Travelog for: Genoveva

Today we first have another round of dim sum for lunch.  Then we go take the subway, called MTR in Hong Kong.



This is the entrance to the station.



Hmmm we figure out the fare and get our ticket.



Next we pass through the gate.



And arrive at the platform.



According to the sign, the next train is coming in a minute.



There is a glass panel that keeps people away from the track.  Across the track there are a lot of advertisements.  Sometimes they even play movie trailers.



Wow it's getting crowded.



Train has arrived!



We get onto the metro.



Checking the map again to make sure where we are getting off.



Time to get off!



If you can read these squiggly worms and ink blots it says Causeway Bay, the station we are at now.



Let's see, which way do we go?  They have very good directory and map here. 





Okay, follow me, this way!



We take the escalator up. 



This is an ad for mooncake.  It's a pastry with egg yolk inside.  Traditionally it's eaten on the Mid Autumn Festival, when the moon is supposedly the fullest and brightest in the year.



Here's another ad for milk powder.  There seems to be a lot of ad everywhere inside the MTR.



Causeway Bay is a very busy district for shopping and eating.  This big ad of sushi makes me hungry!



This is Sogo, a Japanese department store. 



They have a Forever 21 here too!



Ahh, David Beckham bodywear.  That looks hot!



The boards behind us are about Fa Lun Kung, a cult that is banned in China.  However, as Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Zone, people can protest over here, whereas if they do the same in China they will certainly get arrested.



We see a food stall where people are enjoying kebabs of different types of meats and veggies.  Street food is very popular here.



This is a tram.  It's the slowest and cheapest mode of transportation in Hong Kong, after walking (which is jokingly called bus number 11 here.)



This shopping center is called Times Square.  It has shops on 9 levels and restaurants on the higher. 





We continue on the street.  Lots of tall buildings here.



And find the place we are looking for.



We come here to check out the Official BookCrossing Zone.
It's the only OBCZ in Hong Kong, a place for people to take and leave books.  How cool it is I get to visit an OBCZ in Hong Kong!

We take along some books to release.



It has a nice bookshelf.



We even find some books in German.



Look, we find a card on the shelf.  It is addressed to us?



Hmm there is a card inside!



It is from the owner, thanking us for visiting and letting us know we are welcome to enjoy the books.  How very nice.



Afterwards, our host takes us to try a dessert we haven't had before. 

We receive the menu.  This is a dessert shop (quite common in Hong Kong) so they only serve desserts.  I am liking their menu already.



So many to choose from!



We are trying a shaved snow or snow ice.  It's a cross between ice cream and shaved ice. Instead of plain ice, the ice blocks are made with juice, fruit or other flavors and then shaved into thin ribbons like wood shaving.

This one is green tea flavor with red beans, coco jelly, condensed milk and tapioca.  It is pretty and delicious, melting like fluffy ice cream in my mouth!

Today we are back in the Tsim Sha Tsui area.  This is the clock tower is at the southern tip of Tsim Sha Tsui, by the harbour.  It is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway, which connects to China.  The Kowloon-Canton Railway was inaugurated on 1 October 1910; but construction was delayed due to the advent of World War I, so the station and the Clock Tower was not completed till 1915.  The clocks have run ever since except during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II.



Where it used to be the station, now is the cultural center, art museum and a garden.  The boardwalk leads to the Avenue of Stars which we visited a few days ago.



The station is right next to the ferry terminal.  You can see the Hong Kong island and the harbour.



This is the outside of the Tourism Office.



We enter the shopping center.  Here is a nice view of the harbour.  You can see the ferry terminal.  The ferry connects people between the Kowloon peninsula and the Hong Kong Island.  Before underground tunnels were built this was the only way to travel.



We check out some of the shops.  This one sells teaware.



Look at these cute turtle bread!  I want one!



Our host is taking us to see an exhibition.  I wonder what it is?



It is a celebration of 100 Years Before Birth of Doraemon.  What does it mean?



Doraemon is a very popular manga and anime character from Japan.  Nobita is a Japanese boy who has bad grades, bad in sports and gets bullied all the time.  His great-great-grand-son sends a robot cat, Doraemon, back from the future in hope that it can help Nobita be more successful and so his descendants lead a better life.  Doraemon has lots of gadgets from the future to help.  The manga is popular in Asia for decades, and in 2002, Doraemon was featured along Aung San Suu Kyi and Hamid Karzai as one of the 22 heroes featured in a special edition of Time Magazine on Asian Heroes. 

