Olá!
This week, HKUST decided to improve its Student Social Responsibility and gave us a week long Easter break(for those who watched the Hunger Games, it is that period of niceness which the rulers grant to the tributes before locking them up in the forest). Desperate for some change of scenery from Room 4221, I took this break as an opportunity to get to know some real China and Hong Kong. This post is an account of my trip to Macau SAR, People's Republic of China.
REACHING MACAU
D-day begins with Olivia deciding to spoil my sleep bang on at 5:15 AM with her phone call. At 6, I pass by yet another of the countless AGMs that dot UST Common Rooms and meet up with Aurelia outside Hall II. We spend the first five minutes eagerly, next ten ambivalently, final fifteen angrily waiting for our beautiful colleagues Shreya and Olivia to materialize. Finally, they do turn up in beautiful white dresses and we set out for Choi Hung. They arrive excitedly and I sleepily at TST, grabbing a small meal at McDonalds and waiting for our fourth little princess, Sathurshini to arrive at the rendezvous.
Soon, we make our way to China Ferry Terminal and board the New World Ferry to Macau. Post immigration, "whoo-ing", "aah-ing" and snapping pictures, I fall asleep to the gentle rocking of the Victoria Harbour only to wake up to the sound of honking ferries in Porto Exterior of Macau Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China. Welcome! :)
FIRST SIGHTS
Finally cooking up a 'plan', we proceed to a bus stop and board a bus to Olivia-Alone-Knew-Where. Laughing intermittently at our own hopelessness, we jump off the bus at Senada Square where we begin Operation Second Breakfast. We spread the map on the table, ask a few locals and improve our looking around strategy. Meals consumed, we walk to the St.Dominic's Church. It is a simple church in Portuguese style with confessionals, statues of St.Francisco, etc and Olivia dazzles us all with a lecture series on Christianity.
We move on to the Ruins of St.Paul, its crumbling crypts and beautiful Portuguese-style entrance. Apart from underground crypts, St.Paul's also plays host to some enchanting Christian sculpture, artifacts and paintings. While Shreya stands determined to cram all about Portuguese architecture at one go, Sathu and I, decide to go hogging. We end up in a shop selling sugarcane juice and corn. Good food, really expensive though.
MACAU MUSEUM
Completely used to full-on air-conditioning in Hong Kong, the sweltering heat of Macau forces us to take a power break to discuss further plans. We break into a few malls just for the heck of it. Soon bored of retail therapy, we leave for the Fortress. Located at the top of a really steep slope mere seeing which discourages Olivia, the Fortress, is famous for its massive cannons, picturesque scenery and cooling environment. It also contains amidst its sprawling complex the Macau Museum which gives viewers a really good understanding of the history and development of Macau from both the Chinese and Portuguese perspectives. It makes extensive use of technology to connect with the past, and boasts of seriously cool exhibits about the Macaunese way of life. Half an hour later, we climb down the famed slope for lunch at Pizza Hut(yeah, we were hungry as hell).
TO BUNGY OR TO NOT BUNGY?
Following a sumptuous lunch of lip-smacking pizzas enveloped in fine hospitality, we continue with our planned trip. The Visiting Professor of Chinese Archaeology from University of Calcutta, Shreya Saha, suggests visiting the Ama Temple and we spend the next one odd hour figuring out Macau's really confusing bus routes. We realize bus stops are hard to find, and finding buses that stop in bus stops is even harder. After taking the wrong bus, we double back up and end up in the historic Ama Temple(the temple that lent Macau its name). We roam around aimlessly and Shreya wins me with her incense-lighting skills. And then, the talk started!
Sitting in Hong Kong, listening to Aurelia declaim her intention to bungy jump off Macau Tower and excitedly second her is really simple. But, when you stand before Macau tower and take in its height and realize the gravity of what you are seconding...you start having second thoughts. A thousand questions grapple your mind, and every step you take towards the tower is more unsure than the previous. "What if the cord snaps? What if the operator decides to doze off? What if you swing against the tower and crack your skull? What if I die?" I ask Aurelia and Olivia. We spend 15 minutes on the banks of a lake outside the Tower wondering if we should do it. Trusting in the infallibility of destiny and mechanics, I decide to take the jump. However, Olivia wishes to extend her visa on Planet Earth and we leave for the final lap of our Macau journey - the Venetian Macau.
GAMBLING AT THE VENETIAN MACAU
More confusion and half an hour later, we pass by the enormous Galaxy Casino to reach the expansive, expensive Venetian Macau. For Mong Kok-lovers like me, it was clearly way out of league. Yet, with the guise of professional gamblers with millions stagnating in Cayman Islands, we enter the Venetian Macau. As in the tag line of the Venetian, the smell of money is there for all to see. Golden shade interior designing, expensive lighting, international brands(Gucci, Prada, Swatch, Levi's...you name it, it is here), we take in the sights. We travel up to the Canal(a small canal made to resemble the canals in Venice) and watch the boatmen in Gondola(small boats) entertain their travelers as they crisscross the bridges over the Canal. Sathurshini, Shreya and Olivia get lost in the swarming masses and we find them half an hour later. We go to the casino and try our hand at the slot machines. We test the treacherous waters with a $10 bill. Unimaginable glee clouds our face as we encounter our first win. Encouraged, we try once again. And, we lose. (An important lesson at $2 a person - money NEVER does come free :P).
BYE BYE, MACAU
A casual glance at the grand ornate clock reminds us it is 7.30 PM. We catch a shuttle bus back to Macau Ferry Terminal. It has been a long day for us, but for the casinos of Macau, it is just the beginning of a long night. Different casinos like the Sands, Grand Lisboa light up brightly luring potential gamblers to try their luck. We rush through Macau Immigration at 7:50 PM and scramble for the 8 PM ferry back to Hong Kong. As we board the ferry, it honks its great horn preparing for departure. As the ferry turns around the waters of the South China Sea, I look sidewards at the Sands, smile at what a memorable day it has been and drop off into the soaring abyss that is much-deserved sleep...
P.S: We couldn't have bungy-ed anyway, it costs a cool 2488 HKD...3188, if you go for a video recording of your crazy moment :)
