Tag Archives: Popular

2018

A mouthful of teeth and a blissful carrot

August 7, 2018 jamaicaninchina

When I travel to a new destination, my idea of a time well spent is simply to settle into the local life and do things that locals do, shop where locals shop, and even visit the dentists locals visit! Meet Dr. Sofia Ferreira Dias Tavares Da Costa Alcántara, THE dentist at Centro Medico in Taipa! She did a thorough ultrasound teeth cleaning for me!

Yep, that’s me! I know. I know. Way too much information, but hey…we’ve already shared bowel movements, so what the heck! Open wide!

Interestingly, I discovered Dr. Sofia is also an aspiring author, so I shared a few tips from my writer’s workshops for her to use in her passion pursuit!

Thanks, Dr. Sofia! See you soon on the Macau Tower bungee jump platform!

Then, it was off to another vegetarian spot in Macau: The Blissful Carrot!

You can’t go wrong with a restaurant that features Ghandi, Mother Theresa and Bob Marley on the wall!

The menu features rice dishes, salads, tacos, all-day breakfasts, They also sell home-made Kombucha, locally-made tempeh, and gluten-free pastries and desserts! Beatriz suggested the Bimibap

While there, we ran into Natasha, and Constança (Beatriz’s sister studying in London), and Khaled, originally from Somalia visiting Macau. We exchanged a few pleasantries and took a few photos!

Natasha, Constança and Khaled, who said he, too, will be doing the Macau bungee jump before he leaves!

Ran a few more errands–changed some US dollars into MOP (Macau currency), bought a selfie stick, took some photos for my Vietnam visa application, then headed back to home base to enjoy the Blissful Carrot cuisine: main dish: Bimibap Bowl (Indonesian Gado-gado style sauteed kale & mixed vegetables with peanut-chili sauce, tamari grilled tempeh topped with sesame seeds and crispy dried shallots), Breakfast tacos, plus homemade kombucha, vegan banana bread, raw coconut/peanut butter cups and tempeh!

Yes, I know we want to eat, but first we must position the food for the obligatory blog post photo!

ADDENDUM:

I visited the Blissful Carrot a few days later and got a chance to run into Aaron, the original owner (he’s still involved, but his wife actually runs the business now).

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2018

Getting lucky in Macau! Woo hoo!

August 4, 2018 jamaicaninchina

New: I’ve given in to peer pressure. You can now follow me on Instagram!

As a single traveler, it’s always a thrill when I get lucky! During my six-month adventure in China a few years ago, it happened to me in Beijing. It happened to me in Singapore, too! I even got lucky in Laos at the end of a long passageway off the main road in Luang Namtha, near to Zuela Guesthouse. And, it was years ago, when I was living in New York that I experienced it for the very first time! In each of these destinations, I got a taste of something that satisfied my desires, put a pep in my step, and made me feel strong and powerful for the rest of my stay there!

Want some more hot, spicy details? Well, in Beijing it happened here with her. In Singapore, this is where it happened. The Laos experience happened on day 1. Yes, my friends, I’m speaking about something that’s perfectly natural, something just about everyone wants and needs, something that makes the world go ’round, something that builds emotional bonds between people, and something that if more people did it freely and without the societal stigma, would make the world a healthier, saner place! Yes, I’m speaking, of course, about EATING AT THAT PERFECT VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT!!!!

And now, Macau joins the list of places in which I’ve gotten lucky and found that perfect spot! It’s called Sum Yuen Buddhist Vegetarian Restaurant, and I kid you not, this is by far, the BEST I’ve ever had! It’s larger than any other in which I’ve dined. The menu has more selections (30+ page, full color, exquisitely bound menu), and the presentation of it all is fabulous!

