xcapee

Woke up to a great view outside my window across Nam Van Lake and noticed that Macau is a mix of old and new. Modern buildings and casinos mixed with old historical Portugese heritage buildings. I decided to have breakfast at the buffet inside Wynn which was okay but not great. There was a mix of western dishes and asian and there was even fresh sashimi which is a little strange for breakfast. To finish off my breakfast, I got a coffee from the Starbucks located in a corner of the Wynn casino area which was fantastically convenient for me. It was now time to explore old Macau which was about a 15 minute walk from the Wynn and although it was quite cool I was sweating by the time I got there due to the ... read more

Well it was my 3rd day in HK and I am getting more and more used to the pace and buzz of the place. Again, I was up early and being a Saturday morning there was even less people on the streets at 8am. I thought I would take advantage and get to Tim Ho Wan at 9am again and beat the crowds and within 10 minutes of opening the place was packed. I tried a few more dishes and was happy with each of them and seriously it is a good change from eating re-heated frozen dim sum which quite prevalent nowadays. Didn't have much on the agenda today so basically just relaxed after breakfast, giving the rest of HK a chance to wake up. The weather actually was quite cool this morning and the ... read more

Flight from Sydney to HK was totally enjoyable. Checking in was painless - the Cathay Pacific check-in was quick with no queues. Although the flight was delayed about an hour due to bad weather in Sydney but once underway the flight was smooth, service - efficient and friendly, and the meals actually were pretty decent and filling. People worldwide have negatively commented on Cathay Pacific's pod seats in economy but I had no complaints. Yes they are a little firmer and don't actually recline but the hard bit of the backrest was actually good support for me and there was plenty of legroom. The A330-300 was quiet (much more than the powerful B777-ER) and I was able to get plenty of shut eye. We landed in HK just a little behind schedule but in the middle ... read more

So after a busy day yesterday, I found myself sleeping in well in truly by my normal standards. Didn't wake up until after 9am which is a lot later than normal for me. Maybe the bed at the Mandarin Oriental was so good? Went out looking for some breakfast and realised not much is open before 10am in SG especially on a Sunday. However, it was already uncomfortable hot and humid. Found a few interesting places to eat but I decided to go to a dim sum stand in the Marina Square complex as it was air conditioned! Had some pretty good rice noodle roll with prawns and fresh scallop dumplings. I then decided to head back to the hotel and relax as I had a few hours to kill before check out and there wasn't ... read more

Had the pleasure of watching Cirque du Soleil 'O' at the Bellagio tonight and it was pretty good. However, compared to 'KA' at the MGM, I don't think 'O' was as equally as spectacular. 'O' is different in that it has pools of water which the performers constantly jump in and out from. The high altitude dives were definitely breathtaking. I think the action in 'KA' was more fluid and at a quicker pace which made it a more interesting spectacle. It is up to personal taste / opinion, but I certainly preferred 'KA'. When in Las Vegas give yourself the opportunity to see both (or even more) and make up your own minds. Met up with 2 friends from Sydney tonight and had a good time catching up with them and sharing stories. It is ... read more