Day trip to Macau

While in Hong Kong, we decided to take a day trip to Macau. The ferry is only about an hour long ride. However, if you happen to get seasick, I highly recommend taking another route. This ferry ride was choppy and I felt ill the entire time!

At Macau, we stayed at a lovely hotel called Pousada de Mong-Ha. A definite must-stay if you are in the area. It's run by tourism students, so it's extraordinarily cheap (our hotel room cost about $40), but the service is great because the students are so enthusiastic! Only caveat is that it is quite far from the 'downtown,' but cabs are so cheap that it's not a big deal.

Beautiful gardens!

Look at our lovely room! The decor was quite nice for $40! They even gave us complimentary cookies.

They also run a restaurant, which we decided to try. The prices are good, and why not support the students a bit? Look how gorgeous the restaurant is! The only odd thing was having 5 student waiters surrounding you at all times...and not always understanding your English. :)

Dan's appetizer of foie gras

Scallop salad with Portuguese sausage

Lobster cappuccino bisque

African chicken: a specialty in Macau. It's very tender chicken made with coconut and spice, over a bed of rice pilaf. A bit oily, as was everything at the restaurant, but not bad for the price.

Beef stew: not recommended at all, very salty

The next morning we ventured out to the casinos. Mornings aren't really the best time to gamble, but we were too tired the night before. We played a few games, broke even, and then left. Mostly, it was a bunch of Cantonese folks. Besides the casinos, there are the usual brand name luxury goods stores.

Ceiling of the Wynn: Chinese zodiac!

The rest of Macau is small and easily seen in a day. The contrast between the indigenous Macau and the 'European' part is quite stark. See here, it looks just like you are in Europe! Nice sidewalks, beautiful buildings, quaint stores, and huge churches. Just a few blocks away, things look vastly different.

Portuguese egg tart! Of course we had to try one. Dan thought it was pretty mediocre, though.