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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Traveling the City of Dreams, MACAU




For few days now; I've been trying to trace the events that took place when i traveled Macau last October 16, 2011. And, I can't help but smile on how this travel all started :)




"Mommy, make sure you print the picture of Grand Lisboa so the cab driver can understand where you're going". That was a friendly reminder of my acclaimed daughter in the office, Rosette.

She was the reason why I got the chance to travel Macau. There was an organized poker event in Grand Lisboa where she and her companions had to cover. They left the Philippines 2 days earlier than the flight I booked.

I did what I was told.I printed the picture of Grand Lisboa; but, that reminder gave me a chill. Why? Will they not understand me when i just simply say Grand Lisboa? hmm...

Truth to what I expected; I had to show the picture of Grand Lisboa for the cab driver to understand me..worse; when I SAID where I was going, the cab driver furiously waved his hand and said "NO ENGLISH!" haha! Ok, so I was saved by the photo. I arrived safely in our hotel.














Grand Lisboa hotel is one of the five-starred hotels in Macau. It offers luxurious accommodation with it's own casino and poker rooms. A nightly accommodation cost for this hotel is HKD 3,500 or app USD 450. That wasn't cheap; but, we got it for free from the poker event organizer. This remind me of a saying that " The best things in life are free".  Did i just take it literally? Haha! :)

Okay;  before I got into trance as I recalled my Macau trip, there are few things I would like to share with you.

If you planned of visiting Macau; take note of the following:

  1. Book your hotel ahead of time. There is a huge possibility that you will find hard to get accommodation there; not because rooms are all taken; but, because it is hard to negotiate and communicate. Get great deals in agoda or some other hotel finder sites. This will save you money and time.

  2. Plan your activity before going to Macau. Browse for tourist attractions and print them. I tell you, Macau is a small country that you can tour around it in a full day.

  3. Travel with few Chinese phrases with you as you travel. This page will help you as you can listen how the phrases are pronounced.

  4. Upon arrival in Macau airport; locate the money exchange booth and change your currencies in HKD and not MOP. Why? because you will get a better value for your money when you have  to change it back to your currency. Anyways,HKD and MOP are currencies both accepted in Macau. Do the currency exchange of HKD in your own country. This will give you more value; especially when you're living in Asia. :)

  5. Take a photo of your hotel. This will ease out your transfer from the airport to your hotel, just like what i did.

  6. Look for Filipinos to help you out in communicating with our Chinese friends there. I tell you, Filipinos are everywhere in Macau and they knew how to deal with locals in Chinese language. Might as well ask one of them to tour you around Macau in exchange of a minute tour fee.

  7. If you're touring Macau all by yourself, get a map in your hotel as it is easy to point your destination to the taxi driver than to talk. Remember Tips #2. For asking for map, remember tips # 6.

  8. Enjoy every bit of what Macau can offer. Try their delicacies; they're good! Buy perfume in Sasa, they're cheap and genuine. Took a snapshots of their architecture, they're marvelous. Gamble a little at night to get the best gaming experience. Watch the shows offered by casinos; they're fabulous. Experience the Macau culture; it's unique.
My first day in Macau was like living a time of my life. I enjoyed the hotels; the food and especially the people I got to befriend with. Rosette, Jupiter, Ben and Joi were great companions. They made my stay in Macau worth remembering for the rest of life. I didn't have to worry on anything at all! We ate in fastfood; ordered food in hotel; went to casino; and roam the nearby places of Lisboa.










We party at night and my gosh; I never realized that Macau shows its Grand beauty at night! I got the chance to watch the dancing fountain too.

The following day; we went to Hacsa beach. The sand is yellowish but it offers an "i'm-so-effing-free" effect to people. We played like children at loose! :) Imagine our age jumping around the beach and laughing like crazy haha!



















We rushed back to the city to see more of what Macau can offer and my jaw dropped in amazement! Such a wonderful city Macau is! Truly, it deserves to be called the city of dreams.




















Then again, my Macau trip would not be complete without the friends I got to know and keep. We even managed to come up with a "trio" that we called "the roomates" in the vastness of our hotel room! Haha! The video you will see was the fruit of our singing addiction! :P


I plan of re-visiting Macau and I hope to experience more of what I had last October of 2011. :)