Life without 24/7 internet………

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Saturday, September 6h, 2008

Well I guess I was choosing the wrong hotels to stay in.

Never mind, life without 24/7 internet access is not that bad and internet cafes are generally not that far away to get that must have “web fix” every now and again.

I spent a couple days in Guangzhou, caught up with a few chefs.

I consumed a number of nice meals- the feeding frenzy began with a Turkish lunch followed by Vietnamese, Japanese and South American BBQ.

Guangzhou has an abundance of culinary options available. A welcome addition to my diet- Chengdu is struggling in the field of dining options.

I took the early train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong- Kowloon.

Due to the fact that the size of my luggage was abnormal I was forced to hail a cab- my hotel was on the Island side.

The Kowloon / Island thing is just as bad the Melbourne / Sydney rivalry.

I made it to the hotel in one piece – I got an early check-in as well as a complimentary upgrade to a suite. Not a bad effort!!!

Hong Kong was my base for one night. In the evening I caught up with Chef G. for an Indian dinner- what a feast, the food was A1.

I headed back to my suite, repacked the bags, set the alarm to ensure I did not miss my pre-booked taxi to the airport.

Well and behold the cab failed to appear, as a result I was forced to find an alternative mode of transport. I made it to the airport on time, had a fairly speedy check-in.

Departure was on time, touchdown in Manila was on time.

My pre-arranged taxi was awaiting me at the front of the arrival hall. Made it to the hotel in record time due to the fact that it was a designated public holiday, hence the traffic congestion was not as heavy as one expected.

To cut a long story short the hotel was far from expectations so I checked out 4 days earlier than the original plan.

Managed to find an alternative abode nicely presented and appropriately priced.

Manila is developing- there are in fact many more hotels in either the development stage or in the planning.

I visited Manila Ocean Park, spent a fair bit of time at the malls. They are worlds within themselves, especially the Mall of Asia.

Managed to catch up with a couple of chefs within the network, had a great chin wag discussing numerous topics.

It is now Saturday afternoon; I am having a relaxing time- it is almost time to begin repacking the luggage for the early check-out the following morning.

I touched down in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon and took the ferry to Macau.

How convenient is that!!!

I reached the pre-booked Hotel in no time what so ever.

On this occasion I utilized the services of www.hotelclub.net to arrange the hotel- managed to find the hotel I was looking for complete with breakfast included.

Turned out to be a great find- normally I try to locate hotels around the $USD60.00 mark.

These days it is getting harder and harder to meet that mark.

The last time I was in Macau was during Christmas 2005; I can assure you that there has been a major transformation between then and now as far as the urban landscape goes.

What once were trenches and scaffolding are now well seasoned structures.

I guess that at the end of the day the development of Macau goes hand in hand with that of mainland China.

A number of big players have entered the market in Macau with many more coming soon.

In addition a number of the original identities from the Macau skyline are undergoing refurbishment/ renovation.

Over the days that followed I frequented some of the properties within Macau’s 5* portfolio.

I must admit I am reconsidering adjusting my policy of staying in hotels in the $USD60.00 price bracket and allowing for a slight increase in that particular line in the budget.

I am not a gambling man; however I did find time to spin a wheel or two on the slot machines in the gambling houses- although lady luck did not seem to be on my side.

During the daylight hours I visited a number of the tourist spots, namely the Macau Tower, Ruin’s of St. Paul’s, Fisherman’s Wharf etc etc

I caught up with many chefs from within the network. It was a pleasure to discuss many topics. Thank you for taking out of your busy schedules to meet with me.

Have to say that after my earlier visits to Macau I became particularly fond of the local Macanese cuisine, widely referred to as one of the original Fusion cuisines of the world.

In a number of cities in southern China you can find authentic Macanese cuisine via a group of restaurants called Macau Street.

All in all Macau is a wonderful place. It is the place for relaxing, sightseeing, shopping, partying and enjoying.

One of the best things about Macau is the transport system; especially the readily available complimentary bus shuttle service between the ferry terminal and the numerous hotels/ casinos.

In addition the taxis are of an adequate supply 90% of the time.

My last night in Macau was the main highlight of the entire trip.

I was lucky enough to catch the world premiere of Cirque de Soleil http://tinyurl.com/6nrx6w held at the ZAIA theatre in the Venetian Resort/ Casino.

I highly recommend you see this show if the opportunity presents itself.

The trip is coming to a close- it is time to make my way to the ferry terminal to take the ferry back to Hong Kong. The journey was of a pleasant nature.

I arrived in Hong Kong @ approximately 3pm took a short rest and then ventured out to grab a bite to eat.

Over the years I have not been overly impressed with Hong Kong; however I just use it as a crossroad from A to B to C.

I had 2 nights in Hong Kong, did a little bit of shopping and managed to snap a number of shots of the night skyline.

At this particular point in time I am looking forward to getting back to my base in Chengdu.

The time is continuing to dash by- it is almost time to make my way to Kowloon and jump on the train back to Guangzhou whereby I caught the afternoon flight to Chengdu.

I made it to the Guangzhou East Railway Station without dilemma and proceeded to take the Airport Express Bus from across the road of the train station to Guangzhou’s Baiyun Airport.

I arrived in good time; I in fact had time to grab lunch at the Novotel, located adjacent to the airport then I ventured to check-in counter- had a flawless check-in and made my way to the departure gate. The flight was on time and a smooth journey was experienced.

Made it back to my home base without drama, work duties continued soon after.

Until next time.

Take care

Chef Matthew J.G

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