The Kumkuat Korner

Macau reminded me very much of Hong Kong and Las Vegas at the same time. Where Hong Kong used to be governed by the British, Macau was governed by the Portuguese.  The primary language is Cantonese and Portuguese. Even the dialect sounds like some weird fusion of both Cantonese and Portuguese. You can see the influence of the Portuguese everywhere. The buses, the streets, the restaurants and the buildings. It's everywhere. Many buildings and businesses had Macanese names that showed their Portuguese and Chinese roots How did the Portuguese get Macau you ask? Around the year 1535, Portuguese merchants quickly settled and somehow took over as a Portuguese colony. The Ming Dynasty literally LEASED Macau to Portugal because it was a great port for trading. 200 years later Portuguese arm twisted  forced made a treaty from China agreeing to let Portugal keep sovereignty over Macau. China was, during this time, unstable and the Portuguese government knew that and use...

Earlier during the month I took a trip to Shanghai with a couple of friends and one of the things we were adamant about seeing was Disneyland. I mean come on! It's Disneyland!! Despite only being relatively new (It celebrated its 1st year since its Grand Opening) it felt like I had been transported back to my childhood memories of me and my mom running around Disneyland and hugging all the characters and taking millions of pictures. However, I was taken aback with how vastly different  Shanghai Disney and my California Disney is. Shanghai Disney like mash of Disney's California Adventure and Disneyland rolled into one (mind you I've NEVER been to Disney's California Adventure by the way). Let me tell you why they're different. Shanghai Disney HAS NO Toon Town (There are a few stores in the Mickey's Avenue when you come in that have a toonish concept but not a whole zone like in the one in California) NO Main Street U.S.A. (It didn't b...