Doesn't compare to the huge one of the west!!!!!! But it was still a place that needed to be seen!
Macau is an hour fairy ride away from Hong Kong and is considered part of China (or when you get stamped in immigration it just says Macau so who knows for sure). Anyway, you have to have a passport to enter.
Well, one Saturday I was getting pretty tired of walking around alone just looking at things so I thought it might be the PERFECT day to jump a boat and get to Macau! I got excited and headed in the direction I was told the Pier was located and went as fast as possible knowing it was almost 1pm a boat would probably be leaving soon. I got there, bought a ticket for 140 HKD, had 15 minutes to spare so I went to McDonalds to get lunch for the long boat ride and was really excited that the day was now in my favor and things were looking up for a new adventure. I headed back to the way to get on the boat, checked in and went downstairs. That's when it hit me. I didn't have my passport because it was in the process of getting my India visa and there was the immigration line where I had to have my passport. HUGE BUMMER to say the least. And the worst part of it all- I didn't know how to get out of the area without looking like a huge loser but there was no "exit" so I had to go back up the stairs (that only cool people with passports were coming down really excited to go to on an adventure) ask a man how to get out and if I could get a refund. He was very nice and told me to come back for the 3pm boat, I could go then. I said thank you so much! (and he's probably still waiting for me to return...). SO. I took my McDonald's that I hadn't touched left the building and sat on a bench, arms crossed of course, and watched the boat leave. Then I decided to put on my big girl pants again (feel like I've had to do that a lot this trip) and find something else to keep me busy! I pitched the McDonald's and headed off to new places I hadn't seen.
WELLLLLL two weeks after that happened I got my passport back and there was no stopping me from the Macau trip now!!!!!! I was ready! Dan and Maureen wanted to go too so we met around 9:30 and headed to the ferry, bought our tickets, got breakfast and then fought the crazy crowd to get on a boat. Important lesson for those who don't travel much- ALWAYS ask someone who works there where to go and walk to the front of groups standing- you will save a ton of time, trust me. Dan once again was calling me Mentos girl for getting us to the ship so quickly! The boat ride was a little bumpy but we reached the other dock, checked into Macau, and headed out to the buses to take us to one of the casinos! There was a bus for the Wynn (of course I got on that bus first), MGM, and others. We ended up on City of Dreams bus and that is where one of the big shows takes place called Dancing Waters (its about the only show in Macau). I have to say, it was so similar to Vegas! The huge hotels, palm trees, decorations, it was almost like being at home.
Tables were kind of expensive. Cheapest one we found all day was a Blackjack table for 200HKD (about $38) so one hand in and you don't win isn't much fun. People had LOADS of money. I was going to cash in just a few chips and the guy in front of me had 90 $1000HKD bills he turned over. That's $11,980 USD folks! No joke there. And the worst part about the casinos- they don't pump in fresh oxygen and people smoke like CRAAAAAZY everywhere so it's horrible. But really, the worst part of gambling is they don't serve drinks so you are always thinking really clear and know when to stop instead of trying again. ZERO real drinks. They did have apple juice, orange juice, and hot tea if you would like. Nothing to give those children drinks a kick though. Huge bummer and left me just wanting to look at the decorations.
With a clear head and a lighter purse we headed to each hotel. I wanted to look at every single one to compare it to Vegas and just see them because they are amazing. The gang I was with didn't really care for that and wanted to see some historical sites. SO we headed off in a taxi to find a place for lunch that was in their guide book listed as a really good place to eat. The taxi took us to the totally wrong spot with no place to eat or English in site. They were trying to read a map in the guide book (hello Emily Beadle- I knew your habits of the map would find me somehow on this trip!) and I was just looking to see if any taxis were passing to get us away from where we were. They weren't. So we walked. And walked back to more casinos! They were the older ones and first ones so it was great to see them in all their glory. Finally I called a lunch break because we needed to re-fuel or it was going downhill fast. The girls got a pitcher of Sangria which helped to lighten the mood but I could have used about 5 more if I was going to play anymore games (don't worry mom- we only split one and I didn't play anymore blackjack).
After lunch we kept walking and seeing sites. It was late and again, she wanted to try and find the place to eat so we had some Chinese man write the address in Chinese for the taxi driver and then waited in the taxi line and headed off in a different direction than the first ride. We finally got to the area of the restaurant and found the little corner store. It was full and reservations were booked for the night...and on top of that, the taxi driver had not given Dan the right amount of cash and took off. They were both bummed out and there was no getting them back. So we found a bar, had a beer (and I had nachos!) watched some good ole American football, found the ferry again and headed home.
Overall, the hotels there are very, very similar to Vegas. The Viencian has the painted sky ceiling, the boat rides, the shops, etc. It was beautiful! But really made me miss the Dad and Daughters weekend we had with Mr. Ben and Blair 2 years ago and made me want to start planning the 2013 trip!