Close up of first floor entrance. Using Google Maps may lead you to the back entrance. Nearby bus routes: 30 and 35. (This photo: https://macaulifestyle.com/dining/local-eats/vegetarian-temple-restaurant/)

“Pou Tai Temple was founded in the 19th century by Buddhist monks and is the largest temple on Taipa Island. On the ground level of this Buddhist temple is… Sum Yuen which officially opened during the last quarter of 2014.”–Macau Lifestyle

With only about eight days left here in Macau, I’d never be able to try everything I’d wish to even if I dined here every day! Here are some pages from the amazing 30-page + menu (Everything here is completely animal-free; no sentient beings were harmed in their creation!):

See the entire menu at https://www.facebook.com/pg/sumyuenmacau/photos/

With that said, we (my “not shown” dining companions and I) tried the following items:

#008 – Avocado & Mango Rolls (Sushi)

#028 – Vegetarian Prawns Salad

#049 – Hong Kong Style Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork and Crispy Vegetarian Goose (deep fried bean curd skin)

#053 – Chiba tofu and spinach rolls

#058 – Assorted Mushroom Teppanyaki

#092 – Braised Vegetables with Fermented Beancurd

#134 – Pan Fried Vegetarian Dumplings

#146 – Steamed Chinese Sponge Cake

While I was there, I decided to practice taking photos and filming with my new selfie-stick! Yes, I’ve reluctantly, but also a bit excitedly joined “those folks” who do the stick schtick while traveling. In my defense, however, I’m doing it for YOU–in anticipation of doing a series of special Walt’s Walk & Talk through China and Beyond Youtube videos, so stay tuned and please forgive my new obsession!

You can find Sum Yuen’s listing here on HappyCow.net. Surprisingly–given how amazing this place is–there was only one review when I added mine!

See you there! Maybe we can get lucky together!

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2018, Popular

Jamaican Jumps off Macau Tower!

July 28, 2018 jamaicaninchina

Are you anticipating hearing I chickened out? Think I’m about to use the old “uncooperative weather” excuse? Do you think that a person would have to be slightly off-kilter to jump off a structurally sound building? Do you expect, therefore, that I’m rescheduling it to some undetermined future date for some unfathomable random reason? Or, do you simply believe that Jamaicans may run, and Jamaicans may bobsled, but they don’t fly? Well….

…..YOU’D BE WRONG!!!! ON ALL COUNTS! For today, July 27, 2018, the weather forecast for Macau, China will read “partly sunny, partly cloudy, 28 degrees Celsius, chance of afternoon showers, and a very high likelihood of falling Jamaicans!” IT”S ON!!

WARNING: This blog post is replete with all the obligatory one-liners, song and movie references, puns and superhero references you no doubt expect in a blog post about bungee jumping.

First, thanks to Jeff for his help setting things up! Cool guy!

Getting suited up with t-shirt and shoes by Freddie (aka “Not Kruger”). (Red t-shirt and sneakers? Definitely not my style, but….)

First class, one-way ticket! 62kg (137lb)?? Glad I had the harness and weights to add about 4-5kg(8-10lb), or I might not make it down on my own!

Awaiting my turn and practicing my cool superhero arm moves for the trip down!

Getting harnessed 233 meters up! *“I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation and the only explanation I can find…”* (The Carpenters)

Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre (Chinese: 澳門旅遊塔會展娛樂中心; Portuguese: Centro de Convenções e Entretenimento da Torre de Macau), also known as Macau Tower, is a tower located in Sé, Macau. The tower measures 338 m (1,109 ft) in height from ground level to the highest point. Its observation deck features panoramic views, restaurants, theaters, shopping malls and the Skywalk X, a thrilling walking tour around the outer rim. It offers the best view of Macau and in recent years has been used for a variety of adventurous activities. At 233 metres, the Macau Tower’s tethered “skyjump” and Bungee jump by AJ Hackett from the tower’s outer rim, is the **highest commercial skyjump in the world (233 metres)**, and the second highest commercial decelerator descent facility in the world, after Vegas’ Stratosphere skyjump at 252 metres. The tower was created by the architecture firm of Moller Architects.
The tower is one of the members of the World Federation of Great Towers. Besides being used for observation and entertainment, the tower is also used for telecommunications and broadcasting. It and the Grand Lisboa hotel are the most recognizable landmarks in the Macao skyline. (Source: Wikipedia)

(You say bungy, I say bungee…”tomato,” “tom-ah-to…”)

*“Too late to turn back now! I believe, I believe, I believe I’m falling in Macau!”* (Cornelius Brothers)

Um, excuse me, guys…is it too late to use the restroom first?

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s that skinny Jamaican guy!”

*“Fly like an eagle!”* (Steve Miller Band ’73)

Video of the jump from the waiting area:

Now, here’s what you’ve been waiting for: the video from the GoPro camera strapped to my wrist: (Direct link to download video)

Yep, it was waaaay cool! I’m actually thinking about doing it again! I’m sure it will be more fun now that I know what to expect!

