I was fond of comparing this island to Hong Kong and for obvious reasons, I’ve been to Hong Kong 4 times and not even once in Macau. It likewise didn’t topped in my list of travel destinations even when my husband and I opened our travel agency biz and started hopping from one country to another in Asia.
Probably because we’re both not into Casinos as what the island is most popularly known for. Only when Filipino boxing legend, Manny Pacquiao’s scheduled game in Macau this November have we started to get curious if there is anything more than Gaming in Macau.
It’s a good exploration though. Depending on one’s level of enthusiasm, the island can be explored entirely in just 1-2 days. We took 4 nights as we thought we can hop in Hong Kong for a change vis-à-vis what normal tourists do --- booking a longer stay in Hong Kong and just hop in Macau for a day. Unfortunately, the persisting students’ rally in Hong Kong prevented us from pursuing the trip and just ended up getting to know Macau more exclusively.
Macau used to be a Portuguese colony but it’s ironic that the locals never really learned the language as well as the culture. Considering the Portuguese inspired buildings are still preserved and most building names are still in Portuguese, a predominantly Chinese tradition is very well practiced particularly now that they have been part of China for years.
English is very hardly used so it’s tough for tourists. And when you’re in restaurants and shops, they expect you to at least speak a little of their language. They tend to act rudely (unintentionally I guess) if you cannot communicate with them when making purchases.
It’s completely different when you're in Thailand, Japan and South Korea. Even if they hardly speak and you need an assistance as a tourist, they will try their best to assist you with a remarkably genuine politeness.
The Statistics & Census Office of Macao Government record as of 11 October 2014, states that there are a total of 162,877 foreign workers in the island. You may check more inputs HERE
Approximately 30,000 are Overseas Filipino Workers according to one Filipino worker we met in a Catholic Church where he is working as a security officer. The foreign workers are mostly attached to the Service sector including Hotels, Casinos, Airport and Security forces.
Since the island is small, most hotels offer complimentary island tours on daily basis. You can take your hotel’s shuttle bus to other hotels which offer other tourist destinations and these are all for FREE. I find this a very hospitable gesture.
Cabs and buses are the public transportations used when getting around Macau. The subway train stations are currently underway and due to open by 2016. It’s much awaited as trains are always the fastest, most efficient and economical mode of public transportation.
Most areas are busy during weekends. There’s not so much to see but the tourist spots are reasonably captivating if you wish to know how the duality of its culture have been harmonized if so.
Some Prominent Tourist Sites (with my loving hubby as The Model)
1. The Macau Bridge and view of the Macau Tower
Tourists can use either the local currency, Macanese Pataca (MP) or Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). We used HKD instead so that we can exchange any leftovers in our home country since MP cannot be exchanged. First time tourists to Macau would also want to consider this.
We stayed at Regency Macau, a 4-star hotel located in Taipa Island and a value-for-money price per night which includes daily buffet breakfast, toiletries, use of room mini bars, gym facilities, swimming pool and shuttle bus services which are all complimentary.
For customize package tours and travel tips in Macau, contact us on our TRAVEL BOOKINGS page. We have a range of promo tours in the Philippine islands and other parts of Asia.
Until our next journey and travel insights. Cheers!