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Saturday 8 September
Uneventful enough 9 hour flight, travelling high across the tundra of northern Russia, before diving south-eastward to Mongolia and across China. Food was mushy but acceptable, though service a little odd. Getting served breakfast in halves for example, or serving a meal to 2 of 3 people in our row, and leaving my meal until more than 5 minutes later. I got some sleep, whilst Minuk watched 3 movies, and was pretty groggy. A wiggly descent into a hazy and humid Hong Kong.
Got some cash after collecting bags, took a taxi into town. Took a while and traffic was heavy. Cost was 400 HKD.
The replacement apartment is modern and spacious enough, though the neighbourhood looks more commercial. There seem to be a few but not enormous number of restaurants.
After showers to freshen up, a cuppa and some chippies, we went in search of food. Minuk wanted to eat in. We found the stocks at the Marks and Spencer Food to be pricy and not inspiring, so elected to try out the ‘Welcome’ supermarket in Johnson St. This proved to have reasonably priced sushi, and also rice and roast meats for breakfast.
An walk to the island shoreline which I attempted after Minuk went to bed was thwarted by the amount of construction going on.
Beer of the Day: Blue Girl Pilsener
Sunday 9 September
We enjoyed our roast meats and rice for breakfast. Reference to the weather forecasts on Weather Underground predicted rain for Hong Kong, but sunshine in Macau. So we decided to take a day trip across the Pearl River to see the former Portuguese concession.
A short walk to Wan Chai station, bought ‘minimum’ Octopus cards and set off for Sheung Wan. A crowded train. The exit led right into the bowels of the Ferry terminal, and we soon had tickets for the 10:30 Turbojet (186HKD). Passed immigration and got standby on the 10:00 trip. Comfortable seats and rather smooth sailing even at 75 kmh. The AC was rather cold though. Trip took an hour, and we offloaded and passed immigration without issue.
Got instructions from the Tourist Information office on how to use public buses (pay exact 6 MOP, but can use HKD). Bus No 3 took us into town, past the old heritage casinos and the rather tawdry Oriental Arch. The Lotus flower shape of the new Grand Lisboa Casino rises high above all. Hopped off the bus at Rua Alameda Ribeiro, and followed the black and white patterned pavement to Senado Square, where we joined a multitude of other day trippers surging up the streets, buying souvenirs and tasting samples on offer. The promised sunshine was on offer, and many of the tourists bore umbrellas as parasols. We passed the Mercy Church, the streets narrowed and the crush became more extreme. Finally made our way up to the ruined façade of St Pauls Church, atop its grand staircase. Selfies by the million being taken. The sculptures on the façade include mythical beasts, skeletons, ships and of course, saints aplenty.
We went in search of somewhere to eat where we could sit, rather than eat and walk. Acceded to the entreaties of a spruiker for 7burger, which provided a comfortable AC dining room one floor up from the madness of the plaza below St Pauls. I chose to try the signature pork chop bun, which was a strange combination of tender savoury pork chop, with egg and a sweet bun. It was OK to try, but not a ‘must eat’ sensation. Minuk’s choice of Portuguese chicken and vegies with coconut milk was underwhelming as was not finished. Cost was 176 MOP, pricy for the quality. The staff were friendly, and the toilets clean. They even helped with advice on how to get to Taipa by bus.
We headed back into the throng, sampled Portuguese egg tarts at 10 MOP apiece (yum), and made our way to Senado Square once more. Confirmed the buses to Taipa and back to the Ferry terminal with a conveniently located Tourist Information Office. Bus No 33 to Rua do Cunha was crammed, but thankfully, the bus was air conditioned. We had some views of the extravagant casino architecture en route to the bridge connecting Macau with Taipa. We decided not to brave the shopping throng along Rua do Cunha, having enough experience of that scene in central Macau. Instead, a few steps brought us into the quiet streets of the Old Taipa Village along Calcada do Quartel. We passed a couple having wedding photos taken, and descended steps to the Taipa Houses Museum. One of the houses was open as a free reconstruction of an early 1900s Macau home. The others were set up as galleries or shops. We sat for a while on a park bench, enjoying cooling breezes, and observing the faux Venetian facades of the huge casino across a field of waterlilies which form an entirely different kind of lagoon.
