plain royal blue dress and long gray cardigan from june ann. arm candy from christ. rampage boots from mama dita. location at Grand Emperor Hotel and Senado Square, Macau. FFF
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Showing posts with label Macau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Macau. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
The Olandescas in Macau
Some people may have raised their eyebrows upon knowing that our whole family had toured abroad. They may have said that it's impractical and just a waste of money. But for me, traveling is more than just a luxury. It is an investment of precious bonding and lasting memories (especially now that our parents are aging) that money can't buy. It is in fact, priceless!
For our recent Hong Kong-Macau trip, it took us months of planning, years of scrimping and saving, and a decade of working double time! It's never easy to save up for a trip. It takes a lot of sacrifices, a lot of compromises, and a lot of bargainings. So when we finally pulled out our resources, we did GO!
I know you've had enough of my Hong Kong posts so I had started giving you Macau in these posts. Just like Hong Kong, Macau is another Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It is just an hour ferry ride away from Hong Kong so if you're in Hong Kong, never miss to have a side trip to Macau too! You can leave Hong Kong in the morning, spend a day in Macau, and return to Hong Kong in the evening. With just one day, you can have an ultimate Macau experience that you're gonna reminisce over and over again!
To start with, we hopped into the free shuttle of Wynn Macau which is the most accessible from Taipa. We were just in time for the Tree of Prosperity show at their lobby when we arrived. It was such an awesome show foretelling a very good day in Macau for us! See the video of their show from my previous post here.
Walking down the streets of Macau further, we reached the Ruins of St. Paul's. This was once a 16th-century complex of St. Paul's College and the Cathedral of St. Paul which is also known as Mater Dei. The cathedral was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia built by the Jesuits during the years 1582 to 1602. Unfortunately, the cathedral was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835 and what remains now is its facade. The facade sits on top of a small hill with 66 stone steps leading up to it.
Meanwhile, overlooking the Ruins of St. Paul's is the Fortaleza do Monte. In English, Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul. It was built after the completion of the Cathedral of St. Paul to protect the properties of the Jesuits in Macau. On the other hand, the Museum of Macau was built on top of the fort in 1990s to house Macau's historical artifacts.
Then it was time for lunch and we found Filipino lunch at Sarimanok. Yepey!!! Filipino food!!! For our fourth day of starving and craving for "the real" food, we finally found solid food to satisfy our stomachs. Sarimanok is owned by a Filipino couple who had established living in Macau for quite sometime now. They are one of the best cooks of the Philippines, being Ilokanos. I super love their kare-kare! The peanuty taste was just so perfect along with the sweet and spicy bagoong. Mmmm..... Yum yum yum!
So if you want to find your way to Sarimanok, I hope these directionals can help:
After lunch, we were in the mood for more walking so we headed back to the pavements around Senado Square. There were plenty of shops around and what fascinated me most was the narrow street of Macanese delicacy shops. Famous Portuguese specialties as egg tarts and pastéis de nata are offered for free-taste. Even my favorite Chinese specialty Bakkwa is also offered all around the corner which is cheaper by kilo than Singapore's price. Additionally, we also caught the YouTube sensation Turkish ice cream vendor in action who was wowing his audience with his sauvé moves!
Going along with the crowd, we reached the Cathedral of Macau. Its architecture is not as impressive as our churches here in the Philippines but it possesses beauty in its own simple way.
To start with, we hopped into the free shuttle of Wynn Macau which is the most accessible from Taipa. We were just in time for the Tree of Prosperity show at their lobby when we arrived. It was such an awesome show foretelling a very good day in Macau for us! See the video of their show from my previous post here.
Then we paid a visit to Jackie Chan’s Grand Emperor Hotel which is just nearby Wynn to see and step on his real and pure gold bars right on the lobby's floor. In here, it's never feet off the grass gold!
Then we walked our way to Senado Square. The square is like a small portion of Portugal. Unlike Singapore and Hong Kong which were once colonies of Great Britain, Macau was a Portuguese colony. Until now, Portuguese language is still in use in the names of their streets and establishments. Just like this square. It is also called Largo do Senado and is a paved area of traditional Portuguese design. It is enclosed by the buildings of Leal Senado, General Post Office, and St. Dominic's Church. A fountain at the center of the square is a landmark of Macau.
