Macau

[Bamboo Grove]

After 15 years in Finland, I'm returning to Asia. Will fly to Hong Kong via Doha and spend two nights in Hong Kong. Then I will take a ferry to Macau where my new job will be. I received a teaching job in a newly established international school there. It will officially open early in September. They will use Finnish teaching methods and many of the school books are translations from books used in Finnish school. I don't know which class I will get but in the beginning there are only grades 1-3 so they will be young kids. The contract is for one year and it is possible to make annual extentions to it.

This coming week, starting from Thursday will be hunting for a place to live in (extremely expensive in Macau) and sorting all kinds of things that need to be done for living. There will be other teachers from Finland as well and as it is a trilingual school (English, Mandarin, Portuguese), also teachers from Portugal in addition to local teachers.

If any of you have any real life experiences about Macau, I'd be happy to hear about them. I've been there twice in 1987 and 1989 so it is very different now.

[PeteC]

Much success BG. A big adventure, but that's what makes life interesting. Keep us updated.

[buksida]

Sounds like an epic adventure. Never been to Macau so looking forward to reading this thread as it develops.

[Lost]

Awesome BG! Wish you the best on your new venture. More countries should look at (copy ) how Finland does schooling as it consistently rates as the best education in the world.

[Nereus]

I cannot help you with up to date facts BG, but I will say that there will be some well educated little Asian running around Macau in the future!

I never did meet you, and fortunately I was talked out of buying your little bar in Hua Hin all those years ago! Good luck to you to be able to follow a dream.

You are probably well up with the current situation, but the following is the advice from the Australian Government:

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destin ... asia/macau

[Bamboo Grove]

Thanks all. Nereus, thanks for the link. Looks very much like Bangkok, where I lived 13 years, 1989-2002 before moving to Hua Hin.

[caller]

Good luck in your new venture. 43 years since I was there, so really can't help you, but being just an hour from HK could be useful!

[Dannie Boy]

I have only been to Hong Kong and that was 25 years ago as a tourist - from what I’ve read, Macau is very busy with tourists (mainly from China) and the locals are not particularly friendly towards outsiders so I wish you well.

[Bamboo Grove]

After a horrible trip: Helsinki - Doha 6 hours, Doha from 00.00 to 7.45 at the airport, flight from Doha to Hong Kong 8 hours and then trying to locate my hotel at midnight for one hour. Started getting better then, I spent two nights and a day in Hong Kong, getting accustomed to the time difference, which was no problem after the 24+ hour trip. I went to the places I used to like in Hong Kong: the Peak, Stanley Bay and the Smuggler's Inn, planned to go to Chungking Mansions for Indian curry but skipped that as I wasn't hungry and the restaurants there just pissed me off and Ned Kelly's Last Stand pub.

The Peak had become a shopping mall like place with Burger Kings and all kinds of souvenir shops, even local Madam Tussauds and all wanted your money. Took a few photos and left, it had lost it's charm. The Smuggler's Inn was as nice as I remembered and the road over the hills was as beautiful and exciting as ever. Ned Kelly's woke a lot of old memories from the late 80's. Have to say the beer prices are even more expensive in Hong Kong pubs than they are in Finland so one in each was sufficient and then I returned to my hotel.

Took the ferry to Macau today and went to have a quick look in the area. I found a supermarket and went in to check the prices. I bought 4x500 cans of Tsingtao beer for 121 Baht and other things were also much cheaper than in Finland. Quite a nice start. The hotel that the company has paid up to 10 nights is also very nice. Will meet the headmaster and Finnish/Portuguese colleges in couple of hours time.

[buksida]

The Peak was very touristy the last time I was up there in 2015 ... but the views made up for it.

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I bought 4x500 cans of Tsingtao beer for 121 Baht and other things were also much cheaper than in Finland.

Much cheaper than Thailand too by the sounds of it, though most of Asia is for beer. Macau sounds like a good road trip plan.

[pharvey]

Oh I do miss Kowloon of old (not so much Hong Kong Island). Ned Kelly's, the "street and market restaurants" etc. There used to be a Macau Restaurant just across the road from the Hyatt which had constant queues (deservedly so just for the lamb/mutton curry!!).... God I'm envios!!

Best of luck to you on your new adventure!!

[Bamboo Grove]

Some of the photos so far. I don't know why I can't put some of the photos straight.

BG on the Peak in 1989

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Peak in 2023. The view is still nice but the location of the 1st photo is gone, it's now a tower (shopping mall)

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The roads over the hills are curvy and narrow, sometimes I wonder how the busses can pass each other but that's what makes the roads so exciting.

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The road to Stanley Bay from Central is one of my favourites in Hong Kong Island and the views are great. This is Repulse Bay.

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Reaching the Stanley Village, which is one of the oldest areas where the Brits lived in HK but it was an easy target for pirates and later the Japanese. It's nice to sit in this pub and have a lazy beer or two. Just one this time, with the prices being high.

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Then in the evening, another of my old favourites, mentioned also by pharvey, The Ned Kelly's Last Stand. Used to go there quite often to listen to the house band play jazz. Now I only had one happy hour beer.

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Part of the price list at Ned Kelly's.

[Big Boy]

Hope you don't mind BG, but I've fixed your photos.

[Bamboo Grove]

Of course, I don't mind, that's great. Thanks. Can you tell me how to do it? They stand straight on my computor.

[Big Boy]

Access them through file manager. On the bottom line, there should be a rotate left and rotate right button. Rotate them to the correct orientation before upload.