Technicolor Daze [Currently Being Edited]

eleven.

Sunday, April 20th, 2014

Wandering the empty streets of Macau next to Noah felt like a surreal experience to Theo. As they left the Nam Van Lake area and headed towards the bright lights of the Grand Emperor Hotel, Noah asked Theo, "Do you want to head to Circle K to get some more drinks and maybe something to eat? I'm feeling a bit hungry..."

"Sure, sounds like a good idea," Theo responded giving Noah a small smile.

They walked along the quiet streets to the convenience store that was located on a corner at Avenida D. João VI. Theo enjoyed walking around the city at night and getting lost in the lights of all of the luxurious and opulent hotels, but he'd never explored the historic town center at that time of the night. Macau was such a densely populated city, which had an altogether different charm in the dead of the night when its streets were bare of the crowds. In the city center, it almost felt like a picturesque little town with its blend of pastel-colored colonial buildings and old worn-out Chinese residential buildings, modern skyscrapers looming in the background. The streets of the small gambling metropolis were adorned with Portuguese pavement, showing traces of Macau's not so distant Portuguese history. The occasional encounter with a small Chinese temple reminds you once again of its Chinese roots.

Once inside the small Circle K, Noah headed straight for the refrigerated section to check the drinks out. "What do you want to drink? My treat," he offered.

"I'll just have a bottle of water," Noah raised his eyebrow, "Fine, I'll have one of those Mandarin teas."

"Good choice, I'll have one too," Noah smiled at Theo, "I don't drink them often, but I do have a sweet tooth." Noah grabbed two more beers as well as a pack of chips from the shelf before heading to the cashier. Theo grabbed a pack of chips for himself and asked the cashier for a pack of Winston Blue cigarettes as he waited for Noah to finish paying before paying for his own purchases.

"I see you like spicy food," Noah mentioned, looking at the pack Theo had just bought. He handed a Mandarin tea and a bottle of water over to Theo.

"Yeah, how about you? And thanks for the drinks, by the way," Theo and Noah walked out of the convenience store and started walking aimlessly, heading towards the S. Francisco Garden.

"No problem and well, I lived in Thailand for a couple of years and my mom's family is from the South of Thailand, so I grew up eating particularly spicy food," Noah bragged, smirking at Theo.

"The real question is: can you cook Thai food?" Theo raised a challenging eyebrow at Noah.

"I've been helping my grandma and my mom cook ever since I could walk. I also missed Thai food while I was living in Germany so I had to hone my cooking skills. My housemates loved it when I cooked meals for them, but I had to tone the spice levels down a bit."

"I actually love Thai food," Theo mentioned as they crossed the street to the other side, where the Garden was located.

"Well, maybe one day you can come over to taste some authentic gaeng tai pla," Noah smiled mischievously at Theo. Theo found it incredibly attractive when Noah spoke in Thai. He wondered what he sounded like when he spoke in German... "I can't promise mine will be as good as my grandma's or even my mom's, but I can tone down the spice levels for your sake," Noah teased Theo.

"Is it spicier than tom yum goong?"

Noah guffawed at Theo's question before responding with a shake of his head, "Tom yum goong is not even that spicy, but we can start easy with a green curry, if you want," Noah retorted, a hint of amusement in his voice.