Finally, a sunny day in Macau! Went walking thru Old Taipa with my friend and fellow Jamaican, Ron.
Loved the music playing in the first café we stopped in. The sort of stuff I love(d) listening to on Claudia Marshall’s show on Fordham U’s radio station WFUV-FM (90.7) when I was in NYC. Of course, I can still enjoy it now thanks to the internet, but it’s not exactly the same! In any case, check out the song’s perfect lyrics for my last day in Macau (I’ll add a link to it in the comments)
Walked around…
Recorded a few videos…
Thanks to Ron, I had a great meeting and conversation-cum-coaching session with Macau passionpreneur Hailey, proprietress of one of his favorite spots, a café called Céleste Artisan 943, in Taipa Village. Stay tuned, I’ll be posting the full session (containing lots of tips and advice for current and aspiring passion seekers) on the @askavegan as well as @therealpassionpreneur channel on Youtube (subscribe now).
Hailey, Ron & Me
Ron headed back home to prepare for work. I walked around a bit by myself, shopped at Park & Shop (great store with healthy items)…
stopped at Lotus for some wheatgrass/kale/moringa/spirulina powder. Picked up a new subscriber to the @askavegan Youtube channel (Thanks, Lourdes! Should have taken a photo!) and called it a day! Leaving for Cambodia tomorrow!
Requested by men in The West as well as those who’ve escaped to The East, I’ve decided–in a series of shorts– to share a few private thoughts and observations about my personal life since moving to this side of the world. Let the oft-requested Dating in Asia Chronicles begin!
“Aren’t you UPSET??” he asked. Here’s what I replied…
Today’s topic: What’s YOUR Travel Attitude for the Unexpected? (plus: Messy House Guests!!)
What’s more important when you travel, speed, price or direct route? What do you do when things don’t go as planned? Are you a messy house guest? All this and more in this reality check from the Vegan Jamaican in China!
Last time, I showed you what I pack in my allowed carry-on item. (I pack for speed of travel). This time, I’ll share what I keep near me at all times in my “personal item.” These are the irreplaceable, valuable, oft-accessed items during my travels. Check it out:
After not traveling since pre-pandemic 2018, I’m slowly getting back into the nomadpreneur headspace. Basically, I’m just walking around the streets, observing life, noticing patterns and allowing my wanderlust to re-ignite. Not too much interacting except for the required wait staff, cashiers, Grab™ (Uber clone) drivers, and the occasional random stranger who’ll ask, “So, what country you from?” (A Filipina lady in SM supermarket in Manila said I looked like I’m from the Middle East and she wanted to practice her Arabic!)
In any case, I’ll do my best to get into the performer headspace for my upcoming colonic in Hong Kong on Monday, and my Thailand trip next week. Traveler alert: The Thai visa application process is now completely online. There is no longer a need to visit the Thai consulate in person:
From 26 September 2021, 11.00 PM (UTC), it is no longer required for e-Visa applicant to submit his/her passport and original supporting documents in person at the Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate. After the e-Visa application has been approved, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to applicants. It is kindly requested to print a copy of the confirmation e-mail to present to airline and Thai Immigration officials to carry out checks when travelling to Thailand.
Meanwhile, here are some shots and video clips of my day in Macau:
Macau in the morning (about 5:30am):
On my way to Sum Yuen Vegetarian Restaurant
This is actually my SECOND time here since arriving ONE day ago! It was the first place I visited right after landing at 7pm yesterday!
I arrived at 2:30pm, JUST as the kitchen closed for the day (to reopen at 5:30pm). However, the staff was kind enough to allow me to order and dine…
After serving my order and having me pay (so they could close out the day shift), the girls went home (or wherever they go for their three-hour break), and I dined alone–like really alone, as in no one, not even staff in the restaurant! The front desk manager left after charging my card. The last waitress to leave gave me the plastic take-out bowls I requested and then she too left.
After my meal, I walked around Nova Mall for about an hour (purchased some Terra chips at Taste™, hopped on a free shuttle provided by my host’s apartment complex, and took a drive through Macau! I’ll document that in a video!
Here’s the plan. I’ll head to Macau for a few days. While I’m there, I’ll likely get a colonic in Hong Kong as well as secure my entry visa for my next visit to Thailand.
Want to see what and how I pack for my digital nomadpreneur, minimalist, vegan traveler adventures? Video coming soon to the AskaVegan Youtube channel! Subscribe!