I always imagined that the actual sensation of falling would be the uncomfortable, overwhelming part, but for me, it was that single second right before I stepped off the ramp that was the most unnerving. Then, once I was actually airborne it was pretty easy to get into the moment and be fully conscious and aware of what I was doing (i.e. arms extended in front like Superman, etc., the scream, etc.)

And the grand finale: the official AJHackett video created for my jump: (Direct link to download video)

After my jump, Sam from Nepal and Alex let me hang around at the base of the tower to watch the next jump.

A new friend from China, Wuxi who jumped right after I did!

Review: Great, professional, fun crew! Nice atmosphere! Excellently-produced video! Highly recommended! In fact…

Lesson for today: a bungee jump is not something you do just once, so yes, I’ll have to do it again! The next two jumps are discounted, and the FOURTH jump is FREE! I was also told that on subsequent jumps, my feet won’t be tethered together and I can actually walk and dive off. This could get addictive! Hmmm. I know what you’re thinking….Seems there are quite a few songs with the theme of “crazy!”

“Crazy” (Gnarls Barkley; 2006)

“Crazy” (Seal; 1991)

and, my personal favorite, “Crazy” (Patsy Cline; 1961)

Next on the bucket list: Sky Diving, Sensory Deprivation Tank, Zero-gravity/Weightlessness experience!

Addendum: A few days after my jump, the folks at AJHackett emailed me my official Bungee Jump Certificate:

2018

The cost of vegan living in Macau and the Guia lighthouse

July 25, 2018 jamaicaninchina

You can judge the quality of a society by how they treat their vegans! (There’s some new age traveler’s wisdom for you!) If a society imposes a “vegan tax” in the form of higher prices for Terra chips and Lara bars, for instance, then such a society should be avoided at all cost! With that said, fruits, vegetables and some of my favorite healthy treats are a bit cheaper here in Macau–of course, this is all based on a USD to MOP exchange rate.

A bag of Terra chips sells for 24.9MOP which, at the latest exchange rate of 8.03MOP to $1USD, works out to $3.10 which is way less than the almost $6US I would pay on Saipan or stateside!

An orange costs 5MOP = $0.60US (almost $1 on Saipan)

Coconuts, however, are a bit pricey (17MOP = $2.11US; $1 on Saipan)

I’ll do a full shopping list in a future post.

So, with the advantage of this favorable exchange rate–combined with the fact I was informed I could get a second-hand phone for 1000MOP or less ($124US)– I decided to take the opportunity to upgrade my Blu Mini phone and join the rest of you people in the 21st century! Now, I don’t play video games; I don’t even make many phone calls, and for sure I won’t be among the obsessively phone-affixed who barrel at breakneck speed through crowded airports and metro stations head down, eyes glued to their screens without ever looking up! (It’s an amazing thing to see!) However, I do want to download and test out a particular GPS app that might prove helpful for a top-secret project I’m working on back on Saipan, and my current Blu phone simply doesn’t have the necessary sensor for the app to function.

So, I headed to the Portas do Cerco area in Macau to do some shopping.

Shopped around at a few stores and voila! Equipped with my “new to me” Samsung Galaxy 6S (1100MOP/$136), I now venture forth into my Jamaican in Macau adventure. All photos from this point forward will be taken with the new gadget!

Next stop, the Fortress of Guia (Guia Lighthouse)

The Guia Fortress (Portuguese: Fortaleza da Guia; Chinese: 東望洋炮台) is a 17th-century colonial military fort, chapel, and lighthouse complex in São Lázaro, Macau, China. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau. (Source: wikipedia)

The Guia Lighthouse, Macau (Photo: Irish M); Admittedly, this panoramic shot is something that would not be possible with my now retired Canon Powershot! Rest in peace, little guy!