The robot cat is supposed to be born in 2112, so this year marks his 100th pre-birthday.  To celebrate there is a big exhibition going on.

This is Doraemon.  There is a whole army of Doraemon statues, each with a different gadget.  Doraemon stores all his gadget inside his pocket.



This is Doraemon and mini-Dora.



This is one gadget that our host remembers fondly she wanted as a kid.  Memory Bread.  You press the bread onto the book and the words get imprinted onto the bread.  Then you eat it and you will remember everything printed on the bread.  But when Nobita eats too much memory bread before the exam, he gets sick and has to go to the toilet, ends up remembering nothing at all.  (So the moral of the story is, children, you just have to study hard, there is no short cut. Though our host is quite sure that if she had the bread she will not over eat.)



But she forgets what most of these gadgets are.



This Mood Band can change your mood by the music it plays.



This purse allows you to pull out things you leave elsewhere.





Be careful! If the ink hits you, everybody will dislike you.



This angel will lead where you wants to go.  But she hates detour!









This lamp has a genie inside, but of course your wishes don't quite come up as you expect.



There is also a cafe.



This is a scene of Nobita marrying the girl he likes.  Guess he grows up to be a better man.

Today we go to the Ladies Market.  It is the most well-known street markets in Hong Kong, where various kinds of products are available for cheap prices.  It sells a lot of clothes, handbags, accessories and stuff, but now it has everything from toy to cell phone covers to souvenirs.  They also have fake name brand stuff and licensed products.  The prices are very cheap and you can test your bargaining skills.  Be warned though, don't expect great quality. 



This stall sells different type of watches.



These Chinese style dresses are pretty.



This one has toys and more.



Handbags and magnets.



Want some blue hair along with a hat?  We have it!



Cell phone covers?  Some are just US$1 or 2.



Gucci or LV handbags?  Most certainly!



T shirts of any character you may like: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Spongebob, Doraemon, Angry Bird, Princesses... only a few dollars each!



If you want some souvenirs this is a nice stall to visit.



And here's more.



Nice cell phone covers!



Aren't these slippers adorable?  Do you recognize all the characters? 



Look at all the toys!!



It is crowded but sure a fun place to visit.

Yay today we go visit Victoria Peak.  Usually referred to as The Peak, it is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island at  552 m. 

In the early days of the colony, the peak attracted European residents for its cooler climate and panoramic view.  The sixth governor had his residence built here in 1868.  In those days they are carried up the hill in sedans. 

Hmmm, nice view indeed!  You can see the tall buildings on Hong Kong Island, the Victoria harbor, and the Kowloon Peninsula from afar.  To the left is IFC, the tallest building in Hong Kong.  The one near the center, with crosses on it, is the Bank of China, at one time the city's tallest building. 





The little red house used to be home for engineers working on the Peak Tramway. It was rebuilt in 1901 as a stop area for sedan chairs, but re-opened as a restaurant from 1947 on.



In 1888 the funicular started service. 



This is the Peak Tower, a shopping and entertainment center.



You can take a peek of the reservoir through the trees. 



As Hong Kong is famous for its shopping, naturally there will be shops here.  The focus is on Hong Kong style products and brands.



Panda t shirts.



This photo shows a common style of buildings in the 60s and 70s.  With people living in crowded small units (they still do, but the buildings look nicer now.)



This is how mailboxes used to look, all lined up on the ground floor for mail to be delivered.



This is a model of a tram. 



This pastry shop sells popular Hong Kong pastries like the egg tart.



Maneki Neko is imported from Japan but very popular here, as it's supposed to bring good luck.  Different colors represent bringing in various things like luck, money, love, health, etc.



This twin set of bracelets is called dragon and phoenix bangles.  In Chinese custom, a bride will wear a set of such bangles on her wedding day.  Most brides don't wear bangles this thick as it will be too expensive, as the bangles are usually made with real gold.  Our host says she has a pair too.



These are cards for tourists, with popular names written in Chinese.



Lots of souvenir shopping again.



This is a shop that specializes in embroideries on shoes.



I like the panda one.



