Macau & Hong Kong

The morning of the 28th of January we boarded a flight to Macau, China. We had a quick layover in Manila and continued to Macau, which has earned the monicker of the "Las Vegas of Asia." Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. It was a Portuguese territory until 1999. With its giant casinos and malls on the Cotai Strip, which joins the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the earnings from gamblers are actually larger in number than in Las Vegas.

Upon arrival we were ready to tear up the city. We withdrew money from the airport ATM and hopped on a local bus in the direction of our hotel, the Harbourview Hotel. The bus fare required small change, which we had not yet accumulated. Desperate to pay and remain on board, Nadine quite loudly inquired "Who has change for 100?" to anyone who would listen. In between awkward glances between locals, a Filipino man who had been living in Macau for the previous twenty odd years insisted he give us enough coins to pay for the tickets. He didn't have enough change for our bill, but as a good Christian, he insisted on his selfless act of kindness and requested we pay it forward.

The hotel was beautiful! We had scored a great deal on it. Most likely due to the rising numbers of coronavirus victims, there was hardly anyone on the streets of Macau, let alone in the hotels. Most likely for this reason, we struck a great deal of $400/night for only $150. With a gym, jacuzzi, king size bed, and working amenities, we were stoked to spend two days in luxury. Having just come from the Philippines, we were prepared to taken advantage of all the comfort offered to us.

In the evening we went for a stroll through the city to check out the casinos and hotels. We went inside the The Sands, MGM, and the Wynn. The casino floors were small, surprisingly small, and uninviting. Unlike in Las Vegas, the slot machines did not squeal in delight when the lever was pulled, nor were there scantily dressed women encouraging bad behavior with their limitless alcoholic beverages. The glitz and the glamor was held to a minimum. It appeared the gambling was more businesslike than pleasureful. The streets also lacked the sleaziness of Vegas. Absent were the baseball cards of prostitutes laying on the sidewalk, as well as the drug dealers and thugs. In fact, the streets were nearly empty, undoubtedly as a result of the coronavirus. Even with the absence of fellow patrons, Ben still regarded Macau as a C-rated Atlantic City, at best. At least in AC there’s a beach. Back in the hotel,

We visited a few hotels in the area, the MGM, the Wynn, and a few more. Maybe it was due to the virus making its way around all of Asia, but Macau is no where close to being Las Vegas level. According to Ben Macau is a C-rated Atlantic City at best. We had another full day to spend in Macau so we decided to go back to the hotel and relax, take a swim in the jacuzzi and spend the next day on the famous Macau strip. Spoiler alert this would not happen.

That night was the best sleep we had had in months! The room was enormous, elegant, and comfortable. The blackout shades provided the necessary environment to hibernate for the night and morning. While Nadine was cocooning, Ben watched TV for the first time in months. In bold letters across the news channel came the words “Hong Kong to Close Borders from Mainland China.” For a minute the information didn’t register, but finally it caught up to him. WE were in Mainland China, and WE were going to Hong Kong in two days. When were the borders closing? Did we need to rush to catch a ferry in the morning? Is Macau really Mainland China? Was our laundry going to dry by tomorrow?

Ben phoned the front desk to make some inquires, who confirmed that the ferries would not run the following day, so we either catch one today or we would be stuck in Macau. It was like a movie where a major city needs to evacuate its citizens before the tragedy strikes, except the complete opposite. We negotiated with the hotel to cancel our reservation for the night, which they kindly did after some deliberation. The hotel shuttle took us to the port, where the signs confirmed that ferries running from Macau to Hong Kong would be suspended indefinitely after today. We promptly purchased two tickets and boarded the next ride to HK.

The ferry ride was only an hour, with enough free wifi to book a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Hong Kong. Once we arrived, we our first dim sum meal in a restaurant inside the terminal/mall. At the time we didn’t know that this is all we would be eating for the next couple of days.

Once we arrived at the hotel, our temperature was promptly taken once when we entered the front door, and a second time the check-in counter. We dropped off our belongings, rested for a bit, then hit the town. Neither one of us had been to Hong Kong in the past, so we were eager to familiarize ourselves with it. Within minutes of roaming the streets one can sense a bit of New York City feel to it, minus the honking, noise trash, graffiti, and drifters. Basically less balagan, but we suspected part of that was due to fears of corona. Skyscrapers 100 stories tall reached towards the heavens, while the normal hustle of bustle of city life was unlike anything we had seen in the past few months, despite fewer amount of people on the streets as usual.

