Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 14

Another video footage of fireworks display at Disneyland Hong Kong for your viewing pleasure.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 13

More footage of fireworks display at the Disneyland Hong Kong taken on 2-12-08.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 12

A compilation of photos taken from Zhuhai's Guangdong Regency Hotel at its revolving restaurant on 29-11-08. Enjoy the view of the city.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 11

Be mesmerised by the fireworks display at Disneyland Hong Kong

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 10

Enjoy the colourful display of fireworks at Disneyland Hong Kong.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 9

Oh yes, I managed to take a peep at the Disneyland’s Hollywood Hotel as we don’t have to budget to stay there. Too bad, I have no photos to share with you guys for the room.

Before ending our final night in Hong Kong and also our trip, we took the opportunity to take a stroll at the Women Street where we had our dinner and did our last minute shopping of souvenirs.

Our final day 6 of this trip with no time allocated for any visit as we have to catch an early flight back via Jeststar’s 3K692 which departed from Hong Kong at 11.05 am. At the airport, I managed to ‘clear’ my wallet of all the Hong Kong money that I had buying the local delicacies like Lau Po Ping (Wife Biscuit) and etc.

We finally arrived at the Singapore’s Changi Airport at 14.40 pm.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 8

We ended day 4 with a visit to the Avenue of Stars before checking into a 3-stars Metropark Mongkok Hotel.

In the early morning of Day 5, we had the opportunity to try Hong Kong’s tim sums. Of course, the tour guide funnily told us to lower our expectation in term of the quantity provided as the cost of livings here is just unbearable high. So we had to ‘ta pau’ (packed) some egg tarts and buns to supplement our breakfast.

Our first visit on day 5 of our tour was the Wong Dai Shin temple. We couldn’t access into most parts of this infamous temple complex as it is under massive renovation at the moment.

As meals will not be provided as from now in this tour, we decided to take our lunch first before visiting Disneyland Hong Kong. Owing to the exhorbitive pricings, we were advised to avoid consuming food and drinks inside Disneyland if we could. Only a bottle of mineral water is allowed to be brought in (in fact, we have to go through a security check before allowed entry into the theme park).

Disneyland Hong Kong is rather small in term of size as compared to its counterparts in US, Paris and Tokyo. It is quite different from the other theme parks we had visited in this trip like Shenzhen’s Splendid China and Happy Valley and Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. I think it is more suitable for young kids where the rides are less challenging. However, the ambience is very different, transporting our memories back to our very young age where fairy tales and animations embraced our lives then.



In the evening, we were entertained by the parade of many many cartoons personalities like Snow Whites and the & Dwarfs, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Ducks, Cinderella and etc. All these remind me of my childhood days.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 7

After lunch, it was the kids’ world again. The next visit was Hong Kong’s Ocean Park where we spent the whole afternoon here. The most memorable scenes here were of course, the pandas, the dolphins show and the ride up the hill via the cable car which gave us another fantastic view of Hong Kong. As for the kids, nothing beats the thrills of the heart-wrenching rides. Definitely a no-no for me, born with chicken heart…

After dinner, we went up the Victoria Peak by coach where we visited Madame Tussauds’s Wax Mesuem. We understood that had we used the tram to travel up Victoria Peak, the evening scenery of Hong Kong would have been more memorable. Anyway, the museum is divided into three sections, namely the internationally reknown film stars and singers; personalities comprising politicians, rich and famous; and lastly sport personalities.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 6

After lunch, we proceeded to the 2nd theme park in our itinerary which is the Shenzhen’s Happy Valley. The kids had a fantastic afternoon in this theme park but being a weekend, the queue was too lengthy and the wait was just unbearable long.

Before the night ended on day 3, we took the opportunity to stroll the Dongmen Street, where the 1st McDonald outlet in mainland China is situated.

