Macau...Vegas of the East

Arriving into Macau on the TurboJet Hydrofoil in just 45 minutes and took a cab to StarWorld Galaxy Hotel and Casino. Such a beautiful hotel, brand new and full of stars!! Plus our room was overlooking the amazing New Grand Lisboa Hotel!! How amazing we thought until nightfall when we noticed the lights from that building was sooooo bright it felt like its noon at midnight!!!

View from our room...very bright...too bright!!!

Where the action takes place....:)

The amazing Grand Lisboa structure!!

Welcoming us at the lobby were the Cabaret Dancers…mostly were from South America and the Philippines…they were all soooo tall! Some were even taller than me!! And Gorgeous!!...Photo op!!!!

What a grin!!!

Here’s some info on Macau…

Macau (also spelled Macao, 澳門, Ou3 Mun4 in Cantonese, Àomén in Mandarin) is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, until 1999 Macau was an overseas territory of Portugal. One of the world's most densely populated spots, Macau is best known as Asia's largest destination for gambling taking in even more revenue than Las Vegas !!

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Visitors of nearly all nationalities can enjoy a visa-free stay of between 30 and 90 days. For most nationalities which are not eligible for visa-free stay, a visa-on-arrival is available subject to fee although from 1st July 2010 eligibility for visa-on-arrival was withdrawn for nationals (other than Hong Kong ID Card holders) of Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Sorry for my friends from these countries… 
Full details of current visa requirements can be found on the Macau Government website;

http://www.fsm.gov.mo/psp/eng/EDoN.html#EDoN_VII

The Chinese language is rather difficult to pick up...Russell Peters explains...

 Passports are required and must have a validity of at least 30 days from date of entry into Macau.

Visitors from Hong Kong to Macau pass through immigration and customs formalities on leaving Hong Kong, entering Macau and vice-versa and arrival and departure cards (handed out on the ferries) need to be completed.

As this was a work/vacation trip to Macau….we flew in by Air Asia to Macau in the morning for a meeting I scheduled with the Macau Government Tourism Office. I am very amazed to see the influence of the Potuguese still deep in the administration of Macau.

Full day of official meetings the next day….Intan and Myra spent the next day in Hong Kong Disneyland….coming soon at a blog near you…..

StarWorld like most hotels in Macau is a Casino Hotel….you can see busloads upon busloads of PRC’s (People Republic of China) coming in by the thousands to all the casino’s with wads of cash to gamble!! I’ve been to Las Vegas….but the Chinese gamblers are HYPER!!! One guy was in the lift with me as I was going up to my room…he wore exactly like what a fish monger would wear in Pudu Market but he was holding 3 -4 rolls of chips being escorted up to the Premier floor. Obviously he was upgraded to the high rollers category…after he got out, my collegue said “Do you know how much value were those chips?.....about USD30,000!!!....and that’s considered nothing here in Macau!!”…I’d be wearing a pair of decent pants if I’m holding that amount of money…. 

Obviously most of them are Buddhist... I've always wanted to ask a Buddhist if they think gambling's wrong cause personally I think they like Tibet! ....geddit??

 

http://www.starworldmacau.com/en

The only person that enjoyed the use of the pool was Myra...infact, i think Myra may have been the only child in the hotel!!

In Macau Peninsula most of the tourist area is walking distance. OK….then there’s this huge building ….Matbe the largest single building I’ve seen in years….another mega project by Sheldon Adelson’s The Venetian Resort Macau and really enjoyed Zaia, Cirque Du Soleil….breathtaking!!!

There are a few places that u should not miss when in Macau,

Senado Square is one of the most photogenic spots in the city and the pulse point of Macau’s UNESCO quarter. Leal Senado, or Loyal Senate, is a recognizable landmark in the plaza and was the home of the Legislative Assembly under Portuguese rule. Now a shopping haven…Do you know that a square with a hard on is an erectangle??? Now you do.....

