Quick Asia Update

I've had 5 sleeps and 5 days of work since returning from our epic Christmas/New Years travels, and am just now starting to feel human again.  I don't have the mental energy (or physical for that matter, I have morphed into a matinee) to do a proper blog post about it so here is a taster for those keen to hear about it.

First stop: Sydney, Australia

We hadn't originally planned to stop in Sydney but thanks to Cathay Pacific being the best airline ever (more on that eventually) we got a free flight there before heading on to Asia.  My cheap ass isn't about to turn down anything free and we hadn't yet visited not-Australia's-capital-even-though-you-think-it-is.

We enjoyed the sights, such as this, which you may remember messed up Jean Valjean's face:

And this, which nobody ever tells you is made out of shower tiles:

We visited Bondi beach, which was nothing to write home about, though it was partially our fault since we didn't have time to do the coastal walks that make Bondi worth visiting:

I liked Sydney more than I thought I would.  With the exception of one very cold and rainy weekend just over the New South Wales border I hadn't been outside of the state of Queensland since moving here 10 months ago.  Oops.

Also of note: a koala tried to rape my face:

Second stop: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.  Ironically it also was the breeding ground for the worldwide SARS epidemic.  I'm still waiting to see if I'm going to be patient zero for some crazy animal-based illness that may or may not wipe out the human race.

It's Asia alright.  Lines everywhere.  Everywhere!

And no floor 4 in buildings because the word for "four" sounds like the word for "death".

Spoiler alert: Just because you call it something different doesn't mean it's not the fourth floor!

It's a wild mix of traditional and modern, modest living and horrifying overindulgence.

Third stop (day trip): Macau

Speaking of horrifying overindulgence, we visited another SAR, this one dedicated to the Chinese national past time of gambling.  Macau pulls in more revenue than Vegas but make no mistake, this is not a partying/vacation/entertainment destination.  This is serious gambling.

Serious, gawdy gambling.  That totally looks like Portugal!

Fourth stop: Taipei, Taiwan

We visited a Buddhist temple.

And the world's tallest building (from 2004 to 2010 before the Burj Khalifa done gone and ruined it), Taipei 101.

Asia is all about contrasts, mainly old vs. new and rich vs. poor.

I am so lucky to have the opportunity to have gained ten pounds there.