Lovely Holiday

Sorry about the absence of new blog entries, it’s been the week from HELL!!!!!!!!!! (maybe it’s just worse because I don’t have access to good coffee!)

But, I shall tell you about Macau. Macau is a gorgeous place full of other foreigners and fantastic shopping and food. It was the first time we got to do the ‘tourist’ thing and take photos and visit ‘touristy’ places. For anyone out there that has ever been to Dongguan, it’s not exactly a tourist paradise. Dongguan is more geared towards business development.

So….after booking our bus tickets the week before, we head to the pick up point at 7am to catch the 7.40 bus. We’re all supposed to meet at 7am in front of the local gym and catch a taxi. At 7.10, we are still waiting for someone! We call and their alarm didn’t go off…SHIT! Nervously we catch a taxi (4 of us) and head to the pick up point feeling very anxious about the 5th person not making it in time! We get out of the taxi and we do an ‘items’ check: i.e. camera, money, undies, PASSPORT! Oops, someone forgot their passport DOUBLE SHIT! While the 4th person takes off in a taxi to go back home, the rest of us head into the hotel (pick up point) and hand over our tickets so that we’re registered and that there’s seats on the bus for us.

Phew, 4th person makes it back in time but we’re still waiting for person number 5! We decided if they didn’t make it in time they could catch the next bus to Macau at 8.40. It’s now time to get on the bus….except someone (another hotel) has double booked seats and there’s not enough room for us…FUCKING TRIPLE SHIT! (Mum, you’ll have to edit this for Grandma!)

5th person arrives very stressed to hear the news that we don’t think we’ll be able to get on the 7.40am bus. Now we’re really pissed off. We make a big stink, person number 4 is very scary when pissed off and there’s yelling between the hotel staff, the bus driver and ticket company rep. After half-an-hour, we generously decide that we’ll catch the next bus. Actually, it’s already 30 minutes late and we don’t want to get on the bus to boos and hisses! 

Ah, finally we’re on the 8.40 bus and it leaves on time (a near miracle in China) and we’re all happy again….until customs.

I have realized (after Macau and Hong Kong) that getting out of China takes a hell of a lot longer than getting in. There was 1 queue for foreigners and it was moving at a snails pace. I head on the news after I got home that visitors from mainland China to Macau was up for 30%. We all finally get through (I think it was an hour) and we’re finally through to Macau! YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

After making our way to our lovely and clean hotel, we head for a walk around Taipa, which is the island in Macau on which we’re staying. It’s pretty, quaint and we’re not being stared at…brilliant!

We spent the rest of the 1st day of Taipa, testing the local sangria and coffee. YUM! I spent more money on the food than anything else! It was heaven.

Day 2 was spent on Macau. Macau is where all the main hotels and casinos are, lots of historic tourist sites, and where the best shopping is. We spent the day looking around the shops, smelling wonderful cheap perfume (which I later bought) and checked out different historical ruins and beautiful gardens (photos on Flickr) in the middle of the urban jungle. Though the one bad thing about Macau was the lack of taxis! It took us an hour to get off Macau, walking around looking for an empty taxi. It was very frustrating, very hot and we all just wanted to go back to the hotel and have a shower!

Day 3 we went on the 3rd island, Coloane. Coloane is very quiet compared to Macau and Taipa but was a welcome break from the noise and crowds. It was also were the first egg tart was made. Egg tarts are huge in Melbourne and it was amazing to stumble across such a find. I tried the tarts too, delicious!

It was now time to head back to China and planning school lessons. We were not enthusiastic about leaving Taipa at all! LOL.

The trip home was uneventful and surprisingly I was quite happy to get back home to Jingfeng Gardens.

This coming weekend; xmas shopping in Shenzhen, where the shopping mall is 6 levels of retail therapy bliss!

Love you all!
Katrina

written by  KatrinaB on October 15, 2006 from Macau, Macau
from the travel blog: China Dreaming
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