MACAU - The sky is dark and hazy on what seems to be a combination of fog and smoke. There is no sun and you can't see any blue above. There are droplets of water in the atmosphere but it is not raining. It felt moist but warm at the same time. I just don't know if that is the typical weather in Macau but all I can say is that, that day is not the best day to shoot photos.
Macau has an International Airport which caters to several destinations in the region on direct flights to different ports of Asia, Europe or America and if you are coming from the Philippines, there are direct flights to and from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Clark, Pampanga. Macau International Airport is located on Taipa Island and is 15 minutes away from the Macau Ferry Terminal.
Since we came from Hong-Kong, the best mode to go there is by riding a ferry boat. Trips are made between the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal located in the Shun Tak Center at Sheung Wan and the Macau Ferry Terminal located in the Outer Harbour. You can check this website for further details on bookings.
We arrived at Macau at about eleven in the morning but it felt like it was already six in the afternoon. It was almost dark and it feels like there is an impending typhoon although the weather is very still). It felt weird. We then took our bus/coach and had a trip around the place.
Macau has been classified by our guide into two. The New Macau and the Old Macau. Our first stop is the New Macau named so because of the vast development in the area. It is in this area where world-re known resort-casinos are located. There are at least twenty-nine casinos all over the place for which the most famous ones are Casino Sands, Casino Venetian, Casino Lisboa and Casino Crown Macau. Macau undoubtedly is now the casino-capital of Asia.
We passed by some of Macau's great bridges like the Ponte de Sai Van Sai Van Bridge and the Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge which were said to be one of the longest in the world. We also went to see the Statue of Kun Lam and the Macau Tower. The Macau Tower is an icon of Macau and one of the most advanced towers on the planet. At a height of 338 meters high the tower doubles as an urban playground and place for people of all ages and abilities to challenge themselves. It is listed as the 10th tallest tower in the world and the 8th in Asia. We were not able to climb up because of the weather condition and that the guide said that we will not be able to see the view of the city because of the foggy and hazy condition of the weather.
We then tour around the city of beautiful structures with amazing facades but mostly stayed on the bus because of the weather condition.
Macao is known as the Monte Carlo of the Orient. Casino business has a long history in Macao and they bring in huge numbers of tourists. And since majority of tourists are gamblers, believe it or not, there is an icon there that gamblers go to to pray for luck - the Statue of Kun Lam. Taking center stage along the outer harbor waterfront is this breath-taking statue of the Goddess of Mercy. Kun Lam is the most popular goddess amongst Buddhists and plays a special role in protecting children, as well as bringing affluence and luck.While it is a hazy, cloudy, foggy, misty or watchamakalit day in Macau, I still enjoyed my day trip there even though I spent most of the time just enjoying the scenery on the couch.
The other part of Macau known as Old Macau consists of world heritage sites that I will feature in my next post.
i'd love the see the historical sites, especially the European architecture. looking forward to your next post.
ReplyDeleteMacau is on the list of place to visit for me. Too bad the weather affected the nice views.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the international tour. Parang Hong-Kong din pala weather sa Macau.
ReplyDeleteWow! Macau seems beautiful! Thanks for sharing attorney.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed, a lot of Filipinos go there now.
it looks impressive anyways!
ReplyDeleteI will like to go there one day but not for gambling :)
ReplyDeleteThe weather looked better in your photos. Mine was so foggy. The foggy atmosphere was due to the pollution from so many factories in South China. Hongkong is also foggy too when I was there the last time. I hope you have lots of fun in Macau. Did you eat the famous portugese tarts and almond biscuits?
ReplyDeletemasmaliwanag pa sa loob ng venetian ah. hehehe.
ReplyDeletei'm excited to see the old macau.
so sino kasama mo jan? hehe.
Another fabulous set of photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
I can't wait to see your Old Macau coverage.
ReplyDeleteYou may disagree with me, but I love shooting in this gloomy condition. I know weird of me. I think the photos you took are very dramatic and moody and so good.
So, Asians do not need to visit Vegas then, this is so much closer.
Naks! your in Macau! para maiba nman. Macau is the second las vegas of the world. my cousin work in of the casino and hotel there. check out the beach there
ReplyDelete@ luna miranda - i must say i like the old macau too and it felt like i was in vigan because of the old buildings. will try to put up a good post about it next.
ReplyDelete@ superman - they say the best place to go there is from october to december where the sky is clearer. it is very humid this time of the year there.
ReplyDelete@ uno - i agree and the explanation of alice in her comment definitely tell why the weather it that way in macau.
ReplyDelete@ kris jasper - napakarami talaga filipino doon. most of them work there.
ReplyDelete@ lara - thanks. i guess that is the best i can do for now. i am still learning the tricks of shooting at that condition.