Day 4, we started our journey early to Hong Kong by rail. The hotel we stayed in Shenzhen is located just across the street from the railway station. We had to drag our luggage up the pedestrian bridge, then after a long and sweaty walks, we finally reached the railway station. It was swarmed with people, a daily affair in fact. The rail ride took us slightly more than an hour to reach Hong Kong.

Our first stop was the Bauhinia Square, a venue that saw the return of Hong Kong by Great Britain to the People’s Republic of China.

We then took a short coach ride to Hong Kong’s Repulse Bay. Here, the view of Hong Kong’s coastal line was just too mesmerizing and where the residences of the former colony’s rich and famous are found.

Before we adjourned for lunch, we were brought to the Aberdeen Fishing Village where we took a brief boat’s ride to view how the fishing communities get on with their daily lives here since the early establishment of Hong Kong. The Jumbo Restaurant is also located here but we were given the understanding that the owner, Macau’s King of Casino, Stanley Ho will be towing this landmark back to his territory rather soon. The boat ride costs us HKD50 per head and the funny thing was we had to pay the fare not upon reaching the jetty but in the middle of the sea which is rather odd. Sounds like being ‘slaughtered’, isn’t it?

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 5

We left Splendid China for a brief dinner break outside and returned to the same theme park to enjoy a splendid cultural show at the China Folks Village.

Day 2 ended with a late check-in into the Felicity Hotel, a 5-stars hotel in town.

The next morning in Day 3, we were brought for the city tour of the Shenzhen City. We were awed by the developments that have been brought to this new city, mushroomed by skyline of high rise buildings with unique designs that is parallel to those found in Shanghai.

The first destination of our city tour is the Shenzhen’s museum.



Any arranged tour to mainland China is never complete without visits to outlets selling jewellery and tea leaves. Shenzhen is famous for its Lychee tea leaves, supposedly.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 4

Our first stop of the Zhuhai’s city tour was the Mermaid Statute which was created by a well known sculptor, Mr Pan He according to a local folklore.

Our next stop was the Shijingshan Park where we would get a birdeyes’ viewof the Zhuhai city. To get to the hilltop, we took cable cars (with dangling legs in the air type) to capture another view of this beautiful city. But the trip down the hill was probably something more memorable although we have the choice of the same cable car ride. We took ‘Tommy Car’, a ride which was so terrifying along the edge of the hill, swerving left to right at breakneck speed. At the end of the ride, we were awarded a ‘certificate of achievement’, of course at a charge with our terrifying looks imprinted on the certificate for remembrance.

After lunch, we set off for another city in the mainland China, Shenzhen. The coach ride took us about 2.5 to 3 hours and our first destination was a large theme park, Splendid China. Immediately, we see delightful faces from the kids in our tour, all 9 of them, the moment they have been waiting for. The tour guide immediately ushered us to the War Show which was one of the highlight in this theme park.

After the show, we toured the theme park which featured many miniature scenic spots in China.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 3

We were subsequently brought to the Wynn Casino, which is not too far a distance from here. Besides taking a quick look around the casino, we enjoyed a 15 minutes show at the centre court of the casino building.

We subsequently proceeded to the Mazhu Temple or better known as the ‘A-Ma Temple’. This temple existed before the city of Macau came into being and is an exemplary representation of the Chinese culture inspired by Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and multiple folk beliefs.



The main highlights of our trip to Macau are of course the visit to the reknown ‘Venetian Macau Resort’. This 5-stars hotel is huge! There are lots of lots of shopping in this spacious complex and branded boutiques are aplenty here, you name you got it. But the most notable feature is of course, the sky-look-alike ceiling of the building. Indeed a jaw-dropping experience, so hard to describe until you see it for yourself. No wonder it is dubbed the building that never sleeps because there is never a night in here. A must experience location when you next visit Macau, never mind even if you do not gamble.

As for local delicacies in Macau, we tried the infamous Portuguese Egg Tarts. Absolutely fantastic but too bad, we can bring them back to Malaysia to share with you guys. However, we brought back some Almond cookies.

