So we finally left on August 5th to move over to Macau. The last few days in Canada were definitely more emotional as our departure neared. We spent a couple of nights with the Bourne clan out at a B&B in Sundre, did some golfing and finally some last minute visiting with friends and family.
We flew from Calgary to San Fran and had a 4 hour layover there. We were expecting to pay an extra $400 for extra baggage in Calgary, but United did not charge us (WOOT). We claimed a nice patch of carpet and power outlet near our gate and hunkered down to rest, read and watch the movie Grown Ups (definitely some funny parts). During the layover, we were called to the gate, where they finally dinged us for the extra baggage. At least it was only $200 rather than the expected $400. Anyways we finally boarded our plane at 1 AM and we were off.
If you ever have the chance to fly Singapore Airlines, I highly recommend it. The biggest difference for me during the 12.5 hour flight was the increased leg room. We only got an extra 2-3 inches, but it definitely made a huge difference. Also the in-flight movies, games and service were outstanding. We landed in HK at 5 AM, a full hour earlier than expected.
At the HK airport, we disembarked the plane and immediately I was told by security to take off my hat! I always wear hats so i was thinking that this was not a good sign. So I peacefully took it off and stuffed it in my backpack, not really caring what my hair looked like after 20 some hours of travelling. We had to wait 5 hours for our ferry, so we took the opportunity to call people using our Magicjack and Skype. From the airport we took a direct ferry to Taipa, which is where we will be living.
We got off the ferry and WOW, was it ever hot and humid. Of course we were wearing pants, and Amanda was wearing a Lulu jacket. Amanda's principal and the school driver (Muneer) met us at the ferry terminal and took us to the school. We got to see the gym, offices and of course Amanda's classroom. After this we started apartment hunting. We checked out a few 3 and 4 bedroom places in different buildings, but did not jump on anything. We decided to go back to our temp apartment, shower (I could barely get my t-shirt off because it was so wet with sweat!) and relax a little after the long day. We were staying in a empty apartment owned by a teacher. It is a 3 bedroom in a brand new building called Pacifica Garden located fairly close to the school and all the amenities. We cleaned ourselves up and headed out to grab some dinner at a small restaurant (seated 10 peeps). I had a Szechuan udon style soup and Amanda went with the spaghetti! It was all excellent! With a couple of drinks it cost us less than $10 CAD for the meal. We can get use to this! After dinner we crashed at about 6ish and just couldn't stay up later. Too bad because Muneer was trying to call us on our cell phones about one of the apartments we viewed, the owner needed to know if we wanted it by 6:30pm that night, but we were out cold.
The next morning without knowing what Muneer called for, we texted him that we wanted that apartment. Long story short, the owner rented it out the previous night so the hunt is on again for Day 2.
Due to the time change (14 hours ahead) our first sleep was 6 PM till 12:30 AM, then we watched Hot Tub Time Machine, then slept again from 3 AM till 6 AM. What can you do when you fly around the world? We stopped at McDonalds for brekky yesterday morning. Amanda went with the Egg McMuffin and I opted for the big breakfast. One weird thing on the breakfast menu was an egg and sausage on mixed veggies and twisty pasta. I wanted to order it for a change, but was more worried about getting some food in my belly.
We spent the rest of the morning looking at apartments, and went for a 2nd breakfast at the principals place which is across the street from us. After a great visit we headed to our pool for some relaxation in the heat (see matching swim hats).
MACAU=Thong Alert
I have seen more girls in thongs at our pool yesterday, than I have my entire life.
After the pool, we met Muneer about a 4 bedroom place in the same complex we are staying in. Brand new, modern and 22nd floor with great views in both directions. We snapped it up after we negotiated leather couches that recline, wardrobes and larger softer beds. In Macau, we had to give 4 months worth of rent up front (1 realtor commission, 1st month, last month and 1 security deposit). The apartment is totally sweet and we should be in there by Wednesday or Thursday, so that will give us a week to set up before the kids arrive with Amanda's mom.
With that out of the way, last night we headed to old Taipa village which is the oldest part of the island. The area was full of temples, history and old school architecture. Definitely one of the coolest places. We ate at the Old Taipa Tavern where we had nachos and fish and chips (pretty adventurous we know!). The walk back was a beauty as we overlooked the Venetian and City of Dreams. Quite a night.
Last night we crashed at about 9:30PM and we just woke up at 4:30 AM....so definitely an improvement from night 1. Today we plan on doing some more exploring and relaxing, so I'll let you know what happens in the next day or so.
