My Day in Macau

Since I entered the country on a visitor visa, and my work visa was approved after I arrived, I had to come back through immigration to get my work visa stamped. The easiest way to do this in Hong Kong is to go to Macau, which is part of China (Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region and uses a separate visa), an island about 40 miles west of Hong Kong. (you can see it on the left towards the bottom of this map)

There are two ways to get to Macau from here - ferry, or helicopter. Since the helicopter is about $200 US, one-way, I opted for the much cheaper ferry ride. The ferry is very popular, and therefore crowded on the weekends. I knew things would be busy today, so I set off early this morning. The bus ride from where I live to the ferry pier is about 40 minutes, but I wasn't thinking straight and got off the bus in the wrong place. Very long story short, I didn't get to the ferry until about 10:30 this morning (2 hours later than I'd wanted) and the ferry was full until 11:30.

When I finally boarded the ferry, I was very pleased with how nice and roomy it was. It was dreary and hazy out, so I couldn't see much on the hour long ride to Macau, but I actually really enjoyed being on the water and experiencing the ferry. I've done other ferries here (you have to when your city is made up of islands), but this one was nicer and bigger.

I got to Macau, passed through immigration, and decided to hit the slots. Well, not really, but I did take the FREE shuttle to the Venetian and walked around the casino. For those that don't know, Macau is the Las Vegas of China. There are other things there, but it's known for it's casinos and night life. On the shuttle, we passed several other casinos, and I was so impressed by the buildings and just the architecture of it all.

Anyway, the Venetian was really amazing. It had canals and gondoliers running throughout, these huge, cavernous halls richly and intricately carved and decorated, lots of posh shops (as they say, which just means expensive stores like Armani and Versace), and of course, the casino, which was HUGE. I walked through the casino, and watched some roulette and other things. They also had the "high limit" tables and slots which were very exclusive.

Next I walked through all the massive hallways. I went into "St. Mark's Square" where they had street performers. What I really liked about this room was the sky looked so real and beautiful, but it was actually fake.

I wandered around some more, walked back through the casino, then found my shuttle back to the ferry. Now, you may ask, "Why did you only spend an hour and a half in Macau after all the trouble of getting ther?" And that's a valid question. I have an equally valid answer: I wanted to go home and sleep. See, this past week was very fulfilling, but very draining, and I was extremely tired today. After being lost for so long, going through long lines to get on the ferry, then immigration, I was done in.

I got on the shuttle and back to the ferry. I got myself on, and fell asleep not long after. Praise HIM (and my trusty Dramamine!) that I didn't get seasick on either trip, which I was really afraid would happen. It was pretty choppy when the boat was docked, but the actual ride both ways was fine. And I still feel like I'm on a boat.

Now, I know this is unfounded, but whenever I go through immigration, I have a tiny anxiety that something horrible will happen. Like I won't be allowed to leave China or something. I hold my breath and hope for the best. And of course everything was fine. I got my Visa all taken care of, and am one step closer to being "official."

I was a little surprised at how happy I was to be back in Hong Kong. Macau isn't that far, or that different (in the touristy perspective anyway), but coming back into HK I felt like I was coming home. It was a good feeling, and good to know that I am adjusting after all.

So that was my day. I'm exhausted now, and since I didn't play the slots I don't have any Starbucks money. :) I need some sleep!