Macau: Part Three of Day 2 (Feb. 6, 2009)

So after our Macau Tower experience, the tour guide dropped us off at the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel. The 'free' city tour of Macau was over. So no, we didn't get to see the St Paul Ruins, the Senado and other tourist spots this former Portuguese colony is renowned for. But I'm sure we will get the chance to return to Macau somehow, someday, sometime in the future.

So while my mother went agog at the slot machines in the casino, we (my sister and my hubby) decided to explore this huge hotel/resort casino which as the name implies was constructed to appear as the Italian city of Venice. So you have the famous bridge of sighs, the gondolas, the Venetian architecture and vast Renaissance paintings on their ceilings and the hotel is peppered with designer boutiques and luxurious shops like Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Gucci.









After we practically had to drag my mother away from the casino, we took the shuttle bus to The Sands Hotel and made our way by foot to the Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. An outdoor mall with a theme park vibe with restaurants and shops. You can also view some of the other hotels/casinos lurking their majestic presence in the background. By that time, it was already early evening so the air was a bit nippy. It added to the romantic setting of the place so it made for nice cozy "hugging" pictures. I do have to say that the place was pretty empty. For some strange reason, it didn't seem to click with the local crowd or the tourists either. Probably because most of the people who come to Macau go to the casinos to gamble away.













It was already past 9pm when we were done with dinner and sightseeing. The return fare wasn't part of the 'free' Macau city tour so we had to purchase our tickets from the ferry terminal. We walked all the way to the HongKong Macau Pier to catch the ferry back to Kowloon Island. It was a long walk from the Fisherman's Wharf. It was cold and windy. My feet were aching. I was tired since we were up since 6am. Cramming a HongKong City tour and a Macau city tour in one day is really hectic. But once we were seated in the 10pm First Ferry back to Hongkong, I was thankful for that long day and cherished the family bonding moment with glee. Trying to ignore the rough waves smashing against the ferry as it was already high tide! =)

9th month of wedded bliss

Kindly allow me to pause from posting about my recent Hongkong and Macau adventure to come up with an entry to commemorate our 9th month as husband and wife.

Here are 9 reasons why we are so happy, together:

May 15, 2008 - Our wedding day


October 19, 2008 - my 40th birthday


December 25, 2008 - Christmas Day



December 29, 2008 - Caleruega, Batangas


December 29, 2008 - Tagaytay


February 6, 2009 - Avenue of the Stars, Kowloon, Hongkong



February 6, 2009 - Fisherman's Wharf, Macau


February 7, 2009 - Ocean Park, Hongkong


February 8, 2009 - The Peak, HongKong



We are both photogenic (kuno) and we look good, together! Teehee! =)

Macau: Part Two of Day 2 (Feb. 6, 2009)

Mr Lee (our tour guide from Win's travel) said farewell to us as he dropped us off at the ferry terminal after our half day Hongkong city tour.

Our next itinerary was a 2pm ferry ride (one way) to Macau inclusive of a short city tour. We had time for a quick lunch at the food court which is brimming with restaurants which serve different cuisine. Then we 'checked in' at the First Ferry counter, went through Hongkong immigration, painlessly. Then we walked to berth # 13 to board the 2pm ferry. The ferry ride is about 2 hours on the high seas. You are given a specific seat number but since it is not full, you can transfer to another seat once the ride begins. I took this opportunity to close my eyes and tried to sleep a bit.

Once the ferry starts its slow approach to Macau, you are greeted with a fantastic view of several majestic cable laden bridges which connect the Macau peninsula to the northwest coast of Taipa. It was a sight to behold - those suspension bridges were really magnificent! I was a bit drowsy from my nap that I forgot to take pictures besides the ferry was still moving so the pictures might be out of focus.

Anyways, our tour guide Roger met us at the terminal as we embarked on a complimentary city tour of Macau. The thing is when we bought our HongKong tour package, the local travel agency told us they have included a free half day Macau city tour. Since it is "free", we couldn't alter the itinerary in the city tour. So we just went along with the flow, so to speak.



The first stop was located on the outer harbor, this statue, dedicated to Goddess of Kun Iam (Goddess of Mercy) is 20 meters tall and made of special bronze. Then we passed by a local confectionery store which sells Macau famous pasalubong items - almond cookies of all shapes and sizes. I really don't have much patience for "store visits", so I stepped out to take some pictures of Macau from where we were located. But as I write this post I am currently munching on some mini size almond cookies which my mother bought for me. Yum.

This is the Macau Convention Center:




Here's a picture of a parking meter (something I haven't seen in a long time since there aren't any in the Philippines) notice the terms written in both the Chinese dialect as well as the Portuguese language, given that you all know that Macau used to be a colony of Portugal.



