Hong Kong/Macau/China: Oinkers' Paradise!

25th April 2007

have deleted some photos in this album. the whole thing is archived in original posts under ".:CN-HK-MC-2007:. day xx: xyz" on my other photo site http://saudades.proboards.com
--------------------------------------------------
finally finished pp'ed the trip photos. phew... took months but i did it! :) i'm going to delete some in this album but everything is still stored here: http://saudades.proboards.com

many photos were taken in near complete darkness so please excuse the graininess/lousy quality! my poor Sony is now dead :(

-------------------------------------------------
just returned from a fantastic 7 week oinking holiday. HK is incredible! Thank you HK, for the brilliant smoking ban! Saw more minority people than real Chinese on this trip, with the exception of HK, Macau, Guangzhou, and Yangshuo [too many package tourists from Guilin! and domestic sheep!]. Endless hair-rising minibus rides on endless scary mountain roads! The way (minority) people gawk at tourists/us has raised another bar! As has the train ticket purchasing experience in Guiyang (bloody hell!)! Seen plenty of horrific (Asian) toilets in all my years backpacking but those on this trip will haunt me for the rest of my days! :( Dimsum in Guangzhou and Zhaoqing is exquisite, and cheap! Macau -whose history precedes HK by 300 years- is delightfully different, feels a little like I was still in Portugal [was just there 2 months or so prior to this holiday]! Saw nearly zero foreign tourists in mountain towns and villages. Wondrous (tea) terraced fields along the way alone are worth all those harrowing minibus rides in the mountains! Rampant smoking in public/enclosed places is absolutely DESPICABLE!!! If you have a weak respiratory system then take good care!

Photos are being processed and uploaded. Original post-processed pics are first posted here [http://saudades.proboards.com] with remarks/observations. cheers.
----------------------------------my itinerary:-----------------

2007.03.01 AMS-LHR-HKG -HK--by catamaran-> Macau- [pass through Zhuhai] -Zhaoqing- [pass through Wuzhou] -Yangshuo- [pass through Guilin] -Longsheng- [side trip Ping An to see terraces] -Sanjiang-Zhaoxing [incredible terraces!] -Diping- [pass through Zhaoxing again] - [pass through Liping] -Rongjiang-Kaili --by train-> Guiyang --by train-> -Kunming- [side trip Shilin to see Stone Forest] -Gejiu- [pass through Nansha] -Yuanyang [most spectacular terraces OMG!] - [pass through Nansha again] - [pass through Jianshui] - Shiping- [pass through Yuanjiang] - [pass through Mojiang] - [pass through Pu Er] -Simao-Jinghong- [side trip San Cha He] -Lancang- [pass through Xiao Hai Jiang] - [pass through Shuangjiang]- Lincang [pass through Bao Shan] - Luxi-Ruili - [pass through Tengchong] - Bao Shan-Dali- DLU/Dali --by air-> CAN/Guangzhou --by train-> Hong Kong-HKG-LHR-AMS 2007.04.20

570x435 _20070302-HKDinner01.jpg	570x435 _20070302-HKDinner02.jpg	570x435 _20070302-HKDinner03.jpg	824x410 _20070302-HKDinner04.jpg
440x717 _20070302-HKDinner05.jpg	770x360 _20070302-HKSnack.jpg	411x570 _20070302-HKSoyMilk.jpg	570x435 _20070302-HKStreetFood01.jpg
570x435 _20070302-HKStreetFood02.jpg	570x435 _20070302-HKStreetFood03.jpg	470x617 _20070302-HKStreetFood04.jpg	824x410 _20070303-HKBreakfast02.jpg
700x700 _20070303-HKDinnerThePeak01a.jpg	670x488 _20070303-HKMarket01.jpg	570x435 _20070303-HKMarket02.jpg	570x435 _20070303-HKMarket03.jpg
570x435 _20070303-HKMarket04.jpg	570x435 _20070303-HKMarket05.jpg	570x435 _20070303-HKMarket06.jpg	570x435 _20070303-HKMarket07.jpg
570x435 _20070303-HKMarket08.jpg	435x570 _20070303-HKMarket09.jpg	770x295 _20070303-HKPasteiDeNata.jpg	570x435 _20070304-HKDinner01.jpg
570x435 _20070304-HKDinner02.jpg	824x410 _20070304-HKDinner03.jpg	770x391 _20070304-HKDinner04.jpg	570x435 _20070304-HKDriedMeats.jpg
570x435 _20070304-HKDriedSeafood01.jpg	570x435 _20070304-HKDriedSeafood02.jpg	435x570 _20070304-HKDriedSeafood03.jpg	670x488 _20070304-HKNoodleSoup.jpg
670x550 _20070304-HKVinhoGrangeD_or.jpg	570x437 _20070305-MacauBeerMacau.jpg	570x435 _20070305-MacauDinner01.jpg	670x488 _20070305-MacauDinner02.jpg
670x342 _20070305-MacauDinner03.jpg	570x435 _20070305-MacauLunch01.jpg	488x670 _20070305-MacauLunch02.jpg	570x435 _20070305-MacauLunch03.jpg
824x410 _20070305-MacauVinhoQuintaDosPatudos.jpg	570x432 _20070306-Breakfast02.jpg	570x435 _20070306-MacauBreakfast01.jpg	470x614 _20070306-MacauBreakfast03.jpg
570x435 _20070306-MacauDinner01.jpg	570x435 _20070306-MacauDinner02.jpg	770x360 _20070306-MacauLunch01.jpg	570x435 _20070306-MacauLunch02.jpg
570x435 _20070306-MacauLunch03.jpg	470x614 _20070306-MacauPresuntoBisaro.jpg	295x770 _20070306-MacauVinhoTentacao.jpg	440x717 _20070307-MacauBreakfast01.jpg
570x435 _20070307-MacauBreakfast03.jpg	670x342 _20070307-MacauBreakfast04.jpg	770x295 _20070307-MacauColoaneDriedFish.jpg	470x614 _20070307-MacauColoanePastei.jpg
770x295 _20070307-MacauColoaneSerradura.jpg	470x614 _20070307-MacauDinner.jpg	770x295 _20070307-MacauLunch02.jpg	440x717 _20070307-MacauVinhoCavaleiros.jpg