In one corner of Senado Square is St. Dominic’s Church. The church serves as a cathedral parish for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau. It is a 16th century Baroque-style church which is the oldest in Macau and also one of the 29 sites of the historic centers of Macau, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Senado Square is also one of the 29 sites.) Considering that we have more colonial churches here in the Philippines which are far better than this, we didn’t bother to get inside anymore. (We are closely related to Macau as a once Spanish colony.)
Walking down the streets of Macau further, we reached the Ruins of St. Paul's. This was once a 16th-century complex of St. Paul's College and the Cathedral of St. Paul which is also known as Mater Dei. The cathedral was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia built by the Jesuits during the years 1582 to 1602. Unfortunately, the cathedral was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835 and what remains now is its facade. The facade sits on top of a small hill with 66 stone steps leading up to it.
Then it was time for lunch and we found Filipino lunch at Sarimanok. Yepey!!! Filipino food!!! For our fourth day of starving and craving for "the real" food, we finally found solid food to satisfy our stomachs. Sarimanok is owned by a Filipino couple who had established living in Macau for quite sometime now. They are one of the best cooks of the Philippines, being Ilokanos. I super love their kare-kare! The peanuty taste was just so perfect along with the sweet and spicy bagoong. Mmmm..... Yum yum yum!
So if you want to find your way to Sarimanok, I hope these directionals can help:
After lunch, we were in the mood for more walking so we headed back to the pavements around Senado Square. There were plenty of shops around and what fascinated me most was the narrow street of Macanese delicacy shops. Famous Portuguese specialties as egg tarts and pastéis de nata are offered for free-taste. Even my favorite Chinese specialty Bakkwa is also offered all around the corner which is cheaper by kilo than Singapore's price. Additionally, we also caught the YouTube sensation Turkish ice cream vendor in action who was wowing his audience with his sauvé moves!
Going along with the crowd, we reached the Cathedral of Macau. Its architecture is not as impressive as our churches here in the Philippines but it possesses beauty in its own simple way.
Around the bend is the Galaxy Macau free shuttle stop so we hopped in to also watch a free lobby show just like Wynn's (also see the Fortune Diamond video here). After the show, we toured around Galaxy's casino for the free milk tea, coffee, and very cute bottled water. You can just pick and drink any as much as you want. Nobody would call your attention by doing so anyway. They are just busy gambling. Hehe....
Finally, saving the best for last is The Venetian Macao! This was the highlight of our HK-Macau 2014 family vacation as written here. The Venetian was just so so LOVE!!! This is another dream come true to me. Though Europe is very out of reach for me (as of now), The Venetian had already taken me there! It is all by itself, Europish. It is so chic, so stylish, and so so Italian! I just fell head over heels for the place. Oh, how I wish I could go back there someday (with a special someone, of course). I would die to take the gondola ride again. I would die to walk down the aisle of Gothic street posts again. Oh, I would just die going to The Venetian again!
Additional info: we became the most-viewed gondola riders on that day. Just look at our spectators on the left photo below.
With our very entertaining gondolier, we give The Venetian's gondola ride 5 thumbs up!
And that ends our HK-Macau family trip diary. It has been a month but the experience is still fresh that we still talk about it over meal times. We are really grateful to God for the great blessing. We are so thankful to Him for providing this opportunity of creating good and beatiful memories that would last forever! :)
All in, I would definitely go back to Macau if I have enough money to splurge for a hotel, casino, and shopping!
Wanna take a trip to magical Macau? Take this few tips for your guidance:
1. Hotel shuttles offer free rides! From airport or seaport, you can take any shuttle to bring you to the city proper. Hop into any shuttle but it is advisable to take Wynn's if you're from Taipa for a convenient route.
2. Know the hotel shuttle stops. There are loads around the city. You can get from one place to another through these free rides.
3. Get the feel for the place. When in Rome, do as Romans do.
4. Look around and everything around. Do not leave a place without taking a look at every corner of it.
5. Ask people on the street where the good food is. Take a bite of the place's specialty and buy some to take home with you if you like.
6. Pay a bit for a tour guide. In Macau's case, there are Filipinos who welcome Filipinos at the airport or seaport. Do not fret and think that they might fool you (because we always tend to think that kapwa Pinoy, niloko ng kapwa Pinoy in another country). They are there to help. They do touring on their day-offs to earn extra money as well as to ease their homesickness. So if you meet one, grab him/her! I guarantee you that it will make your Macau experience much more meaningful. They can tell you stories and explain things to you. Plus, they already know the where-tos and what-tos so you can save time and see more of the place especially for a very bitin day tour.