A moving walkway lead to the Venetian’s northern entrance, so we went with the flow.The carpark was crowded with buses and free shuttles between casinos. Long queues at the between casino shuttles! The entrance hall of the casino was grand, gold tones and gleaming marble flooring. Strangely, Portuguese egg tarts are the same price (10 MOP each) in the stalls here as in the ones back in the centre of town!
Maze of a Venetian shopping mall, painted skies ,huge food courts (wish we had known), identical high end shops and gondolas on canals.
Free shuttle back to Macau ferry port. Skies are grey and misty as the sun sets. Arrived at 18:30. Next available ferry was 20:10 (200 MOP each for night sailing). Had dinner at Dim Sum and Noodle restaurant upstairs. OK meal for 122 MOP. Best bit were the prawn and pork dumplings which came with a dry noodle dish. Noodles almost bereft of flavour, and supplied broth not much better. Also ordered poached crab and prawn dumplings in spicy sauce. These were OK, but the sauce could by no means be called spicy. Helped with the noodles though. Chrysanthemum tea was good though.
Boarding was required one hour before departure, but it was a long wait when the time came. Much larger vessel on the return trip. Less noise and less sense of motion, though 75 kmh speed much the same. Raining as we arrived in Hong Kong. Reversed this morning’s journey by MTR. A long but reasonably successful day of touring. A frustrating time with the check–in system for Cathay Pacific. Would not load properly on my computer, refused to work on both phones, but eventually played ball on Minuk’s iPad. But would not issue me a boarding pass for some reason, probably related the lack of a space between my names. Hopefully sorted. We do have seats and are checked in.
Monday 10 September
Last day of the trip dawned sunny. We had a light breakfast. Coffee and two Portuguese Egg tarts for me and half a sweet bun and tea for Minuk.
Took the tram up to Central, first to investigate the Airport train and city check-in, which seems straightforward enough. Then found the famous Tim Ho Wan dim sum franchise in the bowels of the station. We did not have a long wait to eat. However, we found the food to be competent but unexceptional. Maybe we chose badly. Tim Ho Hum.
A look at the mall and at the ferry terminal then back on the tram, snacks at the supermarket.
Afternoon rain, mostly stopped by the time we went out to find an early dinner at Kam’s Roast Goose. This Michellin one star holder proved worthy of the trip.
I went out to look at the evening lights – bus to Wan Chai ferry terminal – expensive, wrong bus and walked part of the way anyhow. Nice views when making the crossing to Tsim sha Tsui. Ferry stopped briefly so passengers could enjoy the city lights. ‘Symphony of lights’ was pretty suck. A few desultory lasers from tops of buildings. Did not add a whole lot to the building sans lasers.
Ferry back to central, then tram back home.
Packing and setting out tomorrow’s clothes, and then to bed.
Tuesday 11 September
Up early, a snack and a cuppa in the apartment before grabbing a quick taxi ride to the Airport train station. Driver chatting about the typhoon which will hit next weekend. We duly boarded the train to the airport and were whisked out to the terminal with a minimum of fuss. We chose to eat breakfast at the Airport branch of Ho Hung Kee, which whilst apparently famous for its congee, made much better dim sum than the celebrated Tim Ho Wan! Apparently the Causeway Bay outlet of this chain also gained a Michelin star.
An uneventful flight back home on Cathay Pacific, left pretty much on time. Watched movies on the flight including 'The Quiet Place', and 'Black Panther'.
We were impressively quickly through immigration, luggage collection and customs and in a taxi home. Taxi proved to cost about the same as our outbound Uber. So there you go.