Before the night ends, we crossed over the Chinese border and stayed overnight at the Guangdong Regency Hotel in the city of Zhuhai. A tiring first day, I quickly dozed off the moment coming into contact with the bed.

Zhuhai overlooks Hong Kong over the sea and borders with Macau on land. Occupying an area of 7,653 sq km, among which 1,687 sq km are land area, it has coastal line of 691 km and has 146 islands, thus winning the name of ‘City of one hundred islands’. Its population is over 1.4 million. We started our day 2 with a breakfast at the upper floor of the hotel’s revolving restaurant. Too bad, we understood that it is only revolving in the afternoon and evening, what a timing! Nevertheless, I took some snapshots giving a bird’s eyes view of the Zhuhai city.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 2

Upon leaving the airport, Macau gave me the impression as a very authentic city, a blend of old buildings alongside with new one. Some of these buildings are very uniquely designed and charming in all aspects. Traffic was hardly heavy and we were told that it is rare to encounter traffic lights here. Pace of life is slow and almost everyone here is earning a living associated with the gambling and tourism industries. Macau is now a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and is located in the Guangdong province. It is rather small, just an area of 29.2 km with population of 530,000 only.

Our first stop was the visit to the Ruins of St Paul’s which is the façade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640. It was destroyed by a fire in 1835. The ruins of St Paul’s College stood adjacent to the Church. Nowadays, the façade of the Ruins of St Paul’s functions symbolically as an altar to the city.



Just next to this was a Na Tcha Temple which is hardly noticeable by many. Nevertheless, it is heartwarming to see an ancient church situated just next to a Chinese temple, a symbol of unity and harmonious livings amid the turbulences faced in the other side of the world over religions differences. This temple was built in 1888 and is dedicated to the worship of Na Tcha.



After our buffet lunch, we had a short stroll at the nearby Macau Fishermen’s Wharf. It is a theme park which contains many retail shops, restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues with recreational objectives. We were told the ambience in the evening is absolutely a must-see experience but too bad, we would have to leave for Zhuhai by then.

Trip to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong (Nov/Dec 2008) - Part 1

Another year has passed quietly and gladly, we got on with our second trip with almost the same group of friends and their family. This time, our trip was planned in such a way that we took budget airlines, i.e. Tiger Airways from Singapore to Macau and for our return flight, from Hong Kong back to Singapore via Jetstar. We arranged land tour from a local agent and the tour encompassed a day trip in Macau and cross over to China’s Zhuhai for a night stay. After sightseeing in Zhuhai, we left for Shenzhen by coach where we spent day 2 and 3 there. On day 4, we travelled by rail to Hong Kong where we stayed for another 2 nights. All in all, this 6 days 5 nights tour with 17 of us of which 9 are kids ranging from 3 to as old as 15 years old would visit 4 theme parks.

As we are catching an early flight at 6.05 am to Macau, we travelled by van from our homes at around 2.00 am to the Singapore Changi’s Budget Terminal. The clearance was smooth at both side of the causeway at this hour and we were at the airport in less than 1 and a half hour. The crowd at the budget terminal wasn’t that huge but food outlets seem lacking and seats were notably inadequate as well.



After a long wait, we finally boarded the plane, TR906 which took off according to schedule for our flight to Macau. The journey took 3 hours and 40 minutes and we finally arrived at the Macau International Airport. However, the wait for our local tour guide to pick us up at the airport was a long one due to miscommunication but nevertheless, our spirits remained high, looking forward to an exciting and hectic days ahead.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 9 (Bon Voyage) - Part 10

Day 9 marked the end of our fantastic tour of Taiwan Island when we boarded CI669 departing from Kaoshiung at 9.15 am for our flight home. We finally reached Singapore Changi Airport at 1.05 pm.