 

Main entrance to Senado Square

Work and pleasure....

The famous egg tart of Macau...really delicious, we were only told on the last day we were there that the delectable morsels were glazed with lard !!

The Ruins of St. Paul's refers to the ruins of a 16th century complex in Macau including of what was originally St. Paul's College and the Cathedral of St. Paul also known as "Mater Dei", a 17th century Portuguese cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau's most famous landmarks. In 2005, they were officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau. I was told the remains of Paul the amazing Octopus was buried somewhere here...

Venetian Macau the world largest casino, is one of Asia’s most exciting entertainment destination, and nowhere else in Asia will you find such a rare combination of facilities, attractions and amenities.
All 3,000 of its room are suites, experience shopping with over 350 international shops, be dazzled by the street performers, or take a ride on an authentic Venetian gondola, all at the resort.

Macau Casinos….The very reason why people go to Macau… interested? Here’s the full list of Macau Casinos

 http://www.worldcasinodirectory.com/macau/casino-list

The slightly short of 6 hour flight home felt very long due to our tireness and NO MOVIES!!!

In short….great places to visit, 6 hour flight one way…not that bad lah…everybody speaks english….if you’re lucky you can double your money at the Casino’s……what are you waiting for??? Let’s Jom!!!

Hong Kong in 2 days…..

We had the opportunity as a family to visit Macau and Hong Kong due to my work. Whilst I had to work, Myra and my lovely wife tagged along for the ride….infact they got to go to Hong Kong Disneyland on their own….read about this in my next posting….

Here’s how we did it……

The best deal was to fly into Macau from Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia. Eventhough I really wanted to see the new Hong Kong airport, flying into Hong Kong was very expensive during the time we visited. But since we were coming back to Macau for my meeting, and flying back home from Macau, Air Asia was most logical choice. The Ferry ride to and from Hong Kong Island was only about RM60-RM70 one way for adult !!

Here is wee bit of info about Hong Kong

Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. I can on and on about Hong Kong….but to make it simple and sweet..its where Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan came from….done!

The plan was to fly in a couple of days before the Board Meeting, spend the weekend in Hong Kong before returning back to Macau for my Board Meeting and back to good ol’ Malaysie…

As soon as we arrived in Macau, in the cab towards the Ferry Terminal we were not so amazed with the so called super development that we’ve been hearing about….nothing spectacular….until we got onto a very long bridge going towards the main peninsula… The Grand Lisboa looks like a huge tree but 10,000 times bigger!!!

On the bridge towards Macau Peninsula from Cotai...u can see the Grand Lisboa like a giant African Boab Tree!!

We hopped on the Turbojet Hydrofoil boat to Hong Kong at the Macau Maritime Ferry terminal. You can choose several types of ferries/catamarans or even a helicopter ride into Hong Kong from here.

TurboJet Hydrofoil Ferry...fast, very stable, just like an airplane!!     http://www.turbojet.com.hk/eng/schedule/prd.html

Catamaran

If you have more than enough dosh....get a heli!!!

TurboJET operate a fleet of jetfoils and catamarans from Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal at Shun Tak Centre at Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island. The terminal lies a short distance west of Central Ferry Piers and is served by Sheung Wan MTR Station.

This is the busiest and most popular route with departures every 15 minutes from 07-00 to midnight increasing to every 5 minutes at peak times. Between midnight and 07-00 services operate at between 30 and 90 minute intervals.

The journey takes approx one hour.

Travellers can arrive at the HK Macau Ferry Terminal, buy tickets and usually be able to travel on one of the next one to three sailings. However at certain times, particularly weekends, public holidays or during special events such as the Macau Grand Prix services do become very busy and it may be preferable to make an advance reservation.

Seat allocation is made in the Departure Hall about ten minutes prior to departure. For every departure there is a standby queue and it is often possible to obtain an earlier departure by joining the standby queue which is close to the seat allocation desk by the departure gate.

