MACAU & HONG KONG

The Deksbook goes to Macau and Hong Kong! I'm really excited as this is my first ever international travel experience. As usual, I have with me my friend and travel buddy, the annoying diva Carter. With our humble backpacks, we braced ourselves in witnessing a different part of the world. This is one of our baby steps to doing and reaching our travel goals.

Casino Lisboa at Night.

God is really good that the weather was beautiful when we were boarded for Macau. It felt like it was even hotter in Macau when we arrived. We were also fortunate enough having the opportunity to couch surf at Criza and Brian's place, my two new-found friends. (Special thanks to both of them for their warm hospitality)

The towering heights of Hong Kong.

We were determined not to waste any time. By the moment we were settled at my friends' place, we just rested for a bit and took off to explore around!

The first thing that came to my mind when I visited these places was cleanliness. Despite the busyness as tons of people are roaming everywhere, both locals and tourists, the surroundings remain very beautiful.
I am quite astonished by how we were able to squeeze in things since our time was very limited. I'll be sharing with you some of the observations that I had while in these two beautiful travel destinations.

San Malo in Macau is an awesome place to buy various cool stuff! From food, clothing, jewelries to souvenirs, you name it!


What caught my attention is their generosity for free food tasting lol. The diva was even looking for some free drinks to go with it haha! (Exaggeration intended) I think it is really cool especially for tourists so they get to taste it first before they decide to purchase, that way they'll be able to make the most out of their money's worth.


Stuff to remember: People use Pataca as currency in Macau and its value is basically lower than HKD (Hong Kong Dollars). While you cannot use Pataca in Hong Kong, HKD can be used in Macau however, its value would only be the same as Pataca's.

Macanese widely speak Cantonese but as we know, Macau was a Portuguese overseas territory for more than ten years that's why you'll be seeing Portuguese translated signages everywhere.  I was happy to see that their buses have LED signages informing people which bus stop they are already at. Not only that, they also have audio announcements for it just like in train stations translated in different languages. As a tourist, I was very thankful for this!


Discipline is quite observant all over both in Macau and in Hong Kong.  Inside buses, red chairs are allotted ONLY for persons with disability (PWD), pregnant women, people with babies and elderly. Well, this isn't new for other countries like ours, the Philippines but here, people do not occupy these red seats even if the buses are full. They really reserve it for those people whose these chairs are intended to.

Starbucks in Macau and Hong Kong, though there isn't much of a difference in prices, they offer free WI-FI use for thirty minutes when you buy a drink from them. Fellow Filipinos, you already know what the difference is compared to Starbucks in our country. LOL!

If you'd like to have a side trip from Macau to Hong Kong, you have to take a ferry ride at Macau Maritime Terminal. It takes about an hour of travel from Macau to Hong Kong.


Stuff to remember: The cost of fare for they ferry ride gets higher as the day ends. From Macau to Hong Kong, we paid 150 Pataca, it was morning then. It was then late at night when we took the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau but we paid 200 HKD.
You will also encounter people who are selling ferry tickets for a much lower price. I would advise you guys not to entertain them. You are visiting a foreign country and you can't just go bypassing stuff just so you can save money. This goes especially for first timers like me. We have to be careful on those things.

We got the chance to roam around Central Hong Kong and was able to look for the place where you can have good finds and "pasalubong" (gifts) for your loved ones. Thanks to our beloved OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) whom we bumped into along the way, we found the so-called Alley-Alley one (Li Yuen Street East) and Alley-Alley two (Li Yuen Street West)!

Stuff to remember: If you're on an escalator or a moving walkway, keep right to give way to those who are really in a super rush.

Finally got to have the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) feel! It's super convenient and fast! Fellow Filipinos surely know why I'm so excited about this. LOL!

This just became my best friend in Hong Kong! Good thing Criza and Brian lend me their Octopus card which I can reload and use at the MTR.
That's about my observations as a first time international backpacker! (Sorry I'm declaring myself to be one, it's really my goal haha!) Below are some of the other stills that I took during my stay in Macau and Hong Kong.

Saint Paul's Ruins

Panda Gigante de Macau

The Venetian

Danish Bakery located at 6 Tit Hong Lane, Central. Not only do they have affordable and delicious burgers but the cashier called us "guwapo" including the annoying diva haha! So I'm putting them here.