It was a great trip for me to see everything and not lose too much money!
Macau is an hour fairy ride away from Hong Kong and is considered part of China (or when you get stamped in immigration it just says Macau so who knows for sure). Anyway, you have to have a passport to enter.
Well, one Saturday I was getting pretty tired of walking around alone just looking at things so I thought it might be the PERFECT day to jump a boat and get to Macau! I got excited and headed in the direction I was told the Pier was located and went as fast as possible knowing it was almost 1pm a boat would probably be leaving soon. I got there, bought a ticket for 140 HKD, had 15 minutes to spare so I went to McDonalds to get lunch for the long boat ride and was really excited that the day was now in my favor and things were looking up for a new adventure. I headed back to the way to get on the boat, checked in and went downstairs. That's when it hit me. I didn't have my passport because it was in the process of getting my India visa and there was the immigration line where I had to have my passport. HUGE BUMMER to say the least. And the worst part of it all- I didn't know how to get out of the area without looking like a huge loser but there was no "exit" so I had to go back up the stairs (that only cool people with passports were coming down really excited to go to on an adventure) ask a man how to get out and if I could get a refund. He was very nice and told me to come back for the 3pm boat, I could go then. I said thank you so much! (and he's probably still waiting for me to return...). SO. I took my McDonald's that I hadn't touched left the building and sat on a bench, arms crossed of course, and watched the boat leave. Then I decided to put on my big girl pants again (feel like I've had to do that a lot this trip) and find something else to keep me busy! I pitched the McDonald's and headed off to new places I hadn't seen.
WELLLLLL two weeks after that happened I got my passport back and there was no stopping me from the Macau trip now!!!!!! I was ready! Dan and Maureen wanted to go too so we met around 9:30 and headed to the ferry, bought our tickets, got breakfast and then fought the crazy crowd to get on a boat. Important lesson for those who don't travel much- ALWAYS ask someone who works there where to go and walk to the front of groups standing- you will save a ton of time, trust me. Dan once again was calling me Mentos girl for getting us to the ship so quickly! The boat ride was a little bumpy but we reached the other dock, checked into Macau, and headed out to the buses to take us to one of the casinos! There was a bus for the Wynn (of course I got on that bus first), MGM, and others. We ended up on City of Dreams bus and that is where one of the big shows takes place called Dancing Waters (its about the only show in Macau). I have to say, it was so similar to Vegas! The huge hotels, palm trees, decorations, it was almost like being at home.
Tables were kind of expensive. Cheapest one we found all day was a Blackjack table for 200HKD (about $38) so one hand in and you don't win isn't much fun. People had LOADS of money. I was going to cash in just a few chips and the guy in front of me had 90 $1000HKD bills he turned over. That's $11,980 USD folks! No joke there. And the worst part about the casinos- they don't pump in fresh oxygen and people smoke like CRAAAAAZY everywhere so it's horrible. But really, the worst part of gambling is they don't serve drinks so you are always thinking really clear and know when to stop instead of trying again. ZERO real drinks. They did have apple juice, orange juice, and hot tea if you would like. Nothing to give those children drinks a kick though. Huge bummer and left me just wanting to look at the decorations.
With a clear head and a lighter purse we headed to each hotel. I wanted to look at every single one to compare it to Vegas and just see them because they are amazing. The gang I was with didn't really care for that and wanted to see some historical sites. SO we headed off in a taxi to find a place for lunch that was in their guide book listed as a really good place to eat. The taxi took us to the totally wrong spot with no place to eat or English in site. They were trying to read a map in the guide book (hello Emily Beadle- I knew your habits of the map would find me somehow on this trip!) and I was just looking to see if any taxis were passing to get us away from where we were. They weren't. So we walked. And walked back to more casinos! They were the older ones and first ones so it was great to see them in all their glory. Finally I called a lunch break because we needed to re-fuel or it was going downhill fast. The girls got a pitcher of Sangria which helped to lighten the mood but I could have used about 5 more if I was going to play anymore games (don't worry mom- we only split one and I didn't play anymore blackjack).
After lunch we kept walking and seeing sites. It was late and again, she wanted to try and find the place to eat so we had some Chinese man write the address in Chinese for the taxi driver and then waited in the taxi line and headed off in a different direction than the first ride. We finally got to the area of the restaurant and found the little corner store. It was full and reservations were booked for the night...and on top of that, the taxi driver had not given Dan the right amount of cash and took off. They were both bummed out and there was no getting them back. So we found a bar, had a beer (and I had nachos!) watched some good ole American football, found the ferry again and headed home.
Overall, the hotels there are very, very similar to Vegas. The Viencian has the painted sky ceiling, the boat rides, the shops, etc. It was beautiful! But really made me miss the Dad and Daughters weekend we had with Mr. Ben and Blair 2 years ago and made me want to start planning the 2013 trip!
It was a great trip for me to see everything and not lose too much money!
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