In a typical week we have meetings, contacts with members, make lots of phone calls and send lots of text messages, and do our jobs in the branch. We have been out wandering a little--trying to meet people, and trying to find our way around STILL. Macau is someplace you'd never really get to know--there are little alleyways, narrow streets, little openings into courtyards from strange doorways, mostly one-ways, etc. etc. We have been to some places we'll NEVER be able to find again!
We continue to be amazed at the city of Macau and the culture; some parts of the city are so old. The streets themselves fascinate us--they used lots of tile and some of the streets have very intricate patterns in them. It's a wonder to us that there aren't a thousand accidents when it rains because the streets get so slippery--and the motor scooters are just wild and crazy, zipping all over the place at high rates of speed and usually without looking.
We were in the area called San Mah Louh (the oldest part of the city) the other day and saw a parade which snaked its way down the hill from the Ruins of St. Paul to Senado Square. It was quite a production—see the pictures below. We tried to find out what it was all about, but couldn’t. We were told that there are parades all the time and for any reason—the people here just love to have them.
We have finally worked out the bus system enough that we can get close to where we need to go, and even get back home again in a reasonable time--and without ending up at the Barrier Gate! Now, if we can find a bus that will drop us off at our door....
We have been to Taipa and Coloane (the other islands in the Macau peninsula) a couple of times. We took a ride over one day just to see if we could do it--and visited a beach called "Hac Sa" or "Black Sand". It is a beautiful beach, and even though the weather wasn't very good the day we were there, there were lots of people. An entire boys' school was having some kind of an outing that day, and practically filled the area. They were having a great time. The schools over here are numerous; the children ALL wear uniforms--different uniforms for each school. (It's the same in Hong Kong.) They have classes in each school all the way from kindergarten through the end of high school. The littlest kids are so neat when they go outside of their schools--they all hold onto each other for dear life and the teachers shepherd them like ducklings all over the place. Even the pre-schools have uniforms.
We decided to go to McDonald's for supper the other night; we got together with the Chinese missionaries and asked them how to say a few things, like: "Super-size it" (that was Roland's main request!), or "For here”, or “To go", or "No sauce, please" (this was mine--they put a horrible sauce on the Big and Tasty and it ruins it!). So, we get there, and we get everything we asked for EXCEPT that they put lots of sauce on the Big and Tasty's. Roland says he got his part right, but that I messed up. I say that he was so busy saying his one line, "Gau daaih, gau daaih" that they couldn't hear me saying "Mouh jau". Anyway, we had to waste a couple of french fries (which are JUST like the ones in America!) scraping off the nasty sauce. As missionaries we have to sacrifice in some things... We are thankful for McDonald's now and then.
The "Horse Girls" and the "Scary-Faced Guys" in the parade at San Mah Louh.
Hac Sa Beach on a cloudy day (left) and one of the Streets of Macau (right).
