Kib and I were back in Hong Kong last month, but this time we also went to Macau.  We never had a chance to go to Macau the first time we went to Hong Kong last year because the weather was not good and we were already short of funds, hihi.

They say that Macau is not a good place for children because of the casinos, but on the other hand, it can also be a good place to learn history too.  Macau has rich history that everyone should also know about.  

Macau has been a Portuguese colony from mid-16th century until 1999.  Macau is smaller than Hong Kong (44 square miles) so you can really go around the island in one day.  Because of its Portuguese influence, Portuguese is the second language in Macau (next to Cantonese).  You can also see Catholic churches in the peninsula too.




You can go to Macau directly from the Philippines via airplane or via ferry in Hong Kong or via mainland China in Zhuhai district.  If you will go to Macau via Hong Kong, don't forget to bring your passport with you.  It takes about 1 1/2 hours by ferry.  You can take a ferry to Macau either from Hong Kong side or Kowloon side.  In our case, we rode the ferry on the Kowloon side.  Every hour, a ferry leaves going to Macau.  It is advisable to buy tickets ahead of time especially if you have plans to go to Macau on a weekend because ticket rates on weekends are higher than regular rates.  Sadly, there is no child rate for ferry ride.

Waiting for our boarding to the ferry going to Macau

Turbo Jet.  You can ride a ferry going to Macau either at Hong Kong side or Kowloon side.  Ferries leave hourly, you can check the schedule on Turbo Jet's website

I wasn't able to read in advance on how to go around Macau.  To maximize our time in Macau, we already hired a tour guide to help us go around Macau.  Buses are the most popular mode of transportation in Macau and just like in Hong Kong, there are specific routes for each bus number.

Our tour guide, his name is Omar.  He has a group who usually waits for Filipino tourists at the ferry station and offers their tour services to them

Macau's local currency is pataca.  However, if you're from Hong Kong, there is no need to change your Hong Kong dollars to Macau pataca as it is also widely accepted there.  However, you need to also be ready with your credit card too just in case.

Here are our pictures in Macau:

Senado Square.  It's currently decorated with stuff for Chinese New Year

St. Dominic's Church.  No masses are held there, basically the church is only for viewing by the tourists and praying.  There is also museum inside.  You can go inside for free

Macau is just a small island, so most people live in small apartments like this

Streets in Macau are also narrow.  This road is also being used by vehicles so make sure to stay on the side

St. Paul's ruins, the best known historical landmark in Macau

Some of the unearthed ruins of St. Paul

A crypt was also unearthed underneath St. Paul.  You can see there remains of Japanese and Vietnamese martyrs and some church relics

This lotus-like building is Grand Lisboa.  It illuminates at night

Macau Observation Tower

Hilton Hotel in Cotai area. In Cotai, you can see the grandest hotels and casinos

Street signs in Macau

Studio City in Cotai

Inside Galaxy Hotel.  A giant dog statue will welcome you at the entrance

The diamond show inside Galaxy Hotel

Paintings on the ceiling at The Venetian

A show inside The Venetian

Gondolas inside The Venetian

At the entrance of The Venetian

A replica of the Eiffel Tower at The Parisian.  It's my second time to see a replica of the Eiffel Tower, the first was at Shenzen, China

A tree-like building in Macau

Other hotels and casinos in Macau