Here I noticed the huge disparity in the skyline. The contrast between an old almost decrepit residential building vis a vis a major hotel chain luring unsuspecting tourists to their luxurious suites and mostly a haven for gambling addicts to spend their time and hard earned money in the casinos.



The next stop was the famous Macau Tower. Original plan was to simply pass by it but we were willing to pay for the entrance fee (HKD 85/pax) so we could go to the viewing deck located on the 58th and 61st floor respectively.



From up there you are afforded a breathtaking view of the whole Macau peninsula, the Taipa coast and beyond. The Macau tower also offers for the adventurous at heart, several adrenaline pumping activities (for an exorbitant fee, of course!) like bungee jumping, sky walking and sky jumping! Good luck to all those thrill seekers. When we were there, there was a young guy who leaped his pants off, he chose to sky jump instead of bungee jump! We encountered him on his way back up and he was as pale as the moon, probably thinking how he was going to pay for the fee!



This is the wonderfully designed facade of the Grand Lisboa Hotel, Macau. Beautiful architecture!




I didn't know I actually had a fear of heights until I tried to look all the way down from the transparent glass area of the tower and felt dizzy! So these pictures were taken by my much more daring and adventurous sister who wanted to sky walk around the tower held only by a harness which enables you to circle around the outside walkway. Geeez. what a brave soul!





Ladies and gentlemen that seemingly barren landlocked terrain is already mainland China, specifically the town of Zhuhai. According to Roger (our tour guide), it only takes about 10 minutes to walk to this border town from Macau. Fancy that! It was my first time to have a glimpse of the sleeping giant China which I reckon isn't so sleepy anymore!

Zenni Optical

My vision in both eyes is really bad without eyeglasses. I guess, it comes with years of neglect. Besides, I believe I inherited it from my parents who both also wear prescription glasses. I also have some mild form of astigmatism in both eyes so my lens needs to be corrective in nature.

Seeing Straight Without Breaking Bank is an interesting article about Zenni Optical in the NY Times?!. It gave informative and valuable health tips about eye care.

ZenniOptical provide a wide range of trendy Prescription Eyeglasses for only $8!. Their frames offer all type of lens like single vision, sun sensor (potochromic) lens, tinted sunglasses as well as bifocal and progressive lens. Visit their website and choose the perfect pair of eyeglasses to fit your lifestyle and your personality.

HongKong: Part One of Day 2 (Feb. 6, 2009)

Our tour guide, Mr Lee from Win's Travel picked us up from our hotel at 8:25am for our HongKong city tour.

First stop was The Avenue of Stars promenade in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon island. This long walkway near the shore is a popular tourist attraction. It features the cemented hand prints of some HongKong celebrities like Jackie Chan, Jet Li among others. It has a huge statue of the late Bruce Lee. From that vantage point, you can clearly see a picturesque view of Hongkong Island with its imposing skyscrapers and their modern architecture. It was a rather windy day with gloomy overcast skies. So my hair was all over my face, flying away.











After that rather windy encounter, we were heralded to the factory outlet of an outfit store then a stop at a jewelery shop. I believe that it is customary to include visits to stores where the tour guide will be entitled to a commission if their customers buy something from the shop. My mother and my sister bought a jade pendant and pearl set but me well I'm not into really expensive jewelry. I merely admired the shiny flashy gems and tried to ease my way out of the sales talk of the staff who can be quite pesky and aggressive in trying to convince you to buy something. But during the presentation portion, D correctly answered a question posed by the presenter so he won a loose garnet stone which is now in my possession which I can convert into a ring or an earring (since my sister gave me her garnet stone) customized to my liking.



Our next stop was the Sampan sightseeing tour in the Aberdeen area of HongKong island. It is a sampan boat ride which last for about 20 minutes. You are taken to see up close the famous Jumbo floating restaurant owned by Stanley Ho. The ride is quite refreshing as the sea breeze is crisp and cold. Plus you get a gorgeous view of the high rise condominiums dotting that specific area of HongKong. The sampan is navigated by an old woman who according to our tour guide has been doing it for several decades now. It is a life long career that is slowly losing its 'purpose' with the younger generation who all prefer to work in offices instead of steering tourists around a sampan.









It was just a half day city tour. The rest of our afternoon was spent in a "free" city tour of Macau (which was included in our package). On our way to the ferry terminal, we stopped by a midlevel viewing deck near the Peak for some breathtaking snapshots of both the Kowloon and HongKong island area. A fitting way to end our half day HongKong city tour!

HongKong: Day 1 (Feb. 5, 2009)

The day started really early, we woke up at 2:30am to get ready for our 5am transport to the Centennial Airport. D & I spent 2 nights at the condo. He had work while I had to help my sister pack the luggage of 5 people. Heavy 'wintry' clothing is really a hassle to pack thus foregoing the adage 'travel light'. Traffic was virtually non existent at that unholy hour so we were at the airport by 6:20 am.

