After months of waiting and careful planning, the day has finally come!
October 22 was the date of my flight to Macau with my friend and former college room mate. We stayed in Macau and Hong Kong for 5 days. Let me share to you some of the highlights of our stay in Macau and Hong Kong.
1. Delayed flight
We took the Cebu Pacific flight to Macau and it was scheduled to depart Manila at 7:45PM. It was delayed for 2 hours. We arrived in Macau just before midnight. The flight only took 2 hours. When we arrived at the Airport, there's a free Macau map that you can get from the reception area- This map really helped us a lot! The taxi driver was also very nice. He was not familiar with the Hotel so he asked us to call, but my roaming service is not yet available. He offered his phone and called the Hotel himself.
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| The waiting game |
2. Small Hotel but good price and very friendly staff
The hotel we stayed in was very near Senado Square. It was just about 5 minutes from the famous landmark. The hotel is small, compared to what we saw online, but it was very clean and everybody was very nice and accommodating.
3. Itinerary for Macau Day 2
We visited the famous Senado Square and was surprised to see many Filipinos working at the shops nearby. They also helped us locate the places we wanted to visit for the day! What a relief! Aside from Senado Square, we visited the famous Ruins of St. Paul. There were many tourists at that time, but it was all good. We asked people to take our pictures too! We also got to visit several Churches and casinos until we got tired and got ready to board a Ferry boat going to Hong Kong.
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| At Senado Square |
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| The Ruins of St. Paul |
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| Grand Lisboa Hotel Casino |
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| I find this building very nice |
4. Hong Kong Day 1
We arrived late in Hong Kong. We had a difficult time finding the hotel. No one could help us! Cabs don't stop where we were. We were finally able to figure out where the hotel was, and like the hotel in Macau, it was small but nice. It was a bit dusty though, but overall it was okay for the price of the hotel.
5. Hong Kong Disneyland
We just had to! It was our first time to visit Disneyland. I think every Child's dream (at least in my generation) had always dreamed of going to Disneyland. So, off we went.
It was summer in Hong Kong so it was very hot and sunny. I did not mind. We stayed there the whole day and we got to watch 2 street parades. No surprise that there were also Filipino performers there!
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| With Minnie and Mickey |
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| With my 168 HKD umbrella :( |
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| Happiest Place on Earth |
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| Beautiful View of Disneyland |
6. Ngong Pin Village
In our quest to find the cheapest pair of shoes, we went to Citygate Outlets and discovered that the way to Ngong Pin Village is just a few steps away. So, we followed the other tourists until we found ourselves lining up to ride the cable car to Ngong Pin village. It was my first time and I was very happy to ride the cable car! We then reached Ngong Pin Village and bought some souvenirs. There were temples there and of course, the Big Buddha. We went up the steep stairway and I am happy to report that I lost weight because of that! lol!
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| Citygate Outlet stores |
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| Cable Car going to Ngong Pin Village |
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| Big Buddha |
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| Big Buddha |
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| Ngong Pin Village |
7. Night Market
It was nice to go around Mong Kok area and see what other things we can buy and bring home. We just found it difficult to shop because when we ask for the price, its like we did not have a choice but to buy. They do give very good discount, though.
8. Avenue of the Stars and Laser Light Show
They say that when you are in Hong Kong, you should definitely watch the laser light show which starts at 8PM. The display of lights were wonderful.
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| Hong Kong at Night |
9. Last day of the trip and back in Macau
My friend's flight was Hong Kong to Manila and it was in the Morning. My flight was Macau to Manila at 10:30PM. I went back to Macau alone. I had to figure out the way the station and all, but I think I was pretty successful at finding my way :)
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| On my way back to Macau- Alone! |
10. Wandering the Macau streets
I am glad that I was able to plan the trip. I made sure to visit St. Francis Church and the original Lord Stow's bakery in Coloane as well as Taipa Houses Museum. I first went to Taipa houses Museum since it was just about a 10-minute walk from the Venetian Macau where I had been strolling around. I also left my bag at the luggage counter and paid $10 for each bacg (I had 2). The houses in Taipa Village are very beautiful! The streets are narrow but very reminiscent of the old times. I felt like i had lived in that place before! I went around until I could no longer see the hotel and as I was asking for direction, I was assisted by another Filipino who happen to be working in the area. I attempted to go to Coloane by waiting for the #25 bus. I went in and asked the driver but we could not understand each other and I think he told me that that was not the right bus so I went down and out. I returned to the Venetian Macau and asked how to go to Coloane. The hotel staff were very friendly, and again, Filipino staff helped me find my way :)
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| Venetian Macao |
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| Venetian Macao |
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| The famous Lord Stow's Egg tart |
I rode the bus and missed the first bus stop. I had to go back and I finally got off the right bus stop. My heart was filled with so much happiness seeing the original bakery of Lord Stow's and that St. Francis Church was just a couple of steps away. I stopped and told myself "Feel all the feels!". The reason why I wanted to visit that small village was because the end scene from the Korean drama "Goong" was filmed there.
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| Bus Ride in Macau was fun! |
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| Coloane Village |
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| Lord Stow's original bakery in Coloane Village |
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| Short cut going to St. Francis Xavier Church |
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| St. Francis Xavier Church |
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| St. Francis Xavier Church |
In the future, I want to go back to Macau again and visit Coloane and Senado Square and the Churches. Hopefully next time, I am with someone maybe special- Like my besties :)
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