With the wedding two months away, we still were/are in need of clothing for the week and the wedding itself. In our travel bags we have t-shirts, bathing suits, sneakers, and other items that we have worn over and over again, none of which are suitable for a wedding. Hong Kong clothes come with Hong Kong prices, which was tough for us to swallow since the places we had visited were so darn cheap. We walked through a couple shopping meals and saw brands we were familiar with for the first time in a while. Ben spent some time trying on some shirts and shorts from Tommy Bahamas, where he purchased a few items for his wardrobe.

At night we wanted to get some more dim sum, one of Hong Kong’s specialty dishes. We searched online and found a place with great reviews. Ben though the food was tasty, but Nadine didn’t. The real issue is that she doesn’t like dim sum in general. If you are sensing a pattern, you are correct. The real issue, Ben thinks, is that Nadine is a picky eater. Nadine swears she isn’t. Agree to disagree.

Our second day in Hong Kong we ventured farther from the hotel. Ben drew up a game plan for the day, which included stops at the most visited tourist places, as well as hidden gems along the way. We had read online that Hong Kong has the longest escalator in the world, so we took the underground to go check it out. It took a bit of time, but we found it alright. It was literally pointless. It wasn’t even one escalator, it was a series of escalator that combined to make it the longest in the world. Snoozefest.

From there we made our way to the Man Ho Temple, which had a line down the street. Everyone was coming to pray for their health and the health of others in the fear of coronavirus. The temple was small and filled with smoke from all the candles and other sacrificial items.

From there we went to the Hong Kong Park, which is their version of Central Park. Almost all of the attractions and exhibits were closed due to the virus, but the public areas were peaceful and quiet. There were lakes filled with koi fish, turtles, frogs, and various bird species. Also we visited the memorial for SARS victims.

A few hundreds meters up the road was the bottom of the tram that leads up to the top of Victoria’s Peak, which provides arguably the best lookout over the city. The view was spectacular!

Aside from the lookout point, there was a mall and randomly, a Monopoly museum! It was closed for the same reason as all other places were closed, but what we could see from the outside was awesome. The gift shop was open, so we bought Monopoly Deal, the Hong Kong version, in English AND Chinese! So exciting. Our Israel version has lasted us several years now, but they are worn out and ripping. It was time for an upgrade. We also have the US version waiting for us in San Diego.

We made our way down the train again to make our way across the river to Kowloon, the north side of Hong Kong. On the riverbank is the Avenue of the Stars, Hong Kong’s version of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. On the railing are plaques of the faces and hands of Hong Kong’s most famous actors and actresses. We only recognized a handful of them, including Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Jet Li. Around the block is a statue of Bruce Lee resting in a martial arts pose.

Ben found a list online of the cheapest Michelin Star restaurants in the world. Number two was located in Hong Kong, called Tim Ho Wan, and had an average dish price of $3.80 US. We had to pay a visit. The top eight restaurants on the list were located in Asia, so we decided then and there we would try to visit as many as we can before we finish our trip. Also, our engagement meal in France at Chateau Eze earlier in the year was Michelin Star. While that meal cost us a pretty penny, the places we were now destined to visit literally cost pennies. While Nadine doesn’t love dim sum, she did enjoy her meal, especially the barbecue pork. Ben would eat twice eaten food and enjoy it, so of course he loved it.

Every night 20:00 in Hong Kong, there is the Symphony of Lights, the world’s largest permanent light and sound show, according to Guinness World Records. 42 buildings participate in the show. During the Chinese Year the show is even more extravagant. Unfortunate, due to this damned virus, the show was cancelled during the time we were there :(

Instead we walked the Avenue of the Stars again, and admired the lights glowing from the buildings, sans the show. We also the famous junk boats floating by.

We took the Star Ferry across the river back to Hong Kong Island and walked back to the Holiday Inn. We double checked to confirm that the cruise was still on and had not been cancelled. We packed our bags, got in our eight hours of sleep, and prepared ourselves for our two week excursion on Holland America’s Westerdam.

Two busses took us to the port, where there was little and less screening measures, to our surprise. The only relevant question asked was whether we had been in Mainland China (including Macau) in the past two weeks, to which we answered honestly that we had, but that was the extent of it. We boarded the ship and began our journey.