Hmm hmm, very beautiful.



This Two Girls brand is the first local cosmetic brand, selling Florida Water, Face Cream and Hair Oil since 1898.



This is their products.  Very cute packaging.



This is how a Chinese girl's vanity table may look like back in the 50s, with a mahogany table with mirror.  The gold letters on red paper says, Eternal Youth. 

Today we go with our host's mom to the market to shop for dinner.

At the entrance they have a poster suggesting ideas for what to make for dinner.



You can tell from the sign that this is the area for fish and vegetables.



The live crabs are keep in tanks.  I hope they don't escape! Their crabs are tied with water weeds.



Inside the aquariums there are different kind of clams and shellfish.





The fish look really fresh!



I recognize the eggplants and broccoli and bok choi, but some of the vegetables look funny to me.



I see some beets, cabbages and lettuces.



Onions, potatoes, garlic, chestnuts... and the carrots come in orange as well as green!



I know these!  Corn, carrot and tomatoes!



These are different types of dumplings and meatballs, make from beef, pork, fish and even squid.



A lot of eggs!



We also see packages of different beans, cereals and nuts, like almond, barley, kidney beans and more.



The sign says that they have local pork.  People usually prefer local pork over imported ones which came frozen, or the ones from China which may have more chemicals and antibiotics.



You let the butcher know what you want and he will cut it for you.



I think we are all set for a nice dinner!

Today Mocha and I go to the BookCrossing Meetup in Hong Kong.  I am real excited to attend a meetup. 

We go to a coffee shop to enjoy some afternoon tea.  Yum... the cakes look delicious!



After we got kicked out of the coffee shop, we went to the hotel lobby to continue chatting.  We also exchange some books. 



The hotel is in the Mong Kok area, so afterwards we go back to the area near Ladies Market.  There are several streets there close off to traffic and at night it becomes very festive.

This is the Ladies Market we pass on the other day.



Hey there is a Kentucky Fried Chicken shop!



This monk has a sign that says that he is from Thailand and he uses kung fu to break bricks, lie on glasses and do other dangerous things.



One of the artists is doing filigree the other some drawing.



There are also street performances.





This is a banner for a maid cafe, where cute, young waitresses dress up like French maids (and mostly target young men).



These banners are for some face cream and a hotel.


There are a lot of shops.



We spot a Body Shop.



And a Swatch.



Do you think this is a movie poster?



Wrong!  These are ads for tutor schools.



To make sure they get good grades and enter top univsersities, high school students often take extra classes after their regular school to study harder.  The tutors need more than qualifications.  They need to be good looking as well to get the teenagers to sign up their classes!

The balloons look very colorful.



This is another one of our host's favorite dessert shops.



They are famous for their mango desserts.  They also have desserts made with watermelon, aloe vera, coconut and more.  I have to say, they all look very delicious.

It's lunch time again!  Let's see what we will try today!

There is a Cambodian restaurant.



This one is for Northern China cuisine.  They specialize in dumplings and noodles.



This Japanese place has tonkatsu (fried pork chop) and sushi.



Mmm mango desserts! 



That's the place we saw last night!



Too bad we can only pick one.  We end up going to a Taiwanese restaurant.



The decoration inside is quite nice.



Our drinks arrived.  We get a bubble milk tea and a Taiwanese herbal tea that is kind of like passionfruit flower and hibiscus.



Here are the food!



Taiwanese stew beef noodle is very famous, with tender beef and rich broth.



This is a soy sauce marinated mix of eggs, tofu, chicken wings, beef shank and more.



After lunch we visit the post office.  We help our host mail some of her packages.  We weigh the packages, buy the stamp, and now have to lick and put them onto the packages and post cards.  We have a lot of books to mail as they have surface mail for printed matters here, so it's a lot cheaper than in U.S. where they only have airmail and no discount for books.



Off you go, little books!



We also see this cute bag for sale in the post office.

I wonder where we are going today?  We ride on the double decker bus.



Cross Harbour Tunnel?  We are actually going to go under the harbour!!



We are now under the sea!  It's so cool!  I can't see the fishes though.



I think we see light at the end of the tunnel!



We are now on the Hong Kong Island side.  Looks like we are heading to Causeway Bay.





Causeway Bay was a fishing village in the past and the bay was a typhoon shelter for boats.  Today you can still see boats anchored here.