Several PAL (Philippine Airlines) counters were already open and there was a considerable amount of people all checking in at the same time for various flights. After paying the terminal fee (P750/pax), you go through the immigration counters where stern immigration staff stamp your passport.

Then comes the 'fun' part - the x-ray security check. NOT! There is a separate line for men and women. You take a basket, put your personal belongings like hand bag, carry on luggage and your shoes (yes you need to take them off!) roll it through the conveyor belt while you pass through a machine where you are subjected to a hands on search on your person. Nothing to it, really. But over at the men's section there is quite a chaotic commotion going on as men have to take off their shoes, empty their pockets in the basket, pass through the x-ray machine, recover the contents of their pockets then hop around in their socks trying not to lose balance as they put their shoes back on. Quite a hassle especially for old(er) people who move at a slower pace.

Anyways with over an hour to go, you are left with nothing to do but sit at the assigned gate to wait for boarding time. I noticed there is an Internet terminal where you can log online,for free. (I resisted the urge!) A few snack bars for those wanting to have a caffeine fix. Plus a smoking area where my sister needed a few minutes to have her nicotine fix.

Boarding time (7:15am) came soon enough and I was pretty excited about the flight because it was D's first ever plane ride in his 44 yrs of existence. We were seated in row 69, windows seat section (I love window seats on a plane), I buckled his seat belt and waited for several minutes for the plane to take off. We held hands as the Boeing 747 lifted off the tarmac of the Centennial Airport for our almost 2 hour flight. They served warm breakfast on board.

Upon landing at the huge HongKong International Airport, we were met by the local handler (Win's travel) of the travel agency which booked our 4D/3N package. Then we were transported to our hotel, the Kimberly Hotel in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. A convenient location bustling with activities of numerous shops, inns, hotels and malls.





It was only 11:30am so our rooms were not ready yet for occupancy. We were given a piece of paper and told to come back by 2pm. We decided to explore the surrounding area of our hotel as well as find somewhere to have lunch. The weather was pleasant. Sweater toting pleasant. A bit chilly given that we just came from a tropical country. But I simply soaked in the Hongkong vibe with its crowd, its clean surroundings, the different shops and the presence of clear pavements which made walking such a breeze.



We had our first taste of Chinese food at this restaurant. The staff could barely speak English so we ended up ordering too many dishes because we simply checked the dimsum items on their list. I couldn't be bothered to take pictures of the really tasty food, I was already famished.

Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel and finally had our rooms. D & I were booked in a twin sharing room (1804) while my parents and sister in a triple sharing room on the same floor (1801).



We rested for a few minutes before we headed out again to explore the sights and sounds of Hongkong. We walked and walked and walked all over Kowloon Island till we reached the ferry terminal. We took the Star Ferry to HongKong Island, alighted at the Wan Chai station.





Here old buildings coexist with modern architecture. The old buildings remind us of this SAR's (Special Administration Region) colorful past while the modern architecture with its tall skyscrapers shows us Hong Kong's journey to the 21st Century. We kept walking and walked some more to the Causeway Bay area with its popular shopping malls (Times Square is the biggest emporium/mall in Causeway Bay) and the sea of humanity all enveloping us in its midst.










By now, it was already evening and we were beyond exhaustion, we had a quick dinner at Delifrance (of all places) since it was the nearest eatery we could walk to. After dinner, the nippy weather somehow gave us more energy to walk all the way to the nearest MTR station to head back to the Tsim Sha Tsui area. I like how the stations have clearly marked exits with all the roads listed so you won't get lost coming out of the train (MTR) stations.




We got back to our rooms by 11:30pm and had to sleep right away since Day 2's itinerary was bound to be a very hectic one. As you can see from the picture below, our beds were two single ones. D was lamenting that he was no longer used to sleeping on a single bed. We tried to connect them but there was this side table with a lot of wires making it impossible to move. Eventually we were simply too tired and fell asleep apart yet happy to be together on our first overseas trip as husband and wife. They say that you discover a different side of a person when you travel with them. Well I'm glad to say that my husband is still as organized and clutter free as usual. It also felt so nice to have someone carry my luggage for me for a change as well as explore/experience a new city and in the process build a ton of memories to cherish.

February na!

In a few days time, I will be spending 4 days and 3 nights in this hotel in HOngK0ng!



A short yet fun and exciting trip to celebrate my parents' 41st wedding anniversary (Feb. 5), my sister's 'despedida' before she moves to the Lion City (mid March) and our delayed (after 8 months) 'honeymoon'. =)

I'll return to regular blogging when I get back.