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...

Xiamen or Xiamen Island is a relatively small city with nearly 4 million people. There are buses and cars, taxies and even ferries and even a handful of bridges that allow people coming in and out of the city to the neighboring ones. It even has an airport! It's considered one of the most romantic leisure city and ranked 2nd place for most suitable living in China.  And its here in this city that the most famous temple resides. Nanputuo Temple. People from around the world come to walk around its beautiful lotus gardens and water ponds. The temple is free to go in but and there are monks walking around so people must be respectful when paying their respects to the many gods and goddesses that are worshiped here. I had to fortunate accident to meet a few monks and I was surprised that they spoke English...and well too! I had accidentally wondered into their living quarters (outdoor patio) section of the temple by a simple door that was not guarded by a temple worker...