For more info on Hong Kong....  http://www.hongkongextras.com/tomacau.html

Ramada Hong Kong Island

In Hong Kong we stayed at the Ramada on 308 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong  +852 3410 3333. Ramada was very close to the Ferry Terminal. The best part was that the famous Hong Kong Tram runs right in front of its entrance!!

If you own a 2 bedroom apartment in Hong Kong, you're a rich man, if you live in a 3 bedroom Condo...you're equivalent to an American Millionnaire !!! that's how expensive real-estate is here!!

View from our room

We booked our rooms using RatesToGo (Last Minute Hotel Deals). This is one of the best websites to buy rooms last minute. Instead of letting these rooms go on empty, they sell it cheap if you book less than 2 weeks before you travel. Most times if you need a room fast, its cheaper than Agoda!! For whatever is on offer….beggars can’t be choosers…

https://www.ratestogo.com/account/login?destinationUrl=

Unlike many other tram system of the world, Hong Kong's tram system began directly as an electric tram. It has never run on horse or steam power unlike San Francisco. Hong Kong Trams are cheap and very easy to use…..It either goes left or right of Hong Kong Island, make sure you have a map handy and stop at the nearest to where you want to go…..everywhere else is a short walk away. Remember that if you’re walking towards the seafront, its downhill, away from the seafront, its mostly uphill….to go to Kowloon side of Hong Kong there’s the subway or busses.

The old and the new

Always try to seat upfront and on top...and always have a map with you...and for heaven's sake, learn to properly read a map....

The Tram fare is HKG$2.30 per adult and HKG$1.20 for kids….point to point or rather per entry, just like our old Bas Mini Wilayah of yesteryear… make sure to go on top and get the seat right upfront…. The amazing view of the metropolis of Hong Kong as you move forward is just amazing…with the old Hong Kong shops with everything you see being hanged to the fresh laundry under garments and all just above the shops to the modern skyscrapers just a few blocks away…everything seems to be in controlled chaos!! Just amazing!! And the streets are clean….get your DSLR on standby and snap away!!

Public Finance!!! Hey! That's Malaysian lah!

Old Collonial Buildings

Hong Kong's version of the Flatiron Building of New York!!

We spent the rest of the first day up at The Peak until dinner time where we celebrated Intan’s birthday overlooking Hong Kong glittering lights!!! The view from up there was just amazing!! It was our first time at Bubba Gump too!!

Entrance to The Peak Tram

The old tram up Hong Kong's The Peak

Majestic Views of Hong Kong from the Peak

Can't imagine I took this photo with my simple Olympus Mju!!

This is the Peak's Complex, we were right on top of the building enjoying the view...

Among the most famous building here in HKG

The second day (Sunday) was quite a shock to us……on the tram trying to find our way to the famous Victoria Park, we thought there was a riot or perhaps a ‘Women’s Liberation Rally’ or even ‘A Picnic Day’ !! Thousands upon thousands of Filippino maids filled the city, sitting by the roadsides having a picnic like a street party….it’s actually the domestic helper’s weekly day off and they would all congregate  in the middle of the business district to mingle and meet friends!! We felt we were in Makati or Metro Manila for a moment!! They even tried to speak Tagalog to me!! 

We spent some time exploring Kowloon cause this was the birthday girl’s time…(read: shopping time…) we had to catch the afternoon ferry to Macau.

Virginia Hourly Hotel??? just outside 'Mangkuk' Station...don't get me started laaa

Hong Kong is an easy place aka user friendly place to travel to. Halal food may have been a problem if you are planning to stay for a few days, I don’t have any info on Halal food but for 2 days 1 night…its OK. Not enough time for a good shopping holiday but to see what u need to see as a tourist...its enough, with good planning...

You'll be amazed what these people sell...

Back on the TurboJet Terminal and before you know it, were back in Macau and checked into the StarWorld Galaxy Hotel and Casino.

You’ve heard of the place, read about it……well??.....Let’s Jom!!!