ReplyDelete@ borneo falcon - although i might say i lost a couple of hongkong dollars at slot machine, i just did it for experience lol.
ReplyDelete@ alicesg - that explains it. smog is a combination of fog and smoke and they just envelope macau's skyline. but smog aside, i think i had fun in macau.
ReplyDelete@ reena - totoo. para ngang baligtad eh. mas maliwanag sa indoor kesa sa outdoor.
ReplyDeletekasama ko? pls see my future posts lol.
@ john - you are very much welcome. this place is also alien to me and i am just happy to share my experience there.
ReplyDelete@ photo cache - thanks. i like old macau because of the century-old structures. i just hope i ca do a good post about it.
ReplyDeletei love gloomy conditions but on a natural setting like a beach or fields or any natural landscape because of that, uhm, gloomy feel.
asians need not go there for they van gamble here lol.
@ justkyut - talaga? i have talked to few filipinos working in the casinos there, baka pinsan mo yun? pero dami naman pilipino talaga don eh.
ReplyDeletethanks.
haha. may pa-suspense ka pa. :) i'll surely read the next post. i want to see old macau...and yung kasama mo. :)
ReplyDeletei answered your question na nga pala on my post.
So your are in Macau now??.enjoy yourself and good luck.
ReplyDeletewow... macau!!!!
ReplyDeleteparang ang ganda dyan ah...
heheheh
if only meon akong bugget para dyan...
hehehhe
very beautiful, clean city. Man, I ought to visit this place one day :) Nice shots.
ReplyDeleteSaan ba nagpunta ang araw? Kahit walang araw, magaganda pa rin ang mga shots mo.
ReplyDeleteThese photos are just wonderful. You capture the best no matter the weather conditions. Lovely.
ReplyDeletesome of the shots were taken from within a vehicle, right?
ReplyDeletei hope the sun shone for you at least once in macau!
even at that weather, you can still love the place. i particularly like the bridge there with a foggy effect.
ReplyDeleteappreciate the modern world but the old macau will definitely be more interesting to me. how long is the ferry ride from hk to macau?
@ reena - hahaha. napressure yata ako bigla. one of two papakita ko. ok na yun lol.
ReplyDelete@ unclewang - it was just a day trip but i did enjoy myself.
ReplyDelete@ ailee920 - maganda kasi parang you are in two diferent world with the new and old macau.
ReplyDeleteyou don't need a lot of budget to go there. ako pa eh budget traveler din ako lol.
@ bw - yup. what i really notice in the place is that it is clean. but not sure if it is healthy living there because of the smog.
ReplyDelete@ redlan - nagtago nga eh. pag ganitong panahon daw bihira magpakita araw doon. thnx.
ReplyDelete@ hilary - i would have preferred some blue skies as background but i guess the gloomy weather could do for now. hope to go back there in the last quarter of the year where skies are clearer.
ReplyDelete@ fortuitous - yup. most of the shots are taken while i was on a bus.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately, the sun did not shine. hopefully, the next time i go there, it does.
@ the dong - there are at least four long bridges there above the sea that interconnects macau island and they sre really just beautiful sights too.
ReplyDeletethe ride from hongkong to macau is just about an hour.
a classmate from baltimore is portuguese
ReplyDeletekaya ang dami nyang kwento tungkol sa macau
sabi ko galing na ako don
pero yun mga kwento nya about macau
parang diko man lang napuntahan noong nandon ako
hehe
Haven't been to Macau yet, I do have some stamps from there though. I collect stamps by the way, hehe. :-)
ReplyDeleteMacau is such an interesting looking city and these are fantastic photos. Thank you so much for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteok to ah! kahit ba ang macau ay just a ferry away lang from hk, di pa ako nakakapunta dyan sa macau. hmm, gusto ko kasama ko si SM if ever napunta kami dyan heheeh!!
ReplyDeleteI got the same rainy weather when I was in Macau... but I had not the luxury of a bus... so I did it all by walking around...which wasn't a very smart move...
ReplyDeleteDid you gamble?
so it's a beautiful place pala...
ReplyDeletei've been hearing a lot of rave reviews about macau these days.
ReplyDeleteHello! First time here.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that the weather was too overcast, but your pictures are all still very well done!
I enjoyed your Macau series. My wife and I have always planned to go to go there, hopefully by next year or so. The discounted Cebu Pacific tickets have been very tempting though.
ang ganda pala ang Macau. These days ko lang nalaman about Macau kasi palagi na'ng na-feature sa TV. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou covered a lot of Macau in your short stay there! Good for you.
ReplyDeleteGreat insight on Macau, a wonderful place.
ReplyDeleteHelder Fraguas