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  1. #1
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    Meandering in Macau (Dec 2012)

    Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la and oooh la la!

    Four years ago, my sister and I traveled to Macau. We stayed (couch-surfed) at the apartment of a good friend of hers. We stayed there for three days. On the second day, we took a ferry to HK and went to HK Disneyland. It's been quite some time since these pics were taken (mostly by my sister on her camera), but there aren't too many threads about Macau. Also, we went there during Christmas season, so there's a certain nostalgia for me to post these pics now.

    People associate Macau with gambling, since it's known as the "Las Vegas of Asia", but as I've found, there's more to the place than the casinos. There are family-friendly (and kid-friendly) sites too. In case people have an idea of visiting HK, you may want to include Macau in the itinerary, since it's just one hour away by ferry.

    About Macau from wikipedia:
    Macau, also spelled Macao, officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the western side of the Pearl River Delta in East Asia. Macau is bordered by the city of Zhuhai in China to the North and the Pearl River Estuary to the East and South. Hong Kong lies about 64 kilometres (40 mi) to its East across the Delta. With an estimated population of around 647,700 living in an area of 30.5 kmē (11.8 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau

  2. #2
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    Macau Special Administrative Region is composed of two islands: Macau and Taipa. The airport is on Taipa island, while the ferry terminal to HK is on Macau island. There are bridges to connect the two islands. Our friend's apartment was in Taipa island, around 20 min from the airport by taxi. Here's a map for reference. Map is from wikipedia.


  3. #3
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    We arrived on the night of Dec. 26th. The taxi passed by the Galaxy Casino-hotel on the way to friend's place. As with most casinos, it was very glittery.


  4. #4
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    After some catching up, we drifted off to sleep, as we had planned a long day of sightseeing for the next day. On Day 1, we just walked along the neighborhood until we reached the bus stop. Here are some scenes along the way.

    It's a residential area, so there are many condos.




  5. #5
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    More condos


    Rubbish to be collected. I found the city to be very clean.

  6. #6
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    There was a mobile library for kids. Please do not quote this post!

    It was winter, and the temps were around 15-18 C. Quite cold for us, since we came from PI where it was 25-32 C, thus the thick jacket (provided kindly by friend-host!).


    Friend-host said that we need not buy/bring thick jackets, since she had lots of jackets that we could borrow - we were all of similar sizes.

    The official languages in Macau are Chinese (Mandarin) and Portuguese. Macau was colonized by the Portuguese from the mid 16th century. The signages are in Mandarin & Portuguese, however, most ppl on the streets spoke Mandarin only. A few spoke English.

  7. #7
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    Coloane beaches were deserted in the 20th century before bridges
    I enjoyed Macau before the Commies took over great food good fun.
    Thanks Katie

  8. #8
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    The currency in Macau is the pataca. If you come from HK, they WILL accept your HK dollars. However, in HK, they will NOT accept your Macau patacas, since patacas have slightly lower value (1.25 pataca ~ 1 HKD).

    We changed money at some exchangers near this street temple


    It was near the Grandview Hotel

  9. #9
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    It was cold and cloudy in Macau, but that added to the "winter" feeling. This was the Macau Stadium (Estadio de Macau).


    bus station near Estadio de Macau

  10. #10
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    Since we had local knowledge, we took buses to the different sites in Macau. There's no MRT in Macau, so it would be a bit tough to ride buses if you didn't know their routes. Fortunately, our friend-host told us which buses to take, and planned the itinerary for us! She wasn't able to join us since she had to work, but she gave us maps and directions. You can also get maps of the city at the airport or from hotels. If you don't know the bus routes, you can take taxis.

    at the bus station


    Macau bus

  11. #11
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    Our first stop for that day was this. It has a long name. I just call it Panda Park.


    The pathway was nicely decorated with poinsettias


    Please DO NOT quote these posts! These were taken 4 years ago, long before I joined TD, and some pics included me/my sis, since they weren't really intended for public consumption!

  12. #12
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    Macau is a Special Administrative Region of China. Most ASEAN citizens don't need a visa to enter Macau. As Fil citizens, we were visa-exempt.

    The park was fairly large, and there was a plane on display.


    There was ongoing construction back then. This building must be operational by now.

  13. #13
    I am in Jail

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    Great thread as always Katie..That's you in pictures?

  14. #14
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    There's a mini zoo in the park. The park itself is free of entrance, but if you want to see the pandas, you have to pay a fee (forgot how much).




  15. #15
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    @david44 - We didn't go to the beaches in Coloane due to lack of time. Maybe next trip...

    @za - The pics are either of my sister or me. Heh.

  16. #16
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    Some flamingoes


    This leads to the pandas. They have their own enclosure.

  17. #17
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    Some decorative pandas along the way. Many places for photo ops.


    Inside, there's a television which plays a film about the "daily life" of the pandas. Again, pls DO NOT quote this post.
    If you look closely, the panda is lodged between the rocks, on the right side of the pic.

  18. #18
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    Panda bday cake during 3rd birthday. Still shot taken from the film.


    Who says you can't have your cake & eat it too? Pandas can!

  19. #19
    R.I.P. Luigi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    There's a mini zoo in the park
    Sure that wasn't the restaurant? Choose before you dine.


    It looks just how I remember China.... Gray!

    Very nice thread, thanks.

  20. #20
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    I think we were there ~10 or 11 am. The pandas had eaten and were already sleeping. (lazy pandas!) It's best to go there during early morning if you want to watch them feed.


    ppl watching the panda sleep

  21. #21
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    After watching those lazy pandas sleep, we explored the other parts of the park. King Willy was there too! Very macho he was.



    For those who like birds...

  22. #22
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    More places for photo ops


    There was a Natural & Agrarian Museum. We checked it out (but no pics inside).

  23. #23
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    E proibido fumar!


    It was a good place to walk around

  24. #24
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    @Luigi - to be fair, it was GRAY because it was winter. Cold too, around 15 degrees. (cold for me). When we went to HK the next day, it was sunny.

    What I don't like about winter (and I have experienced snow & winter) is that most people are wearing black or gray. So depressing! So this red truck & the lil girl's jacket were welcome sights. (I also remember Spielberg's "girl in red jacket" effect in Schindler's list.)


  25. #25
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    We rode the bus to get to another part of Taipa island. Our mission: to look for Lord Stow's Cafe and buy some egg tarts (was recommended by friend-host).

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