Farewell, China

Well, at least for now. I left yesterday morning when I walked across the border at Shenzhen and took a train into Hong Kong, and now I'm sitting at a cafe in Macau. Though both technically Chinese territories, both are considered to be outside the realm covered by a Chinese visa and, my favorite part, you get passport stamps for both.

I was going to title this entry "Bad Things Really Do Happy to Good People" but I realized that that might worry readers and was a bit sensational. The story behind it goes like this: about half an hour ago I was walking through the main square in Macau when I woman approached me asking to donate to a children's health fund and shoved an envelope with a big red cross on it into my hands. It looked fairly legitimate and the woman seemed like the kind of woman who would do charity work, and I figured my karma was in need of a little boosting as I am traveling by myself, so I decided to donate. I put MOP20 into the envelope and handed it back to her. As I started to walk away, I was putting my money back into the coin purse I'd purchased in Hong Kong and somehow managed to turn the thing over dumping my coins everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. It was just starting to get dark and there were people everywhere, and anyone who has been to Macau will be familiar with how much the coins can be worth - I had a handful of MOP5 and 10 valued coins in there (it's like dropping a handful of $10 bills). I somewhat clownishly gathered up what I could, but it was a bit of a lost cause. As I walked away, I thought to myself, "bad things really do happen to good people - or at least normal people who do good things once in a while."

Switching gears, I'd like to say that I'm in love with this part of China. I know I've already posted about the wonder that is Guangzhou, but now I have a bit more perspective on the entire area and my opinion stands strong. I've now been to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau - a trading trio if you will. (I've also been to Shenzhen, but we'll ignore that city) Historically, all three have had a lot to do with each other and with the rest of the world.

After one last day temple and park hopping in Guangzhou, I boarded the train for Shenzhen. What awaited me there was a bit surprising. I've never walked across a border before and didn't really know what to expect. I take that back, I think there was some border crossing by foot in Africa, but I was 11 and with my family. I basically followed a lot of signs that said "Hong Kong This Way" which took me in doors and out doors and in doors again. The whole thing was a bit chaotic. I finally managed to get into a line for "Visitors" where I went through the usual immigration jig (only the "Departing China" and "Entering Hong Kong" immigration lines were separated by about a 10 second walk) and suddenly I was outside, still more or less in Shenzhen but technically no longer in China. There was absolutely nothing different about the other side of the border. Right. Man-made country borders are a bit arbitrary. It made me think of a scene in Robin Hood: Men in Tights when Robin and his trusty side kick are blocked from crossing a bridge over a tiny stream in the forest by Little John, at that point still a stranger. Robin starts picking a fight and his friend tries desperately to convince him it wasn't worth it by jumping back and forth across the stream saying "I'm on this side of the river, I'm on the other side of the river, I'm on this side of the river, I'm on the other side of the river..." Well, I crossed my own bridge, only over a slightly bigger river, and my Little John was an Immigration Control Officer who was convinced that I didn't look like my passport picture. I'd like to point out that the picture was taken in April of this year.

I took a train into Hong Kong where I met my friend Giddeon from Kunming for a dim sum lunch. We spent the day wandering around Central and Causeway Bay and comparing China to Hong Kong and other Asian countries. He was on his way to Japan where he was spending the summer working for his uncle. This and similar conversations with other travelers has made me really wish that I had taken time to see other countries in the area while I was here. Going to Thailand and Vietnam and Myanmar and Laos and Japan and Korea seems a thousand times more interesting. The only country I really have to compare China to is America, and, well, of course they are drastically different. Maybe next summer I'll do a two month tour of Asia (parents willing, of course).

From Hong Kong, I took a ferry over to Macau where I was met with Portuguese architecture, language, and food. I spent today walking around the peninsula, trying the street food and visiting the churches, temples, and museums. Even more so than Guangzhou and Hong Kong, I feel like I am no longer in China. There are bakeries with cute pastries and European style shopping. There are walking streets and museums. The people speak Portuguese. It is incredible. Things that a traveler would take for granted in Europe amaze me because I have to keep reminding myself that this is in fact still China. It's given me a clearer view of what exactly I associate with China and what to me seems foreign. The thing that stuck out the most was the colorful buildings - yellows and pinks and blues. I never would have noticed otherwise, but you just don't see pastel colored buildings in China, or any colors at all unless it is meant to be traditional architecture.

Well, as much as I am enjoying Macau, I must move on. Tomorrow - Xiamen, described in Lonely Planet as follows "With its lovely colonial-style buildings and refreshing ocean breezes, Xiamen is one of the most pleasant cities to visit in Fujian" (334). Hopefully it is as amazing as the bible has made it sound!