And we were just so lucky that Ate Riza of Isabela, a public school teacher here in the Philippines never left us at the seaport without making us her tourists for the day. The fee was just so so minimal and super sulit! If you want to book her in advance since this is not really her job, you can contact her in her mobile: Josefina "Riza" Verdillo (+853) 625 76734.
Finally, saving the best for last is The Venetian Macao! This was the highlight of our HK-Macau 2014 family vacation as written here. The Venetian was just so so LOVE!!! This is another dream come true to me. Though Europe is very out of reach for me (as of now), The Venetian had already taken me there! It is all by itself, Europish. It is so chic, so stylish, and so so Italian! I just fell head over heels for the place. Oh, how I wish I could go back there someday (with a special someone, of course). I would die to take the gondola ride again. I would die to walk down the aisle of Gothic street posts again. Oh, I would just die going to The Venetian again!
Additional info: we became the most-viewed gondola riders on that day. Just look at our spectators on the left photo below.
With our very entertaining gondolier, we give The Venetian's gondola ride 5 thumbs up!
And that ends our HK-Macau family trip diary. It has been a month but the experience is still fresh that we still talk about it over meal times. We are really grateful to God for the great blessing. We are so thankful to Him for providing this opportunity of creating good and beatiful memories that would last forever! :)
All in, I would definitely go back to Macau if I have enough money to splurge for a hotel, casino, and shopping!
Wanna take a trip to magical Macau? Take this few tips for your guidance:
1. Hotel shuttles offer free rides! From airport or seaport, you can take any shuttle to bring you to the city proper. Hop into any shuttle but it is advisable to take Wynn's if you're from Taipa for a convenient route.
2. Know the hotel shuttle stops. There are loads around the city. You can get from one place to another through these free rides.
3. Get the feel for the place. When in Rome, do as Romans do.
4. Look around and everything around. Do not leave a place without taking a look at every corner of it.
5. Ask people on the street where the good food is. Take a bite of the place's specialty and buy some to take home with you if you like.
6. Pay a bit for a tour guide. In Macau's case, there are Filipinos who welcome Filipinos at the airport or seaport. Do not fret and think that they might fool you (because we always tend to think that kapwa Pinoy, niloko ng kapwa Pinoy in another country). They are there to help. They do touring on their day-offs to earn extra money as well as to ease their homesickness. So if you meet one, grab him/her! I guarantee you that it will make your Macau experience much more meaningful. They can tell you stories and explain things to you. Plus, they already know the where-tos and what-tos so you can save time and see more of the place especially for a very bitin day tour.
And we were just so lucky that Ate Riza of Isabela, a public school teacher here in the Philippines never left us at the seaport without making us her tourists for the day. The fee was just so so minimal and super sulit! If you want to book her in advance since this is not really her job, you can contact her in her mobile: Josefina "Riza" Verdillo (+853) 625 76734.
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Thursday, May 22, 2014
Macau's Casinos
I was greatly amazed of Macau's casinos! In there slot machines, you can bet as low as 50 cents in HKD which is equivalent to about 3 pesos in Philippine money only! Whereas here in the Philippines' casinos, your P500 bill entails you to a few presses on the slots only. You can also avail the first-timer card amounting to $50 (P300) which can give you access to other games and if you're lucky enough, can make you take home millions! Macau is indeed Asia's Las Vegas, a gamblers' paradise!
Only adults of ages 21 above are allowed to enter Macau's casinos. Bring ID's and passport if you look younger than your age just like me. Hehehe.....
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Macau's Extravagant Hotel Lobby Shows
Free hotel lobby shows wowed us in Macau! These are the Tree of Prosperity at Wynn Macau and Fortune Diamond at Galaxy Macau. These shows are open for public viewing at 30-minute intervals daily. That's how hospitable Macau hotels are to their visitors - spending extra for their guests' extra pleasure. Just for a brief period of 5 minutes, one can surely feel the grandeur each hotel has to offer. So let me share to you these amateur vids taken by my sissy June Ann for you to have a glimpse of how magical Macau is.
Tree of Prosperity
This is a choreographic show of music, video, and light with Chinese astrological symbols and the tree of prosperity which rises from below at the finale of the performance. The tree is composed of 24-karat gold and brass leaves which symbolizes auspiciousness. Visitors are encouraged to drop a coin and make a wish. Beliefs like this really do wonders to me as always proven and tested!
