Blogs from Macau, Asia

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Asia » Macau » Taipa Island June 29th 2019

Macau, a Special Administrative Region(SAR) of China is popularly known as “Las Vegas of Asia” because of Cotai Strip’s malls and Casinos. Macau currency is called Macanes Pataca but Hong Kong dollar is widely accepted in Macau. Influence of Portugal can be seen in architecture and food. I felt people were more friendly and courteous as compared to Hong Kong. I was on a week’s holiday to Hong Kong with my husband and this was our second trip so he suggested to cover Macau this time . I am not much into gambling so had doubts about exploring Macau, I was of the opinion to stay back in Hong Kong because all that I heard and know, people majorly visit Macau for Casinos. Then my partner suggested me to wipe out all pre-notions or rigidity and ... read more

Asia » Macau January 7th 2019

What makes a country? Hong Kong and Macau are designated as special administrative regions of China, under the ‘One China, Two Systems’ policy. Yet both require your passport to be checked and stamped when you enter. This applies to Hong Kongese and Macanese just as it does to foreigners. So if you have your own immigration policy does that make you a country? Or maybe a territory? What’s the difference anyway? What if we also consider that they both have their own: Flags Currencies Governments and political parties. Customs, rules, and regulations (like police and school systems) and languages. If we count Macau as a country then it will be the 60th country we’ve been to. We prefer milestone numbers to be exotic and exciting… Country number 50 was Iran. If this is to be number ... read more
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Asia » Macau » Coloane Island September 30th 2018

Ola. So we got to see Macau in the light of day today and its pretty darn cool, maybe if we go to China again we should stop at Macau first for a few days as a sort of warm up for China, where everything looks a bit different, but there are a few things that are familiar and the language isn't such a big problem - it might lessen the culture shock a little bit. And it's really nice too. I forgot to mention earlier but a massive typhoon ripped through all the places we're visiting a week ago today, but you would hardly know it except for a few trees that they haven't dug up properly yet. They're amazingly efficient here and in Shenzhen too at cleaning up after the storm. So today after ... read more
Casino Lisboa
Street in Taipa
Liam does not love egg tarts

Asia » Macau » Macau September 29th 2018

Hey there. After a bit of a late start we made it to Macau today. Not without the traditional mistakes and delays, of course, but made it we did. One small complication we've been having is that there's too many of us to go in a taxi these days, so some of the more simple ideas don't work out as simple as we'd imagined. There's no small amount of dissatisfaction with a system when you're dodging motorbikes on a footpath and avoiding open manholes and crossing at zebra crossings that are purely ornamental, to then be told that it's too dangerous to have an extra person in the taxi. We did find a dodgy way of getting to where we wanted to go though, so we piled in the cab and he took us to where ... read more
Macau out or hotel window
Ritzy Casino
Kids + Fountains

Asia » Macau June 14th 2018

Macau was handed over to the Chinese on 20 December 1999, thereby concluding 400 years of Portuguese rule in what had become the last European colony in Asia. The catalyst for the changeover stemmed from the return of Hong Kong by the British two years earlier. Once again I'm curious to visit for the first time since Chinese rule was established, just as I did recently in Hong Kong. It should be noted Macau has a similar arrangement with the Chinese to the one with Hong Kong, where for 50 years post handover the region will operate under the one country, two systems arrangement ceasing in 2049, two years after Hong Kong is fully integrated with China. It's common knowledge that Macau's claim to fame is as the world's premier gambling mecca, with revenue generated from ... read more
Lovely architecture
Ruins of St Paul
Beautiful square

Asia » Macau September 7th 2017

You might know it has the world's highest revenue-generating gambling mecca. You might know it as a former Portuguese colony. You might know it as where James Bond arrives suited and booted at a casino aboard a small raft on a lantern-lit canal, with fireworks going off overhead. Whatever you know about Macau, it is difficult to argue that it doesn't sound like an interesting place. Just a one hour ferry ride from Hong Kong, the opportunity to take a peek at this curious little enclave was too much to resist. Everything about the ferry ride - from the short distance from Chungking Mansions to the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon, to grabbing tickets right at the gate before immigration, from the swift immigration and boarding process, to the ride itself in comfortable leather seats that ... read more
The Cotai Strip
Rua do Cunha
St Lazarus Church District

Asia » Macau July 31st 2017

Macau today As we had so many things go wrong with our room, firstly a blocked drain in the shower and a broken shower head ( which was fixed straight away) then a broken towel rail ( also fixed promptly but the thing that couldn't be fixed was the refrigerator, the only part of it that worked was the light. We were moved to another slightly bigger room but this time on the 17th floor, we were previously on the 7th. The reception staff asked us to pack our bags leave them in the room and they would move us while we were out. So good news to come home to that day, we could have cold drinks again :) It was so hot and humid again today and unfortunately the smog/mist had moved right in ... read more
More fake ruins
Part of the Corridor
The Jet Boat

Asia » Macau » Macau July 19th 2017

19-7-17 After a very busy lead up work wise for both of us, we had decided to stay at the Park Royal at Tullamarine before our morning flight to Hong Kong. What a fabulous way to start our trip, finally taking time to relax and wind down with a pint for Ron and a glass of red for Alex over dinner at Irish Murphys at the airport. 20-7-17 A nine hour flight saw us land in Hong Kong airport, we purchased tickets and were able to board the ferry to Macau before going through customs so did not actually go into Hong Kong. The airport somehow organised for our suitcases to be found and transferred to the ferry, we were happy to see them when we disembarked in Macau. 21-22/7 After our late night arrival we ... read more
Arriving in Macau
View from our room at the Sofitel
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Asia » Macau » Macau June 14th 2017

There have been times on our trip where we have felt that Lady Luck has been working against us, for example our stressful 33 hour delayed exit from Xi'an. And then there's been times it's felt like she has been very much on our side. This was one of those times. We left Hong Kong on a beautifully sunny Sunday morning, perhaps the most beautiful day so far, and enjoyed the picturesque catamaran journey across to Macau blissfully unaware of Typhoon Merbok. That evening the first level of Hong Kong's 5 stage Typhoon warning was issued in both Hong Kong and Macau and all Hong Kong / Macau ferries were suspended. We were totally unaware of this until the following morning when Paul stumbled across it on the internet. It was Monday, three days before our ... read more
Arriving in beautiful sunshine
The view from our hotel room
Nighttime view from our hotel room

Asia » Macau May 1st 2017

MACAU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a three day weekend so Laurent and I decided to gamble our money away in Macau. Our hotel was in Zhuhai which is the Chinese side of the border. WE got the ferry there and went to the hotel to drop our bags off. We walked to the border and after making our way through started the walk to the HOP ON, HOP OFF bus depot. Well, we thought we were walking that way. We walked for hours, stopping for lunch and to use the outside gym equipment! By the time we reached reached there, we realised we had missed the last bus. We carried on walking and ended up at the Ruins of St. Paul's. They are the ruins of a 17th century Portuguese church, when it was first built it was ... read more
St Pauls
Macua Tower
Hotel Grand Lisboa




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