Uneventful enough 9 hour flight, travelling high across the tundra of northern Russia, before diving south-eastward to Mongolia and across China. Food was mushy but acceptable, though service a little odd. Getting served breakfast in halves for example, or serving a meal to 2 of 3 people in our row, and leaving my meal until more than 5 minutes later. I got some sleep, whilst Minuk watched 3 movies, and was pretty groggy. A wiggly descent into a hazy and humid Hong Kong.
Got some cash after collecting bags, took a taxi into town. Took a while and traffic was heavy. Cost was 400 HKD.
The replacement apartment is modern and spacious enough, though the neighbourhood looks more commercial. There seem to be a few but not enormous number of restaurants.
After showers to freshen up, a cuppa and some chippies, we went in search of food. Minuk wanted to eat in. We found the stocks at the Marks and Spencer Food to be pricy and not inspiring, so elected to try out the ‘Welcome’ supermarket in Johnson St. This proved to have reasonably priced sushi, and also rice and roast meats for breakfast.
An walk to the island shoreline which I attempted after Minuk went to bed was thwarted by the amount of construction going on.
Beer of the Day: Blue Girl Pilsener
Sunday 9 September
We enjoyed our roast meats and rice for breakfast. Reference to the weather forecasts on Weather Underground predicted rain for Hong Kong, but sunshine in Macau. So we decided to take a day trip across the Pearl River to see the former Portuguese concession.
A short walk to Wan Chai station, bought ‘minimum’ Octopus cards and set off for Sheung Wan. A crowded train. The exit led right into the bowels of the Ferry terminal, and we soon had tickets for the 10:30 Turbojet (186HKD). Passed immigration and got standby on the 10:00 trip. Comfortable seats and rather smooth sailing even at 75 kmh. The AC was rather cold though. Trip took an hour, and we offloaded and passed immigration without issue.
Got instructions from the Tourist Information office on how to use public buses (pay exact 6 MOP, but can use HKD). Bus No 3 took us into town, past the old heritage casinos and the rather tawdry Oriental Arch. The Lotus flower shape of the new Grand Lisboa Casino rises high above all. Hopped off the bus at Rua Alameda Ribeiro, and followed the black and white patterned pavement to Senado Square, where we joined a multitude of other day trippers surging up the streets, buying souvenirs and tasting samples on offer. The promised sunshine was on offer, and many of the tourists bore umbrellas as parasols. We passed the Mercy Church, the streets narrowed and the crush became more extreme. Finally made our way up to the ruined façade of St Pauls Church, atop its grand staircase. Selfies by the million being taken. The sculptures on the façade include mythical beasts, skeletons, ships and of course, saints aplenty.
We went in search of somewhere to eat where we could sit, rather than eat and walk. Acceded to the entreaties of a spruiker for 7burger, which provided a comfortable AC dining room one floor up from the madness of the plaza below St Pauls. I chose to try the signature pork chop bun, which was a strange combination of tender savoury pork chop, with egg and a sweet bun. It was OK to try, but not a ‘must eat’ sensation. Minuk’s choice of Portuguese chicken and vegies with coconut milk was underwhelming as was not finished. Cost was 176 MOP, pricy for the quality. The staff were friendly, and the toilets clean. They even helped with advice on how to get to Taipa by bus.
We headed back into the throng, sampled Portuguese egg tarts at 10 MOP apiece (yum), and made our way to Senado Square once more. Confirmed the buses to Taipa and back to the Ferry terminal with a conveniently located Tourist Information Office. Bus No 33 to Rua do Cunha was crammed, but thankfully, the bus was air conditioned. We had some views of the extravagant casino architecture en route to the bridge connecting Macau with Taipa. We decided not to brave the shopping throng along Rua do Cunha, having enough experience of that scene in central Macau. Instead, a few steps brought us into the quiet streets of the Old Taipa Village along Calcada do Quartel. We passed a couple having wedding photos taken, and descended steps to the Taipa Houses Museum. One of the houses was open as a free reconstruction of an early 1900s Macau home. The others were set up as galleries or shops. We sat for a while on a park bench, enjoying cooling breezes, and observing the faux Venetian facades of the huge casino across a field of waterlilies which form an entirely different kind of lagoon.