Fortune Diamond
Fortune Diamond
This is another choreographic show of music, light, and water this time. This is more than just a fountain show which is inspired by the resplendent plumes of a peacock. The laser lights are so colorful plus you will be dazzled by the shimmering chandelier that hangs from up above and be surprised by the 3-meter tall fortune diamond that rises from below behind the waterfalls. Just like the tree of prosperity, the fortune diamond also symbolizes abounding prosperity and good fortune.
Hmmmm. Was that a mere coincidence or what? Two extravagant shows on prosperity and fortune? Well, that just lead us to what our future will be! Hehe....Praise God for the intervention!
More posts on our Macau experience to come so stay tuned to The Other Side of Mae! :)
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014
The Venetian is LOVE
Venice – just by the word itself
spells romance. Just by the word itself
spells love love love!
Venezia (Italian of Venice) is a
seaport in northeastern Italy, built on numerous small islands in the Lagoon of
Venice. It is a city that sits in water
all the time, famous for its gondolas which are its citizens’ mode of
transportation. The city is slow,
mysterious, silent, and conservative.
And that’s the reason why people from all over the world are enthralled into
experiencing Venice – its enchanting ambiance and the ballad of its romantic
gondoliers. With the beaut of its setting, its architecture, and its artworks, you can totally fall in love with Venice!
Since Venice is in Italy which is
in Europe that needs visa and Euros that I can’t afford yet, I could only dream of it! But thank heavens there is something like Venice in Asia! I am beyond glad to have known that it is also located right on top of the Philippines, The Venetian Macao!
The Venetian Macao opened last 2007 which is a casino-hotel-entertainment center-shopping center resort complex. With over 3 000 suites, 110 000-square meter convention space, 3 400 slot machines, 800 gambling tables, and 330 shops of designer brands, it is indeed Asia's largest single structure hotel building and the world's largest casino. Much more, The Venetian had the canals
and bridges of sweet ol' Venice recreated in their man-made infrastructure,the Grand Canal.
The Grand Canal is the venue of the sweetest thing that happened in our family trip. On-board the gondola with a clever gondolier warbling out tunes of romantic melody, surrounded by spectators snapping pics and taking vids, under a picturesque painted sky where serene clouds hang over the canals, it is just where Papa had the opportunity to kiss Mama under the arc of a lovely bridge. (Sigh.....) It was just overly romantic!!! (Because this rarely happens to them. I mean the kiss, you know.)
And that did the deed!!! The Venetian Macao promises ROMANCE just as Venice had been doing to lovers yesterday, is doing today, and will also be doing tomorrow! I just can't help but feel kilig over and over again, seeing Mama and Papa so happy and so sweet! <3 This is just the place to be for parents like them who had been working out marriage for over 32 years!
Now if you want to propose marriage to your lover, celebrate a wedding anniversary, or just say "ti amo" to your amore, the Grand Canal's gondola ride would be the perfect place for you! Your girl would certainly swoon over you as you take her by the shadow of your lurv! Ayeeeee!!!!! Now you might be surprised of this sudden mawkishness that seldom happens here in this blog. Well, that's the dearest thing that The Venetian Macao can ever do to you!
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| Book your destination wedding in this idyllic place! Visit The Venetian Macao's website here for more information. |
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Monday, May 19, 2014
The Singing Gondolier
Happy Monday, everyone! :) To jumpstart your day, here's a very short vid by my sissy April of the singing gondolier whom we had on our gondola ride at The Venetian Macao.
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More posts on our Macau experience to come so stay tuned to The Other Side of Mae! :)
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Thursday, April 24, 2014
A Sneak Peek to Our HK-Macau Family Trip
HK Day 1: Avenue of Stars and Symphony of Lights Show at Victoria Harbour
HK Day 2: Disneyland
HK Day 3: Ngong Ping Cable Car, Giant Buddha, Po Lin Monastery, Madame Tussauds, and Victoria Peak
Macau Day 4: Wynn Hotel, Grand Emperor Hotel, Senado Square, St. Dominic Church, Ruins of St. Paul, Fortaleza doMonte, Galaxy Macau, and The Venetian Macau
HK Day 5: Ocean Park
HK Nights: Ladies Market
Watch out for my future detailed posts on our HK-Macau family vacation! :)
*All photos above were taken by camera phones only.
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