During this trip, the followings observation were made: -

a. Rivers in Taiwan are generally dry. The tour guide clarified that the phenomenon is due to the geographical terrain of the island. Being mountainous at the centre, water flows rather quickly into the sea. Taiwanese erected reservoirs along the rivers to conserve water for consumption purposes as well as for generation of electricity.

b. Scooters are aplenty in Taipei, Kaoshiung, Hualien and other major cities.

c. Despite the lack of natural landscape in Taiwan as compared to China (partly due to the latter’s vast size), Taiwan compensates this limitation with its friendly and courteous people. Cleanliness is well maintained although a substantial part of its cities are dotted with old buildings.

d. Pollution is quite apparent in most of the major cities.

Similar to China, Taiwan is also not spared from signages bearing Engrish which I came across as English is not the preferred language in its education system.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 8 (Taipei-Kaoshiung) - Part 9

Day 8 was supposed to be the final day of our tour but owing to twist of event involving complication of flight ticketing by our Malaysian’s agent, we got an extended day and best of all, it was all paid for. The only setback, the departure airport was in Kaoshiung instead of Taipei. But how can we complain since we got free bullet train ride which cost NT$1,260 for a journey of one and a half hour from Taoyuan station in Taipei to Zuoying station in Kaoshiung. After breakfast and check out from the hotel, we set off for Taiwan Miniature Park. It is a theme park divided into 3 sections.

Mini Taiwan features miniature landmarks of Taiwan ranging from ports, highways, train station to major buildings, some of which we had visited during this tour.

There is the Mini China which displayed major landmarks in mainland China such as the Great Wall of China, the Tiger Hill Pagoda and etc.

The 3rd section featured Mini World displaying major landmarks outside China and Taiwan such as the Pisa Tower, Taj Mahal and etc.

There is also a section allocated for theme park with rides such as roller coaster, bumper car, pirates ship and etc which was really a treat to the kids. There were also performances by clowns, magic show, and cannonball man.

At 3.52 pm, we boarded the high speed train reaching Kaoshiung at 5.30 pm, a journey normally requiring approximately 5 hours by coach. After a quick dinner, we returned back to the hotel for packing.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 7 (DIY at Taipei) - Part 8

Day 7 has been designated for free and easy activities. We took MRT (paying for a full-day ride of NT$150) from the Longshan station to the Taipei City Hall station. We paid a short visit to the Taipei Discovery Centre before proceeding to Taiwan’s most popular landmark, the Taipei 101 tower which is currently regarded as the tallest building in the world.

From Taipei 101, we proceeded by MRT again to the Dansui station where we visited the Tamshui pier. There were plenty of stalls and shops selling a great varieties of products and food here and shopping spirit was hardly dampened by the drizzle.

We paid NT$100 for a short boat ride to the Tamshui Fisherman Wharf from the pier. We were so charmed by the view at the wharf which is very different from the rest in Taipei. Take a stroll on the bridge and you will be mesmerized by its romantic environment, an ideal spot for courting couples.

We finally ended our free and easy day at Ximending, famous for its shopping street which is accessible by MRT at the Ximen station. After dinner at the fast food corner (it never taste so good after so many days of having Chinese food for lunch and dinner), we walked back to the Shilin Hotel which was located just nearby.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 6 (Taichung-Taipei) - Part 7 (Cont'd)

We were subsequently brought to the Dou-Fu Street where we get to sample the various types of bean curd available for sale here.

Just before dinner, we were chauffeured to the Miramar shopping complex where we ascended to the rooftop to ride Taiwan’s tallest ferris wheel. Unaware there was launch of the movie ‘The Warlord’ at the ground floor, we were treated the chance of the life time to view fireworks display from the top of the ferris wheel. After our Mongolian dinner, we adjourned to Shilin Night Market before calling it a day.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 6 (Taichung-Taipei) - Part 7 (Cont'd)

After a short visit to the pearl showroom, we made our way to the 5-Dime restaurant in Taipei for lunch. The restaurant is the largest among a chain operating throughout Taiwan. The restaurant is sited within a building with unparallel design featuring an unusual entrance statement too. The interior is lush with unique decorations amid the many artistry items which are mostly the original work of its lady owner and each floor having its own themes. The plates and bowls are made of clay, heavy and is available for sale to interested collectors.

