Hello again ladies and gentlemen! I hope you're all doing well today. It was a very busy day for Euphy and I. We started out with some administrative work - we're having wedding photos taken tomorrow and we needed to go to the photographer's so that Euphy could pick out what dresses she'll be wearing. It sounds like this photo shoot will be a big part of our day tomorrow. We're having photos taken in three different locations, involving multiple outfits. It will be quite the production, but with any luck we'll end up with some really great photos to share with you.
After that round of dress "shopping" we headed out to the seashore. Hai Tao drove us out to a good vantage point where we could get a look at the opera house that is being constructed. It's going to be out in the water, and right now it's mostly just a massive array of scaffolding. Given the skeletal nature of the structure and the fact that it was a bit foggy today I ended up with some slightly spooky shots. I look forward to getting those up on the blog as soon as I'm able.
Since I didn't really get to experience snake as it's meant to be eaten yesterday they took me out to another place for lunch where I could give it another go. This time we were able to get a snake of a suitable size and it was prepared in the typical manner. There still isn't a ton of meat on one of these things, but the texture of what's there is glorious. I still wasn't getting a lot of flavour from anything other than the seasoning coating the meat. I have to say that while I really enjoyed the snake, I think you could get the same effect with that seasoning mix on properly prepared chicken or fish. The texture might not be the equal to snake meat, but farming those other options is easier, and far less bitey.
After lunch we headed out to an interesting area on the outskirts of Zhuhai. Apparently the government is in the process of building it up into a financial centre that they're hoping will eventually rival Hong Kong. They've started by making it a designated duty-free zone, and they've also allowed the University of Macao to expand onto mainland Chinese soil while still being considered part of the semi-independent Macao. All very interesting moves and it will be exciting to see the impact of these projects in 10 years time.
A couple projects in this new stretch of town have already wrapped up, and that's why we were there. There are three new hotels which are definitely taking their cues from Las Vegas and neighbouring Macao- gigantic, extravagant, and outrageously themed. We wandered around the Chimelong Heng Qin Bay Hotel, an ocean-themed resort complete with dolphins and sea turtles frolicking in a pool. No expenses spared at this place.
After enjoying the free dolphin show we headed next door to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, which is an oceanic theme park. The concept reminded me of Marineland back home; like a zoo with roller coasters. The "go big or go home" attitude was also evident at Ocean Kingdom which boasts 5 Guinness World records: Largest aquarium tank; largest underwater viewing dome; Largest aquarium; Largest aquarium window; and largest acrylic panel. Those all essentially relate to the same thing, which is an absolutely enormous aquarium housed inside a building shaped like a Whale Shark. It was quite the site to behold, and I amused myself for a very long time trying to do it justice in photos. I'd like to state for the record that trying to take photos through glass in a dark room is a fool's errand. Still, it was worth a shot.
I'm now back at the hotel, resting my incredibly weary feet. It's just about time for me to call it a night since it sounds like we'll have a very busy day tomorrow with the photos. I'll be sure to check in and let you know how it goes. Until then, have a lovely day!
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