and fruit and was delicious, and a japanese sweet potato bread, which was bread with an entire sweet potato in the middle.  Michelle had a pao de queijo, and a pao de queijo which was blueberry flavored. It then began to rain, but we didn't care. We went to the coastal defense museum which was nice but incredibly cold because of the rain. We then metroed to the beginning of a long walk across some Bangkok like shops. In between them we found a nice little french bistro and had some snacks of sausages and a ham and cheese sandwich. We continued to the flower market, which had lots of flowers, and the bird market, which had lots of birds in small cages and made me sad. So we left and walk across a line of pet stores, mostly fish, but also lizards, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, and some conveniently placed restaurants. We skipped across these and walked to a fancy but local section of town and got some dim sum, which made me realize how authentic the place in Atlanta is.




Hong Kong end of the Train~


This day was uneventful. We woke and had breakfast at the place by our hostel, packed, took the bus to the station, had some street pizza which was good, waited to board the train and got on.


The only seats were fold out seats in the tiny aisle. We were on the last of the cheap cars and the least cramped one. We were in a room of 6 beds stacked 3 high with a tinier aisle inbetween. The bed was exactly 2 meters long, giving the only other white person in the cheap beds a hard time (he was 6'2"). Oh and btw we where in the only cheap cart with another white person and he was in the bed above mine. Nice guy, Indian from San Francisco, but a Fraternity brother so white enough to be white even if he spent the first 10 years of his life in India. The only other non Asian near by was a Haitian Canadian who lived in Beijing and spoke Mandarin, also very nice. Basically we talked, read a bit, had dinner and fell asleep.

Gabe's Incomplete Post on Hong Kong

Hong Kong - We arrived in Hong Kong. It was a fourish hour flight maybe. Anyway the airport was nice and the customs was no hassel and very quick. We then rode the airport express, a 5 USD trip that took us into town in under 30 minutes. It took us to an elevator shaft which we rode down to attempt the regular subway, called the MTR.  Here we were stuck behind an entryway to the MTR and had to buy a ticket, only we didn't have small change. I then attempted to obtain change from a few passerbys who, to my surprise, were Brasilian tourists. They did not have change.

Eventually change was obtained through officials near the airport express. The MTR is nice, kind of like a metally large version of Singapore's MRT, but significantly faster. We made our way to the hostel from the station. Upon stepping out we shaded our eyes from the daylight, created artificially by lights everywhere. It was 10 PM but bright out. The hostel was in a regular building and quite nice. The room was clean and had 12 beds, 6 of which were cubbie style where we slept. But not before getting dinner in a restuarant nearby. It was reminicent of Singapore. I had a prawn noodle which was beehoon noodles, Michelle had a ham sandwhich. Both were good. To drink Michelle had Ice Lemon Tea, which if I havn't mentioned before is basically sweet tea with lemon. I had almond tea with egg whites, which is exactly what you would think it would be, unless you have never had hot almond milk with egg whites in it. Sleep.

Thus ends the fist day of our Hong Kong edventure.


DAY-2

We awoke. We descended. We ate; our food came from a small cafe at the bottom of our hostel. There I had some banana mosli (fancy for toasted grains milk yogurt and honey (and bananas)), Michelle had toast with eggs and Bacon. Then, we bussed under the river to the other side (called Kowloon) and purchased our tickets to Beijing. After, we wandered about a bit about the walkways and found some museums. We made our way to the history museum and bought half year long passes (which at student prices where cheaper then the tourist week pass and single tickets to two museums.) And explored the history of Hong Kong. Twas a nice museum. We then walked to the water front, on the way stopping for some soupy noodles with things in it. Mine had lots of things, michelle's mushrooms and sausage. It is around here we discovered Hong Kong hates walking, walls are put everywhere barring your way and crossing streets, forcing you blocks and blocks to pedestrian bridges and tunnels. When we found our way to the waterfront, it was very nice. There there was a star walk with various hand prints of people we dont know, then creepy pictures of stars we did know. Twas interesting. On the water there was a space museum. It was attended by us. They had some interesting exhibits; nothing was American and American activities were not talked about.  We sat on a gyroscopic thing and spun in slow circles and then did some moon walking in a very uncomfortable harness. 

After the museums, we walked around, in the very expensive part of town, where there were very nice stores and fancy cars.  We stopped for kebaps on the street and watched cars go by before heading back to the hostel.  Gabe had a nice double chocolate stout while I had a Kriek.  We sat on the balcony and watched the river for a while before heading to bed.

DAY THREE:

We woke sort of early and headed out.  Breakfast was delicious coffee (chocolate and banana flavored) and chocolate (mint) with waffles for Gabe and crispy bun for me (which is sortof like a fancy toasted hamburger bun with butter and sweetened condensed milk).  We then walked to the convention center and along the coast towards the west coast.  We stopped in Hong Kong Park, where we saw some very cute turtles sunbathing and then saw some pretty birds in the aviary.  Across from the park was Peak Hill, where we took a trolley up to the top.  The track was literally at a 80 degree angle at some points, and we had a great view at the top.  I got some interesting candy across from the Bubba Gump restaurant, and then we sat for a while. On the way back down, we stopped and got some french fries with chili, bacon, cheese and other yummy stuff from a place called New York Fries.  We headed back down the mountain and walked over to SoHo, which is basically a big food district.  Every type of food imaginable was there.  We got delicious Nepalese food; Gabe had spicy lamb curry sort of thing, and I had yummy mixed bean soup.  Gabe picked up some Fuller's Organic Honey Beer, which he enjoyed at the hostel.  Around the corner from our hostel is a place called Crumbs, which is a frozen yogurt place.  We shared a large with strawberries, house cookie crumbs, gummy bears and maples syrup covered bananas.  Then it was bedtime.

DAY FOUR:

This day, we tried to go to Macau... but we forgot our passports, so we walked around the western part of Hong Kong Island.  The market was not really a market, but little stores that weren't open yet, and we walked by some of the more "local" areas, where there were little to no tourists.  We found the Medical History Museum, which was interesting.  It focused on the SARS epidemic and vaccines, but also had a room about midwifery and some old radiology equipment.  Then we kept walking and came across the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Museum, which was rather boring and difficult to understand.  We ended up back in SoHo and stopped at a delicious little Italian restaurant.  Lunch was a four course meal for $88 HK (about 13 USD) - mixed greens salad with quail egg, tuna and potatoes, fresh bread, potato soup, and orange-lemon cheesecake for dessert.  For our main dishes, Gabe had shrimp and asperagus risotto and I had incredible spaghetti carbonara.  Then we went towards the financial districty part of town, where we found the Hong Kong banking buildings, complete with an "Occupy Hong Kong" camp in the breezeway below the building (it was open on the ground floor, with the offices above).  We went into a large, expensive, fancy mall to go to the bathroom... The place was ridiculous - wooden hingeless stalls and marble and automatic lighting. It was incredible.  We then saw The Avengers 3D and got some amazing chocolate and caramel popcorn.  For dinner, Gabe got something on a stick from a street vendor (it was raw and then they boiled it, then dipped it in some sort of spicy nut sauce).  I had a cup of mushroom noodle soup and a small can of pineapple slices at the hostel.  Then it was time for bed so we could get up early for Macau (again).

DAY FIVE: MACAU
Portuguese food - yum!
Casinos - played nothing but baccarat and some dice game (one table craps, three tables Omaha poker, and computerized roulette).
I made $4 HK.