Today's approximate path:
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Well, today is Sunday in Macau, which is Saturday night in the USA, so I went to church and then decided that I just had to go for a walk since the weather and everything was absolutely gorgeous. I had seen these strange looking stone mounds on the north-eastern part of Taipa that begged explanation, so with my objective in mind, I headed out. The path I chose led me along a very busy street with rather fast traffic, but with the steel railings and concrete-filled steel tubes that separated me from the traffic it seemed OK. After a half-hour walk along up a slightly-increasing grade, I was part-way up the hill. The traffic had mainly diverted down a different street and my steel railing had apparently abandoned me as well. I couldn't help but notice that on the left-hand side was a curious wall separating the prying eye from something (see below). Of course, I had to see what it was!
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Upon closer inspection, I found that the place on the left was a graveyard, and that there was a 99% chance that what I was headed to was also a graveyard. Since the place promised absolutely no excitement - or anything else, for that matter, during the day - I made the executive decision to head towards a hill I'd seen at the last intersection that seemed to be favored by the traffic as well. After walking by a garbage dump and some empty buildings (see below), I was headed towards the sea!
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At this point, I saw another "mei guo ren" walking nearby. I started up the hill, and saw two more! Something was up... I spied a small restaurant/cafeteria built into a nearby building with the English words "Library Cafe" on the front. I found, after walking in that, like most "fast food" places, this cafe was also run by Lord Stow (of the famous Macanese "egg tarts"). The cafe was cute, filled with students and had a huge menu (quite exciting)!
I started up an English conversation with a student in front of me, who went by the English name Vincent (for fun during our conversation) about what this place was, the location, weather, etc. He told me the place was the "University of Macao", which was soon moving - in three months - to a brand new campus near the shore. Earlier in the day, I had been talking to an English linguistics professor working at the University, so this was quite ironic. I found that Vincent was in his sophmore year, studying electrical mechanics, and had a Physics II exam the next day (tomorrow) and a Calculus III exam later. Pityingly, I wished him good luck and went on to explore the university.
The University library was very nice with enviable views. I noticed that the students had shut the blinds over some windows, though, for more effective studying.. very important to study on Sunday afternoons since the school week is typically six days of classes. The university apartment complexes were also, to overuse the word, enviable. Brand new, they seemed very nice from the outside (also equipped with air conditioners!). See the Google street view below!
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The buildings were very interesting, built into the side of a hill, and the main administrative offices of the university was a massive complex that reminded me of an anthill... each level had openings and windows from which one could look out (or down). I noticed a parking garage two levels below me. Then, on the next level, I found an opening on the same side from which I could look all the way down to the foundational supports! Heights sometimes bother me at the best of times, and I wasn't entirely happy with the exterior platform's railing system (one rail protecting people from falling out of a huge round window was easily rocked just by the touch of a hand). But this trip up to the top was well-worth it. I had a complete view of the Macau of Macao island. The MGM Grand, the 3D Imax theatre, and more! The day, as usual, was quite humid... nevertheless, this and the next several months is the time of year that Macanese use to dry their meat, etc, for next year's supply!
By the time I headed down to street level, I was quite tired. Quite tired indeed! I started my trek back, stopping for occasional photographs, and finally decided the best way to head back to the main area of Taipa was by (1) retracing my former route or (2) taking a taxi. I decided to retrace my steps. Eventually, after walking nonstop for about four hours, I was able to settle down and relax... only to start typing this up some time later. Despite the weariness, the trip was more than worth it and I was able to experience a little bit more of life here in Macau.
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