Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Macau: A Colorful and Lovable Place

On our second day in Hong Kong, we got up early to catch the first ferry to Macau, the terminal was near where we stayed, it was an advantage for people who can’t get up early or move faster in the morning. Mandy (a colleague from where I used to work) helped us with regards to getting a cheaper price of the ferry. She got us a roundtrip ticket for HKD 230, way cheaper than the ones on the internet (I forgot how much but really, but again a big savings). There are different ports and ours would be at Coloane (near Venetian Hotel) terminal. The ferry was nice and spacious. LIV was still sleepy and was able to take a nap during the one hour ride. When we got off, a cold breeze surprised us in Macau. It was freezing, I had to lend V one of my scarves, as he wouldn’t stop shaking.
There were free busses to take us from the terminal to Venetian Hotel, the ride was less than 15 minutes. The hotel was breathtaking inside, but it was too cold and too foggy to appreciate it outside. Venetian hotel is just one of the most amazing hotels I’ve been to. The ceiling was designed with almost as real clouds and blue skies. It was just fabulous, it really felt like you’re in Europe.
We ate our lunch in the hotel’s affordable food court. LIV had Fat Burger and I had local Chinese food and V had Vietnamese food.
After checking out the hotel, we went out and find our way to Macau Peninsula to see the famous Ruins of St. Paul. We were able to take a bus and for another 15 minutes or so, we took another tram and we got off near Senado Square, we walked around, stopped by at some churches and finally saw Ruins of St. Paul. After taking tons of pictures, we walked around for few more hours and finally we head back to the ferry terminal earlier than our schedule. We were not able to see the beautiful streets of Macau at night, it was a shame to leave and not see the Little Las Vegas of Asia, but it was getting late and it would have a price difference if we purchase a ticket for 6:00pm trip. Macau is an amazing place with Asian and Spanish culture mixed together. I would love and visit it again and hopefully this time, see the lights and stay a little longer.