There was customs and security to go through, but that was relatively quick in comparison to an airport. Her dad purchased bus tickets for all of us, and we waited in line for the shuttles. The lineup was long, but buses kept coming every few minutes or so to pick up passengers. We were able to get seats near the front of the bus, which was nice since we were driving across a long bridge by the... sea(?). After about 90 minutes, we arrived in Macau. We got out of the station and waited for her uncle to come pick us up.
The first stop was to a registry for her family to get some documents sorted out. Once that was completed, we headed to a Portuguese section of the city, that you could tell was heavily inspired by European architecture. We stopped at a restaurant to eat. The food was simple, yet delicious. There was a chicken dish sprinkled with what I'm assuming is cheese. We also got some quite good cutlet sandwiches. The meat slices were thin but full of flavor. Once we finished eating, the two of us explored the town for a while her parents and uncle stayed at the restaurant to chat for a bit. I don't know much about Macau, but it had a totally different vibe in comparison to Hong Kong. It kind of reminded me of my time in Europe back in 2007, with the colors and buildings. After we went back, we stopped by Lord Stow's Bakery - apparently where the Portuguese egg tart was created. The tart was great when hot with a delicate flavor of vanilla and egg. (Or what I perceived as egg). After getting the tart, we headed to see her grandparents before heading to a beach nearby that is known for it's dark/black sand. It was cloudy, so it didn't feel so hot, but it was still quite humid.
Since we had time before dinner, we headed to equivalent of Paradise in Las Vegas. It really felt like I was back in the States, with all the famous hotel names scattered around the area. We ended up going to the Venetian. I tried my luck with the slot machine, but quickly lost everything/ Fortunately, they were serving drinks, since I was quite parched from traveling all day. After gambling for a bit, we ventured around the hotel to see the various luxury shops.
After getting our fill of the hotel, her uncle came to pick us up before we headed back to grab more egg tarts for her relatives we were meeting for dinner. Dinner was at a Portuguese restaurant, and the food was simply amazing. There was a curry dish that was really to my liking - I couldn't really identify what type of curry it was, but it really hit the spot. After getting stuffed with the various amount of dishes, it was time to head back to the bus terminal.
At the bus terminal, we said goodbye to her relatives before boarding a bus back to Hong Kong. Despite it being late, it was still quite busy, and we had to sit at the very back of the bus. After 90 minutes, we made it back to Hong Kong. After getting back to her place, I took a shower and crashed for the night.
It was nice seeing Macau. I would want to go back one day to explore it a bit further to see what else it has to offer. As I write this blog, I can still taste those Portuguese tarts and food from the restaurant. Maybe I should head to Portugal next summer...
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