Goodbye Saatchi & Saatchi

• I will miss this place...

goodbye breakfast

goodbye lunch... where I tried chicken feet - gross

goodbye presents... very nice presents :)

This is the image that we used on our "thank you" cards to everyone at work.

Last Nights in Hong Kong

• Savva Bar & Restaurant has gorgeous views from its 180 degree balcony... but is very expensive - that's why we went with our CEO ;)

(we are the group of people on the right)

Anthony, the CEO, making fun of me for not knowing who Laurel and Hardy are/were...

(Everyone in the office loves to remind me of how young I am.)

Macau

• If Hong Kong is "The Big Apple of Asia" then Macau is "The Sin City of Asia"
• We gambled at The Venetian (the largest single structure in Asia and the 4th-largest building in the world)
• Went to see Cirque Du Soleil - Zaia
• And wandered through the old Portuguese city's churches, fortress, and cemetery.
• Overall - I enjoyed seeing the old city much more than the casinos... it's impressive but nothing can compare to the lights on the Las Vegas Strip

the largest casino floor in the world - 550,000 sq ft... 3400 slots & 800 tables

Chris won a little cash... I lost a little...

the mall looks EXACTLY the same as the Venetian in Vegas

the old city...

...well, mostly old.

the Ruins of St. Paul's

um... gross. Dried gooey slabs of meat

Nothing was worse than our hotel. NEVER go to the patched up, sheet stained, overpriced Hotel Central...

it may have a good location but it is not worth it.

2 Nights, 7 Bars

• THURSDAY:
• Fellow creative, Andrew June, took us out for a night with the boys (I was the only girl... and Chris was the only guy interested in girls ;) )
• We went for all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet at Izakay Daikichi with friends

• BAR #1: Dejavu - small lounge with fru-fru drinks. yum.

• FRIDAY:
• BAR #2: Red - This bar is attached our friends Pure Gym... having a friend with a "membership" is key. Membership = discounts & vouchers :)
• BAR #3: Tivo - cool design and good champagne

• BAR #4: Finds - silly decor... white boas and crystal everywhere, nice porch though
• BAR #5: Lei Dou - cool relaxed lounge with many comfy couches

• BAR #6: Balalaika (Vodka Shot Room) - This picture explains it all

• BAR #7: Azure - Steak with a view by day, Party with a DJ by night...

Rooftop Dinning

• Best lunch break ever... WoolooMooloo
• Who new there was a steak place with a view 1 block from work in Wan Chi... But I would not recommend the food (our Medium fillets were bloody) but a great place for drinks. I want to go back at night.

my apartment is smack in the middle of this view

The Philippines

• 1 roundtrip flight on Cebu Airlines from HK to Cebu... bought 2 days in advance - $150 US dollars
• 1 two hour ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran City, Bohol - 10 US Dollar
• 1 Taxi ride from Tagbilaran City to Alona Beach on Panglao Island - $3 US Dollar
• 3 nights on the beach... in a bamboo hut (Peter's House) - $15 US Dollars
• 1 delicious Philippine Beer (my favorite was San Miguel) - $.80 US cents
• An early morning sunrise on a boat to see dolphins - $5 US Dollars
• Seeing the Chocolate Hills - $1 US dollar
• Petting the Tarsier Monkey - $0 US dollars
• Full-day boat ride to Balicasag Island and Virgin Island for snorkel and remote beach - $7 US Dollars

Memories of...

• perfectly white sand
• drinking cheep rum with locals and a LA native / Scuba Diving Instructor who has come to escape materialistic America
• smiling fisherman
• thriving coral reefs
• the laid back Philippine mindset
• getting stung by a jellyfish... and learning the remedy is vinegar
• panicking from finding a spider bigger than my hand in our room
• changing out entire trip plans because of some advice we got from drunk Aussies in a bar our first night
• meeting two Canadian travel partners, Jodi and Kaylynn, in the wrong customs line at the airport
• ... Priceless
• (and yes, i know it's cheesy to recreate a MasterCard ad... but it just worked so well for this)

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People here smile more than anywhere else in the world

Chris went scuba diving twice... I must get certified...

View from my $5 per/night window... amazing

View from the water in front of our hotel

They Catch, You Choose, They Grill, You Eat... all in a within a few hours. Amazing

5:30am Dolphin "Hunt"

Tarsier Monkeys

Chocolate Hills

Weather can change within one hour here...

Best mango ever. (I had someone else peel - I wouldn't go near that thing after my allergic reaction mishap...)

...but i did eat Mango Shakes & Pancakes. Yum.

There are a variety of transportation methods in The Philippines...

1 US dollar = 47 Philippine Pissos.... This bottle of rum costs 60 Pissos.... think about it.

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