On our second day in Hongkong, we didn’t wake up the kids and let them rest as much as they can before heading out for a heavy breakfast. We let them have their McDonald’s breakfast fix – after all they were old enough to be left by themselves –while we went to have our own meal next door in an authentic Chinese fast food joint.
We finished our morning ritual around 9 AM, and then headed for the MTR to get to the Turbojet station at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal.
First we bought one way tickets to Sheung Wan. When we got there, we went up to the 3/F of Shun Tak Centre. We would have bought our tickets directly from the Turbojet ticketing booth, but then we asked one of the travel agencies – Beng Seng Travel – and we got a good package rate for four. We only paid HKD 1080 for a roundtrip fare for four. We saved HKD 160 from the package. Be sure to check the Turbojet website before you go, though, because they might have promotions like this one.
By the way, be sure to bring your passport and fill out those departure cards so you'll have a hassle free trip to Macau. And remember to bring loose change. Though HKD is also accepted in Macau, they might give you Macau money as change and these aren't accepted back in HK.
Seasick
All four of us felt seasick when we boarded our ship. The trip to Macau is about one hour, give or take a few minutes, and we tried to get some sleep while onboard.
When you get to Macau, ignore the people offering trips etc. Instead head out toward the bus and get a copy of Macau maps and whatnots from legitimate airport personnel.
At the bus stop we also took a flyer with the bus routes so we know where to go.
Senado Square
Our first destination was Senado Square, which is nearby the iconic St. Paul Ruins of Macau. The bus ride is an experience actually. There was no conductor, you just drop off exact money at the entrance of the bus. The locals have smart cards that they just tap at the machines. Children below eleven are only charged half fare. We went to Macau on a Tuesday, so we had a glimpse on how locals spend an ordinary day.
When the driver dropped us off the station and told us to go right up (all sign language,he didnt speak English) we actually thought we got there, because we told the bus driver to drop us off Senado Square. We were spooked because it didn't look like a tourist spot, just a regular busy street. It took us half an hour to realize WE GOT LOST, thanks to the bus driver.
At this point I decided that I like Hong Kong better, because it's more tourist friendly. We tried to talk to the locals but they didn't speak English. We showed them the map and where we wanted to go, and they showed us where we were - at the tip of Macau right at the border.
Anyway, we just headed off to the nearest McDonald's to eat and cool off our near flaring temper (what a waste of time!) and from there the McDonald's Manager gave us a bigger map of Macau and showed us how to go to the real Senado Square. So we went back to where the bus driver left us to again ride another bus.
Lesson learned: better show, don't tell. Show the driver the map and point where you want to go, exactly. That's the best and simplest way not to get lost.
Lisboa Casinos
We maximized our bus tour and the sights outside. Macau used to be a Portuguese colony so there was plenty of historical old buildings to look at. Even the street signs are Portuguese names.
We took the bus up to the Lisboa casinos to take photos and marvel at the facades of the buildings and just walked back to Senado Square.
Okay so when we got to Senado Square we were again hungry. haha. I think we spent about two hours with our bus/ walking tour of the city proper. We really took our time in that place, and even found a fellow Filipino selling Macau souvenirs. Also,from here we bought our token Macau shirts, which we got at 4 for HKD100.
A-Ma Temple
It was getting late so we decided to move on to our next stop, the A-Ma temple. Better prepare your noses for the smell of incense, I assure you you'll smell a lot of those in here.
We bought a set of incense sticks and proceeded to do what the locals were doing.
Actually, our son debated that we shouldn't copy what the other tourists are doing. He actually invoked the first commandment and looked at us with a mixture of disgust and incredulity. Well we weren't really "worshipping" other icons but rather showing respect for the Chinese culture.
Anyway, by this time we had to head back to the pier, because we wanted to go back to Hong Kong by 7PM. It was our second and last night, and we would be able to catch the Symphony of Lights Show, which starts at 8PM at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Although we've heard great reviews about the Venetian and the Cotai strip (which was part of our itinerary) we decided the kids will like the light show better than the casinos, so we moved on and said goodbye to Macau.
The trip back was much better because it was a smaller boat and we didn't feel seasick at all, unlike our first trip.
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