The lighthouse was constructed between 1864 and 1865, the first western style lighthouse in east Asia or on the China coast. The lighthouse stands at Guia Hill, which stands at 91.4 metres (300 ft) tall, and has a light visible for some 20 miles in clear weather conditions. The complex was built upon the highest point on Macau, Guia Hill, and named after the same location. (Source: wikipedia)

The fort and chapel were constructed between 1622 and 1638. The fort was already partly built during the unsuccessful attempt by the Netherlands to capture colonial Portuguese Macau from Portugal, providing an advantageous firing position for defending against naval attacks. (Source: wikipedia)

Macau tower on the left and the Lisboa Casino (right) in the background…bungee jump countdown…T minus 2 days and counting!!

Nomadpreneur passive-residual income update: One of the strategies to the “money & mobility” lifestyle is to create products and services that don’t require your physical presence. While I’m here in Macau, my www.freesummerconcerts.com website provides free concert information for New York city residents. Everything is automated. I input the events at the beginning of the summer, and a special software I created generates the weekly event listing, sends it out to the mailing list of over 10,000, and receives the $9.95 subscription fee. Learn more strategies in my book, How to Become a Nomadpreneur: A pocket guide of income strategies, travel jobs & survival tips for expats, vagabonds, techies and rat race escapees who want to see the world AND make money too!
in the Guides & Resources section of www.nomadpreneur.com and available on Amazon.

Techie web design tip: Using the code at https://jssor.com/development/tip-make-responsive-slider.html, I’ve added a Jssor slideshow to the homepage of my www.waltgoodridge.com site to be more descriptive of what my brand encompasses. Check it out to get some ideas for YOUR online brand and check out jssor.com for the slider code.

2018

The Prophet rides again! Jamaican in Macau!

July 15, 2018 jamaicaninchina

“Don’t call it a comeback! I’ve been here for years!” It’s been a long time, but the Prophet rides again!” (Ode to LL, Rakim and Dennis Brown!)

The journey has begun! DAY 1

Before we get to the REALLY fun stuff, the following special intro is for attendees of the writer’s workshop I conducted on Tinian just before beginning this adventure, as well as other aspiring writers and bloggers:

passive income: you do nothing, the money comes.
residual income: you do the work ONE TIME, the money comes over and over.

Hey aspiring authors, one of the advantages of being a self-supporting writer earning passive, residual income that doesn’t require one’s physical presence at any one location, is the freedom to roam! It’s been a long time (3 years since Typhoon Soudelor) since I’ve done it, but I’m heading off the island of Saipan again to do a little nomadpreneuring! You can follow my exploits (and see past adventures in China, Singapore, Laos, Jamaica, Virgin Islands….) at www.jamaicaninchina.com. In those three years I’ve written/released:

Drinking Seawater – a typhoon Soudelor memoir with Riza Ramos (view)
This Baby Can Speak, by Dr. John Joyner-guiding your baby to speak (view)
An update of Turn Your Passion Into Profit* – discover your passion (view)
Sun Cure – a light bath heals (view)
Obama Legacy * – The greatest American presidency (photos)
Obama Legacy Timeline * – day to day, week to week (view)
Donald Trump. Let’s Look at the Bright Side * – humor (view)
A Clean Cell Never Dies – my health protocol (view)
There’s Something About Saipan * – What makes this island unique (view)
An Amelia Earhart Tour supplement * – learn the truth (view)
Saipan Living 2018 Relocation Guide * – cost of living, taxes, more (view)
Eye Can See Clearly Now – reclaim your vision (view)
Return To Nature – become your own authority on health (view)
Coded to Heal — activate your body’s healing code (view)

and a few others I’ve probably overlooked.

*These titles marked with an asterisk are available at Bestseller Books on the island of Saipan!

Leaving Saipan on HKExpress’ 6:10am flight!

Once I land, disembark, take the shuttle two stops to the immigration area and make it through the immigration check, I met Aaron at the baggage claim area. Turns out he’s a frequent visitor to Saipan working on worker’s rights.

Air Macau Captain, Ron M., former Saipan resident, now aviation big-shot meets me at Hong Kong airport and we take a train, then bus on the way to the ferry to get us to Macau!

Red pill? Blue pill? According to Ron, there are two ferry options: the blue boats (more stable ride), or the red boats (the motion sickness special!). Um, I think I’ll take the blue pill, please.

The not-too-busy, rainy Sunday afternoon streets of Macau

We took the time to find a vegan restaurant On Thai Loi listed on https://www.happycow.net for future enjoyment once I end this (currently 5-day) water fast I’m on, do a colonic in Hong Kong and resume eating!