We are hungry!  Let's eat first.  Like many shopping centers here you have a lot of choices.  You have Shanghai, Cantonese, Korean, Steak House, Vegetarian, Teppanyaki, Tempura and more.



We end up eating Japanese ramen. 



This place is called "Ippudo", meaning "one wind hall." It is a Japanese noodle chain that also has stores in New York, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul, and Hong Kong.

Let's look at the menu. 



Hmmm which one should we get?



These are the condiments.  They have pickled ginger, soy sauce, chili pepper, chili oil and sesame.  See the wall?  They decorate it with cakes of noodles.



Our noodle arrives along with a side order of hot spring egg.  Hot spring egg originated by cooking eggs in a hot spring.  The water is warm enough to cook the yolk semi-soft but leaving the egg white soft and custardy.  We never tried this type of egg before and it's very delicious! 



Now we are full, we will do some shopping.  We come to this new shopping center, Hysan Place.



It looks very beautiful.



Look at this shoe made of flowers!



Shops here look very trendy indeed.



We visit Eslite bookstore inside the mall.  It is the largest bookstore in Taiwan, and this branch, opened in August, is the largest bookstore in Hong Kong with over 100,000 books.



It has a nice variation of books.  On the left is a book from a Taiwanese author.  In the center is a Japanese translated book about Cooking and Art.  Then to the right is a book by Anthony Bourdain, a celebrity chef from America.



Let's check out the bestsellers.



I find a copy of The Life of Pi in Chinese!



And this one!



Looks like Young Adult Paranormal is very popular here too.



Oh I totally love this cover of Un Lon Don, one of our host's favorite books. 



This section is dedicated to the best Hong Kong literature writers.





They also have a nice tea shop inside.



Check out the restroom!  Even the sign is done so stylishly.



See the lights? This is a cool restroom!



Is it time for some afternoon snack?  Hmmm... I like these restaurant directories.



This is a French patisserie.  They specialize in macaroons and make them in some very Asian flavors like oolong, jasmine, lychee and sesame.



We also get a chocolate mousse because we want the ramekin. Delicious!   

Sweetie really want to see a temple, so today we are going to visit one!!

Wong Tai Sin is a deity in Taoism.  Wong as a mortal lived around 3-4th century CE, he was a shepherd since 8 but when he was 15 he met an immortal in the mountains and started practising Taoism.  His fame spreaded in Hong Kong when numerous cures were attributed to him during a plague in the area in 1894.  It was said that during the WWII, the Japanese tried to demolish the temple several times but there were always some miraculous intervention.

Today, the temple is among the most popular in Hong Kong.  People come here to pray for cure, for success at work and school, and for love.



We come to the first gate.



This is a protector of the temple.



Oh, we see some statues of the twelve animals from the Zodiac signs. I can recognize the dragon and the rabbit.



and the rooster.



Mr. Piggy is here too!



The goat, the horse,



I think there is the year of rat too?  Oh we find it!  The rat god!!



Now we pass the main gate.



There are some dragon cravings on here and this gate is modeled after the similar ones in Forbidden City.



We come to the main altar.  It's very colorful!



Along the side are craved stone pillars.



We spot a fairy



a general



and a man on a tiger!  They are all fairies in the Taoism mythology.



A lot of people, young and old, male and female, come to say prayer and give thanks by offering incense.



You can get your fortune told here.  It's reputed to be very accurate.  Every New Year's Day, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong will come here to get the fortune told.  First you get a bamboo jar full of thin bamboo sticks.  The sticks are numbered 1 to 100.



You can see the ladies here asking for their fortune.  You kneel down, say your prayer and specify what you want to know.  Like will I marry who-and-who?  Will I get into university?  Will I get a promotion?  When will I have a baby?  Then you shake the jar until a stick falls out.



The number on the stick refers to an oracle.  You can get a copy of the oracle here. 



You can read the oracle and its notes to interpret your fortune.  Or if you like, you can find someone to explain it in detail.





On the side of the main altar are shrines for minor deities.  This one is for the God of Fortune.



The God of Medicine



And this old couple is the God of the Land.  They protect your home and bring blissfulness.



Here is the Three Saints Hall.



Hmm, a very fancy office!