A moving walkway lead to the Venetian’s northern entrance, so we went with the flow.The carpark was crowded with buses and free shuttles between casinos. Long queues at the between casino shuttles! The entrance hall of the casino was grand, gold tones and gleaming marble flooring. Strangely, Portuguese egg tarts are the same price (10 MOP each) in the stalls here as in the ones back in the centre of town!
Maze of a Venetian shopping mall, painted skies ,huge food courts (wish we had known), identical high end shops and gondolas on canals.
Free shuttle back to Macau ferry port. Skies are grey and misty as the sun sets. Arrived at 18:30. Next available ferry was 20:10 (200 MOP each for night sailing). Had dinner at Dim Sum and Noodle restaurant upstairs. OK meal for 122 MOP. Best bit were the prawn and pork dumplings which came with a dry noodle dish. Noodles almost bereft of flavour, and supplied broth not much better. Also ordered poached crab and prawn dumplings in spicy sauce. These were OK, but the sauce could by no means be called spicy. Helped with the noodles though. Chrysanthemum tea was good though.
Boarding was required one hour before departure, but it was a long wait when the time came. Much larger vessel on the return trip. Less noise and less sense of motion, though 75 kmh speed much the same. Raining as we arrived in Hong Kong. Reversed this morning’s journey by MTR. A long but reasonably successful day of touring. A frustrating time with the check–in system for Cathay Pacific. Would not load properly on my computer, refused to work on both phones, but eventually played ball on Minuk’s iPad. But would not issue me a boarding pass for some reason, probably related the lack of a space between my names. Hopefully sorted. We do have seats and are checked in.
Monday 10 September
Last day of the trip dawned sunny. We had a light breakfast. Coffee and two Portuguese Egg tarts for me and half a sweet bun and tea for Minuk.
Took the tram up to Central, first to investigate the Airport train and city check-in, which seems straightforward enough. Then found the famous Tim Ho Wan dim sum franchise in the bowels of the station. We did not have a long wait to eat. However, we found the food to be competent but unexceptional. Maybe we chose badly. Tim Ho Hum.
A look at the mall and at the ferry terminal then back on the tram, snacks at the supermarket.
Afternoon rain, mostly stopped by the time we went out to find an early dinner at Kam’s Roast Goose. This Michellin one star holder proved worthy of the trip.
I went out to look at the evening lights – bus to Wan Chai ferry terminal – expensive, wrong bus and walked part of the way anyhow. Nice views when making the crossing to Tsim sha Tsui. Ferry stopped briefly so passengers could enjoy the city lights. ‘Symphony of lights’ was pretty suck. A few desultory lasers from tops of buildings. Did not add a whole lot to the building sans lasers.
Ferry back to central, then tram back home.
Packing and setting out tomorrow’s clothes, and then to bed.
Tuesday 11 September
Up early, a snack and a cuppa in the apartment before grabbing a quick taxi ride to the Airport train station. Driver chatting about the typhoon which will hit next weekend. We duly boarded the train to the airport and were whisked out to the terminal with a minimum of fuss. We chose to eat breakfast at the Airport branch of Ho Hung Kee, which whilst apparently famous for its congee, made much better dim sum than the celebrated Tim Ho Wan! Apparently the Causeway Bay outlet of this chain also gained a Michelin star.
An uneventful flight back home on Cathay Pacific, left pretty much on time. Watched movies on the flight including 'The Quiet Place', and 'Black Panther'.
We were impressively quickly through immigration, luggage collection and customs and in a taxi home. Taxi proved to cost about the same as our outbound Uber. So there you go.