Mad for Macau

Macau, similar to Hong Kong, is a SAR (Special Administrative Region) meaning they operate with their own government and money. It also means that when travelling from HK to Macau you once again have to go through passport control and security. The two Tom’s (my fellow tour mate and me) have to do this twice on our afternoon trip to Macau as the ferries are only running from HK island today and therefore we are having to get the bus, which includes going through two different SARs and stop points. However these are relatively easy as I only have my little bag with me and as British citizens neither Tom or I need to do anything other than scan our passports to get in. The views are amazing as well as we cross over the longest sea crossing and longest open-sea fixed link in the world. Macau is beautiful city that, unlike HK which was ruled by the British in the imperialist days, was once ruled by Portugal.

As such the main tourist attractions that Tom and I go to see are Monte Fort (Fortaleza do Monte) and the Ruins of St. Paul’s, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the historic centre of Macau. The place is pretty busy; clearly a tourist destination as many of the streets are lined with shops selling all the stuff you expect to see sold at tourist destinations – with one noticeable difference. On the street leading up to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, our first stop, there are rows of shops selling different types of jerky. I have to admit I was a little perplexed as I haven’t seen freshly made jerky before or knew that it was so popular. Shop after shop stationed staff outside with strips of jerky and big scissors to hand out free samples, neither Tom or I partake, although I regret that now as it would of been better for this story if I had (note to self: try all the food from now on!). Then on to Monte Fort for an amazing view over Macau and the river to Hong Kong Island beyond.

By this point Tom and I are starting to get hungry. We have made the decision that we want to get the ferry back, it is iconic after all, so we start to head towards the casinos that Macau is famous for. We think they give free shuttles to the terminal. Along the way we stop off for a quick bite to eat and to try a local beer. Somehow, for two people who aren’t fans of fish, we manage to wander into a fish restaurant. I order beef and mushroom, the other Tom gets crispy sweet and sour chicken. The food is nice but I am more impressed by the beer TsingTao, I always seem to enjoy beer more in foreign countries. As I’m not a real big beer drinker I tend to not pick it that often, but when travelling it seems like a cheap, safe bet, so I like to try the local and TsingTao hits the spot on an impromptu trip to Macau on a hot day!

After we’ve eaten we get to the casinos and notice that they do in fact do free shuttles; only problem is we can’t figure out how to get a ticket. The second language here is not English like most of the places I have been, including HK; it is Portuguese, a remnant of the city's colonial past. Finally, after joining about three wrong queues, we are ushered into the casino itself and it clicks. The casino/hotel do do free shuttles to the ferry terminal but they have smartly placed the ticket station at the back end of the casino floor meaning that you have to walk past every chance to gamble they can throw at you before you can get on the bus. Once we are loaded on to the bus it is a short drive to the terminal and we are quickly on the boat to cross. Annoyingly we are seated right at the front of the ferry next to the baggage area so we have no windows to look out of. Once back to Hong Kong island both the other Tom and I have to cross again over to Kowloon, HK’s region attached to Mainland China, so we get the metro and head back. I finally get myself back to my hostel to check in at 7pm, I am now very tired, very very tired and after the walk back up to reception I am surprised to find out I haven’t paid for the accommodation yet. I thought I had, but after double checking the receptionist is right, so I hand over my card and after the fourth attempt and the card machine continuing to not work, I have to walk back past the broken elevator and down the stairs to get cash out and back up before I can finally get into my room.

My room, to be fair to this non-B&B B&B, is a lot cleaner than the rest of the building although it is a tiny room which barely fits the bed. After a quick call with my parents and a well-earned shower, I collapse exhausted into bed. At least I get a lie in tomorrow!