After lunch, we proceeded to the National Palace Museum which boasted a collection totaling 56,000 artifacts. At the courtyard, we were greeted by a group of the Fa-Lung-Gung practitioners who were protesting against China’s unfair treatment of their believe.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 6 (Taichung-Taipei) - Part 7

From Taichung, we made our way back to Taipei by coach in the morning of day 6. The journey took approximately 4 hours by expressway. Along the way, we visited the Shilin Official Residence which was the former home of the late President Chiang-Kai-Shek.

We then visited the Martyrs Shrine which is the famous destination among tourist where we were treated with the display of guards changing ceremony.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 5 (Kaoshiung-Tainan-Taichung) - Part 6 (Cont'd)

Finally upon reaching Taichung, we were brought to the Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village. This destination is the highlight of our entire trip as it featured a theme park which is the favourite of all the children in our tour group. While the children set off to the theme park for the rides, the adults went for a stroll from the top of the hill after a cable car ride.

Before we had our dinner, our coach stopped by the roadside where our guide introduced us to the ‘Pinang’ seed which a popular past time delicacy among the Taiwanese.

Finally, before our 5th day of the tour came to a close, we visited the Fengjia Night Market to sample the local delicacies.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 5 (Kaoshiung-Tainan-Taichung) - Day 6

On day 5 of our trip in Kaoshiung, we visited the Peacock Park followed by an introduction to the honey product at a showroom nearby.

At Tainan, we visited the Wen-Wu Temple.

The temple was flanked by the Sun-Moon Lake Scenic Area which derived its name because the southern part of the lake is shaped like a new moon while the northern side like a sun.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 4 (Taitung-Kaoshiung) - Part 5 (Cont'd)

Next we visited the Spring and Autumn Pavillions where we were greeted with 2 gigantic statues of Dragon and Tigers Pagodas.

We were then chauffeured to The British Consulate at Takao. It was built in 1865, a building with more than one hundred years of history. It is now the most preserved building with western value in Taiwan.

After dinner and a stroll at the Xinquejiang Night Market, we took a boat ride on the east and west coast to experience the romantic and charming sights of the Love River before returning back to the hotel for a good rest.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 4 (Taitung-Kaoshiung) - Part 5

We set off early in the morning of day 4 for Kaoshiung, Taiwan’s second largest city. We reached the Meinong Hakka Town. The idyllic landscape of Meinong has been the fertile ground for the Hakka culture. It featured Huo-Fang (the traditional Hakka 3-sided houses with a courtyard), tobacco barns, foods, history, delicate handicrafts, oil umbrellas, ceramic arts and flat rice noodles.

We also visited the Fokuoshan also known as the ‘Light of Buddha Mountain’ which is one of Taiwan’s largest temple complex and the island’s centre of Buddhist scholarship. Near the entrance, the tallest Buddha image in Taiwan stood majestically. At 32 metres high, it is surrounded by another 480 life-sized images of its disciples.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 3 (Hualien-Taitung) - Part 4 (Cont'd)

Our next stop was Sansiantai (Terrace of the 3 immortals). After a long walk to the beachfront, we come across a bridge shaped like the body of a dragon which connects the main island to a smaller island.

Finally, we reached our hotel for a well deserved rest but not until we took a good dip into the hotel's hotspring pool.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 3 (Hualien-Taitung) - Part 4

In the morning of 3rd day, we set off by coach for Taitung which is located at the east of the Taiwan Island. Along the way, we stop by for a visit to the Taroko Gorge National Park. Taroko is known for its sheer marble cliffs, deep gorges, winding tunnels and the Liwu River that flows through its craggy landscape.

Before we adjourned for lunch, we visited a showroom where we were given introduction to the nutrition of Ling-Tze.

After lunch, we took a stroll to the nearby factory that produces marble, a product where Hualien is famous for and then, adjourned next door to a jade showroom.