The Door to the Confuscius Hall.



And guarding it a scary lion!



Look how beautiful the ceiling is!



This is the Confucius Hall.



Now we visit the Good Wish Garden by passing through this circular door.



Oh wow this is so beautiful!! 









There are lots of fishes and turtles in the pond.  Can you see them?



This is the Yin Yang Symbol meaning a well balanced universe.



The corridor is made with lots of turns, because Chinese believes that ghosts cannot make turns very well.  So if you walk around in a zig zag way they have a hard time following you!



What a lovely garden.



Although the tall buildings behind do spoil the scenery a bit.



What is this?  A cave?



Let's go exploring!





We come back up the other side of the temple.



This Nine Dragon Wall is modeled after the one in Beijing.  The name Kowloon (Hong Kong is divided into the Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon peninsula which connects to China, and other islands.) literally means Nine Dragon in Chinese.



This is the Old Man in The Moon.  He is supposed to use red threads to tie couples together.  It is believed that two people who are destined together are tied by this invisible thread and they will eventually find each other. 



Here is an instruction of how to hold a piece of red thread in a special way, pray to the Old Man, to help you find the one you love.



A lily pond, but not with real lilies.



The baby lions seem to be doing circus acts.





Good boy!



Another lion!



We go to the souvenir shop to pick up some souvenirs.





They are building a stage with bamboos.



They are getting ready for a temple fair.  There will be Chinese opera, dances, music, snacks and more.  Wish we will be here to attend!

Dessert time again!  (Do you think I look fatter in the photos? I haven't weighed myself but I am worried!)

The newspaper clippings on the wall says that this dessert shop has been around for over 10 years. 



Let's check out the menu.  Mmm, everything looks good.



We decide to have another one of those shaved snow.  But which one?  We want them all!



This time we pick the plum flavor with marshmallow, dragon fruit, coco jelly and banana.  It looks very pretty in pink! 

Our host has packed her luggage again.  Looks like we are heading somewhere?

We pass through immigration at a ferry terminal and now we are in a lobby.



Hmm... I wonder which ship are we taking?  I am so excited we will be heading somewhere new!



We are boarding.



This is the bow of our ship.  It's a hydrofoil, which means that it kinds of float on top of water when it travels, so it can go faster and no bumpy.



The seats here look very comfy.  Much better than the airplane. 



Good bye Hong Kong.



After an hour, looks like we are reaching our destination.



Hey, this ship looks like ours.



We line up to pass through immigration.  Wow lots of people.



Macau welcomes us!

We are very hungry after the journey, so let's go eat lunch!  This time we are going to a restaurant that specializes in Shanghai food.  They have an all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet. 



At the entrance is this display of Chinese white wine.  The poster shows a shark fin soup.  It's made from shark fin, abalone, chicken, ham and other ingredients and is very delicious.  Also very expensive too.  In recent years there are activists who try to persuade people not to eat it, as the sharks are becoming endangered. 



And these are moon cakes, the traditional food for the Mid Autumn Festival, which is coming up. The story goes that back when the Mongolians invaded China, the Chinese passed messages to each other by hiding it in the moon cakes, and used the festival as an excuse to bring the cakes as gifts to each other.  In this way they are able to organize a rebellion that eventually drove the Mongolians out of their country. 



Enough history lesson.  Let's sit down and eat. 



First we got served tea.



He he we are getting like pro as this.  Next step is to mark down what we like on this piece of paper.



We have the Shanghai style cold meat, drunken chicken (chicken cooked in wine) and soup dumpling.



Now we have fried sticky rice stick, dumplings, spare ribs, greens, and a Shanghai dish called Choy Pong Hai.  The name means "Almost as good as Crab."  It is made with egg white and vinegar, stir fried so it resembles shreds of crab meat.  The story goes that Empress Cixi once wanted to eat crabs, but she was nowhere near the ocean or lake.  The royal chef thought up this dish (to save his head), and the Empress enjoyed it very much. 



This one is a rice noodle roll with fried dough inside.  I know it sounds weird but it actually tastes pretty good.  This one is a very typical Cantonese dish, served for breakfast or lunch. 



These little pumpkin dumplings are real cute!  Dim sum chefs are skilled at shaping the dumpling skin to look like different things: fish, rabbit, flower, fruits and more. 