Meanwhile, here are a few random shots around Manila.
The street vendor’s son
Eating at iVegan. I’ll definitely be back!
Outside iVegan. I’ll probably do a review video soonWaiting on the flight to MacauOn the flight to Macau
April 28, 2023: Heading to Manila, Philippines to help a friend do some work on his home. Here are some shots from my current Jamaican in China…and Beyond adventure! I’ll go into more detail in the video currently being edited!
Passing over Goat Island just south of Tinian on the way to GuamHad about a six-hour layover on Guam, so I rented a car from Toyota and visited some old haunts!Had lunch and picked up a few items at Simply Food, Seventh Day Adventist restaurant, Agana Heights, GuamNighttime over ManilaManila Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Staying in a friend’s empty condo, so I’ll have to buy a few things for comfort later in the morning!Morning in Parañaque, Manila from a 10th floor balconyRooftop view! More to come! Stay tuned!
Let the Jamaican in China Question & Answer session begin!
“How much money did you save before you quit your civil engineering job (plus the next logical question once you hear my answer)? Is it expensive to travel as a nomadpreneur?”
Ask YOUR question in the comments section of the video!
A few weeks ago, a former workshop attendee and coaching client revealed that she nominated me to be considered for this year’s Governor’s Humanities Award here on Saipan. I thanked her (Thanks, Riza!), but I didn’t really believe I qualified because the period of time under consideration was “during the past 12 months.” While I’ve done some workshops and zoom classes over the past year, many of my potentially qualifying projects took place prior to the pandemic. In any event, as we often say in JA, “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” so I mentioned that I had recently created a video resumé she could reference if she needed to provide supporting documentation for the nomination.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised days later when the Director of the Humanities Council, Leo Pangelinan, emailed me a congratulatory letter on being selected for the “Humanities Award for Research and Publication in the Humanities, Outstanding Humanities Teacher, and Preservation of CNMI History.”
In preparation for the upcoming event, I ordered a few new shirts through an Amazon vendor (they were all sold out of white, by the way), had them shipped to a friend in NYC who subsequently shipped them to me here on Saipan. (Luckily, they arrived the Wednesday before the event)! I brushed the dust off my one pair of dress shoes and waited for Friday. Comes the day of the event, and I really believed I was going to be called up on stage to accept ONE award with a very long name. Imagine my surprise when I was presented with THREE separate awards at last night’s ceremony! As I told my friend, Cinta Kaipat, not many things surprise me, but THIS did! Many thanks to Leo, the entire board, Andrew (who made sure my name was spelled correctly!) and to Isaac Anderson, my photographer drafted for the night! The clip below is NOT the entire ceremony, just the first awardee, then my friend, Catherine C. Perry, then me. (A Walt-specific press release is available here: https://www.waltgoodridge.com/pressrelease/
…and, in case you’re wondering, masks were worn by most folks throughout the event (I met one lady–who was “in the family way”–who wore two masks!) but were occasionally removed for photo ops!
Emcee for the night: Romolo Orsini
Master navigators perform Phon Chant
Lino Olopai explains the chant’s purpose and meaning
All 5 award recipients with Humanities Board members
Attorney Joe Hill, the first person I met on Saipan back in 2006! I am wearing a mwar, traditional Carolinian (head lei) headwear typically worn for special occasions.
Cinta Kaipat, the fourth person I ever met on Saipan back in 2006!
Posing with Ralph Torres, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Award number 1: for Research and Publications in the Humanities
Here’s a video resumé of my Saipan-specific books, websites, workshops, school visits, campaigns and adventures from 2006 to the present! If you’ve ever attended or been part of Beautify CNMI, blogger, Friends of the Monument get-together, you might have been captured by the camera! (a sequel to the “What’s It Like Being Jamaican in Saipan” interview!)
2:01 SECTION • Saipan-Specific Creations Walt has written a slew of Saipan-specific books, websites, mobile phone apps and designs for t-shirts and merchandise!
15:41 SECTION • Showcasing Saipan to the World From the Saipanpreneur Project to the “What’s it Like to Be Jamaican on Saipan” interview, walt has showcased the best of Saipan in his Saipan Tribune column, 3rd party documentaries and books, websites, tours and in the media!
26:37 SECTION • Community Involvement & Activism Walt has launched crowdfunding campaigns and petitions, co-created a platform for bloggers, volunteered for community movements and launched the first Speech & Essay contest as part of the CNMI’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration.