We continued with our coach ride but before reaching Taitung, we stopped at a rest area where we are shown the marker of the Tropic of Cancer which cut across the Taiwan Island.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 2 (Taipei-Hualien) - Part 3 (Cont'd)

The route to Hualien was treacherous. We traveled on coastal road which was hilly and winding with tight corners for several hours before arriving at Hualien. First, we visited the famous temple known as Nan-Tien-Gong which enshrines the Mah-Tsu Goddess.

Then we arrived at the Hualien Ami Culture Village where we were treated to the aboriginal cultural shows. For dinner, we had shuak-
shuak-kuo (also known as shabu-shabu in our context) before returning back to the hotel to have a good rest.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 2 (Taipei-Hualien) - Part 3

After check out and breakfast at the hotel, we set off for Yehliu by coach in the early morning of day 2.

Yehliu (wild willows) is reputed for its natural rock formation which featured an amazing array of artistic shapes created by erosion and other natural forces


Could you identify any interesting characters from the photos below? Found T-Rex head, crocodile, a slipper and the head of a queen…..

We then proceeded by coach to Jiufen which used to be a centre of gold mining and located within the hills in the northeastern of Taiwan. Here, we are treated to a wide array of shops selling local delicacies such a Mei-Ze Puo-Dong (plum pudding) and Mua-Ji. For something as souvenir, may be you could bring back ‘Cha-Kiak’ (Japanese wooded slipper). We also took the opportunity to sample the beef noodle which has been highly recommended by the tour guide.

Taiwan Trip @ Day 1 (Taipei) - Part 2

To start with, we departed from Singapore’s Changi Airport on board the China Airlines’s flight CI662 at 3.15 pm. The journey took approximately 4 hours to arrive at Taipei Chiang-Kai-Shek International Airport.











Just before we called it a day, we were brought to the Ban Chiao Night Market where we took a slow stroll and had first-hand experience of what a pasar malam of Taiwanese version will look like.

Taiwan Trip - Part 1

Hi to those who have been following my blogs. You must been wondering what has happened since my last update more than a year ago. Well, a great deal of things has taken place – change of jobs and in fact in the past 14 months, I have also been to 3 fantastic places. In March 07 (before the crackdown), I had the opportunity to tour Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar. Then with my family in June 07, we toured the Hunan province of China and viewed the mesmerizing scenery of Zhangjiajie (I have tendency to describe it as a ‘Paradise’) and the most recent, a round-island tour of Taiwan (December 07).

Well, let me share with you the great time that I experienced during the recent 9-days Taiwan tour. This trip is the most memorable and enjoyable one that I had ever been to. Why is it so? Taiwan, of course didn’t promised sceneries better than China. Shopping is not cheap either as compared to China or Hong Kong. In this trip however, I had a wonderful chance to tour with 2 of my best ex-colleagues of more than 16 years. Unlike in the past, my family traveled in tour packages with strangers and naturally, it took longer to get to know new friends in the same tour. This time around, the tour members are known to each other and as a matter of fact, a get-together dinner was organized a couple of days before the start of our tour. In addition, we had arranged with the tour agent to dispense with the tour leader. This way, we enjoyed some rebate in our fares and at the same time, had the opportunity to experience life as a tour leader too. Of course, we had some prearrangement to tailor the itineraries to our needs such as doing away with some meals so that we can taste the local delicacies which is highly featured in Taiwanese entertainment programme. The final day was allocated for free and easy tour of Taipei capital city on our own. We had an unexpected windfall when our Malaysian’s tour agent called to notify that we are unable to return as scheduled due to some flight complications. After some negotiations, we settled for return flight from Kaoshiung the next day and as compensation, we were provided an all-paid-expenses for accommodation in Kaoshiung, 3 meals, bullet train ride from Taipei to Kaoshiung and a visit to a theme park featuring world’s major landmarks in miniatures sizes for all 17 of us.