Today our host tells us that we will go visit someone very special.  I wonder who that is? 

First, we have to take the bus.  We wait for the bus at the bus stop.  There is a mail box which is very Chinese looking.



Ah, the bus is here.  Macau is a much small city than Hong Kong, with half a million residents vs 7 million in Hong Kong, so instead of double deckers we get small buses.



The signs are bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese, because Macau was a Portuguese colony.



We pass by some nice looking buildings.  These are casinos and hotels, which we will go later.



Here is the border to China.  After passing immigration you will walk into China!  But that is not on our itinerary this time.



we get off at a park.  Ah, this is a cute panda statue.



We see another one.



Hmm, lots of pandas around!



Oh, we are visiting the giant pandas!



The pandas are called Kai Kai and Xin Xin.  Kai xin means happy in Chinese.

Oh there they are! 



Looks like they are having lunch.



Oh please don't turn your back to us!



Ha ha looks like he is taking a nap.



Back to snacking.



I think panda eats like pig!  Do they do anything besides eating and sleeping?



Looks like they really enjoy the bamboo.



Good bye my new friends!  Be happy!

After saying farewell to our panda friends, we travel on to visit downtown Macau.

We take the bus and cross the bridge from the island.



It feels funny not to be able to read the signs at all.



Can you see a colorful tricolor building?  That's the MGM casino.



This little octagonal building is the first library in Macau.



First stop... you guess it... something sweet!  This place is famous for its pasteis de nata, which originates from Lisbon.



Yummy, they are very delicious.



Notice the red sign? It is shaped like a bat carrying a coin, and indicates a pawn shop.  There are lots of pawn shops in town, near the casinos.



This is the BNU tower.  To keep the historical look, but be able to expand the building, they demolish the building except for the facade and build a new building behind it.



Downtown Macau is a designated UNESCO heritage site.  This is the Largo do Senado.  The tiles on the ground are very typical of what you may find in Portugal, and were laid by artisans from there.



As it is nearing the Mid Autumn Festival, they have built a large Chinese tower and hung lanterns all along the square.  An interesting mix of East and West.





At one end of the square is Leal Senado, which was the seat of Macau’s government during its colonization.



The building is neoclassical style, showing its Portuguese influence.



These tiles are called azulejo, and is very popular in Portugal.



What a beautiful garden!







This is a statue of Camoes, a famous Portuguese poet.



This is the St. Dominic's Church.



The street signs here are very unique.



We pass by some souvenir shops.





There are people walking around with samples of almond cookies.  It is a specialty here that tourists like to take home.



Here you can see the bamboo baskets used to bake the cookies.



There is even Turkish ice cream!  We would have tried some if we are not so full already.



For restaurants not on the main street, they hire people to hold signs telling walker-bys where to go for food.



What is that up there?



It is Macau's most famous landmark, the St. Paul's ruin.  The cathedral was built in 1602 and destroyed by fire in 1835. Only the southern stone façade remains standing.



What is that next to the church ruins?



It's a tiny little temple!



The temple is for Na Ja. According to myths, his mother gave birth to him finally after 3 years and 6 months, and he came out as a little boy that can walk and speak.  Then one day while playing with his friends, a general from the dragon king appeared and captured his friends as sacrifices.  Na Ja wounded the general, then killed the son of the dragon king. 

People offer incenses in this cauldron.



This stove is for people to burn their offerings.



Incenses are made in a large coil so they can burn for a long time.



All that walking leaves us a bit thirsty.  We stop by to get a drink.



We get a rose tea with basil seeds. 

Today we visit the hotels and casinos at Cotai.  This is a newly developed area by reclaiming name from the two islands, Coloane and Taipa.  The Cotai stripe is where the new casinos are. 

There is a Hard Rock Casino.



The shopping arcade here is very beautiful.



We go there to see a new circus show called Dancing Water, similar to Cirque de Soleil, with beautiful stage and exciting acrobatic acts.



The stage looks very beautiful!



Wow it's exciting!





Next we go to the Venice Resort.  It's very beautiful here.



We feel like we are in a palace!





There are some ladies performing traditional Chinese music in the lobby.



We are indoors in the shopping area but the ceiling is painted to look like the sky.











You can even take a gondola ride!



This is modeled after the San Macro square in the real Venice.