Spacestardom x Pinkyniakoh - Singapore's Lifestyle & Travel Blogger: May 2014

Sup guys I'm back, technically I have been back for a week now, just too lazy to get started on my posts :( notice the header of my blog has changed~

Body clock has been so screwed, whats new? So I get damn lethargic when I wake up before 3 pm in the noon ._. (okay after I typed that sentence I actually dozed off till 5pm face-palming my bed #whatapig)

So I'll be splitting my Macau & Hong Kong trip into two posts, the thing about me is that I love travelling but I hate to talk about it after that, I love to blog about it, but I get so LAZY because I like to be precise over what I type down. haha in a love-hate relationship or my lazy cells are just acting up.

Anyways, I didn't really fancy Macau, its just a place to go to if you for one - love gambling. So I recommend people interested in going to Macau from Hongkong to just make it a simple day trip by the ferry. I myself stayed at Macau for two days, guess it was a blessing in disguise, cause I got pretty sick with flu + sore throat + fever I think the time spent in my hotel room was prolly more than the time I spent roaming Macau cause I WAS TOO SICK. (So yup, throughout my whole trip I didn't even put any sunblock/bb cream whatsoever on my face cause my nose was peeling too much due to the friction between thousands of tissues and my nose..)

Remind me not to always stay up late before my flights cause my sinus always acts up, so most of the time my friends know that I always will get pretty terrible flu for the first days of my overseas trip.

Airport OOTD! I love my baby doll dress and my new high socks craze hehehe, flew with Singapore Airlines and it was a morning flight, window-seat view was good! ^^

brunch on da plane~ was so hungry then I could recall.

around 4 hours flight to Hong Kong internation airport, and I caught two movies -I Frankenstein & the lion men part I. I LOVE THOSE KIND OF SUPER-HERO ACTION MOVIES. :D

I think I prefer the scrambled eggs with potatoes and mushrooms with my TOMATO JUICE

more than their roast duck and noodles option

okay if you guys don't already know, *facts flash* Hong-kong is divided into two Island, the Hongkong side & the Kowloon side. So there are a few ferry terminals on both islands, so getting to Macau through any terminal would be easy if you are already in HK. I think there are a few different companies (TurboJET, First Ferry, Cotai Strip CotaiJet) for Ferry services, but ferry services should be ranging on a daily basis with many interval-ed time-slot.

Its very easy, just google where you want to go from where and check the timetable!

Questions on getting from HK Airport to Macau

But for us, when we landed at Hongkong International Airport, we wanted to go to Macau straight (btw there's also a Macau International Airport lol) There are ferry services at the arrival hall. Meaning, you don't have to pass through immigration or collection your luggage. Just go to any ferry terminal counter like this within the arrival hall and give them your baggage receipt so that they can collect your luggage for you to put on the ferry.

Another option for some tourists to HK is that they like to make a day trip by train (MTR) or even ferries to places in Mainland china like Shenzhen, Zhuhai (very near to macau) etc.

That was what we planned at first too, to go to Zhuhai from Macau, but I was sick and the schedule was abit rushed so we forgo-ed it! But thats something you guys can plan for your future itinerary! #justsaying

bought our ferry ticket via Turbojet to Taipa - a region in Macau.

btw 100 HKD is equivalent to about 16 SGD

Within the arrival gate, I got this SIM card for unlimited wifi for 8 days (but only usable in HK) :/ Wanted to get one that is usable for both Macau & Hk but the dude told me that it wasn't rly worth it so yup!

as our ferry ride was 1.15 pm we had some time for teabreak so we settled for

Super Super Congee and Noodles

within the immigration!

my first hot milktea in hk! -At this time my taste buds were failing me terribly due to flu alr-

we had to take a airport train to the ferry terminal~

my mom and pal!

lol this is how the ferry looks like inside

nose going drop off but still have time to take selfie BAHAHA

weather was bad like it kept raining but luckily for certain timings only, but I guess it was a blessing in disguise cause during my last day in HK, it was damn fucking hot without any rain, so I think I rather balance my dslr and a umbrella than suffer in heat.. BUT MY SCENERY SHOTS WAS RUINED HAHA

I love stuffing tissues into my nostrils

SO WE REACHED MACAU

And this is important to know! So that you won't be too confused like I did when I reached macau lololol

(credits below to wikitravel!)

Macau was geographically divided into three regions: the peninsula and two islands. However, reclamation of the area between Taipa and Coloane has created the fourth region of Cotai.

Macau Peninsula (澳門半島 O Mun Pun To)
The northernmost region connected to the Chinese mainland. It is the center of most tourist activity and is densely crowded.

Taipa (氹仔 Tam Chai)
The island south of the peninsula, accessible via three bridges. It is a major residential center and is the location of Macau's International Airport.

Cotai (路氹 Lou Tam)
A strip of reclaimed land between Coloane and Taipa, with vast new casinos rising up (such as The Venetian, the largest casino in the world).

Coloane (路環 Lou Wan)
The most southern island, it is considerably less developed than the other regions due to its mountainous terrain. It has two beaches, several hiking trails and a resort. It is also the location of Macau's first golf course.

still paste map for you ;)

So currently our ferry terminated us at Taipa, Macau

and we were going to our hotel and I would definitely recommend the one we stayed in. Cause they offer free bus services from the ferry terminals to the hotel, and there are wifi on the buses too winkwink

The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel

Estrada da Baia de N. Senhora da Esperanca

s/n, Taipa, Macao SAR

Macau, 望德聖母灣大馬路,路氹金光大道

Tel: [853] 2881-8888

http://www.venetianmacao.com/

The Venetian is damn huge seriously, I got lost like the two days I was there, but I like the hotel cause

1. the rooms are nice and huge

2. its technically like Mbs in SG, with all the high end brands and common brands in the mall within so food and shopping is easily accessible.

3. there are showtimes within the hotel (can view their website for the diff types of performances) and the popular macao water show (we couldn't find the timing during our stay there) is nearby too

4. their casino is HUGE and should be one of the better ones around macau

looks like little Venice in here with many of their shops situated around the canal! hehe the place where part of the famous korean "boys over flower" drama was filmed at for one of their episodes as well!

Another reason why I am happy that I stayed at the venetian is that they have my fav brand of macau egg tarts there! I had them for both days...

Okay one of the MUST EATS in Macau & Hk is definitely the egg tarts! I have heard alot of sayings that Macau's egg tarts are nicer than Hk's but I shall give my full opinion on my next Hk post which I tried the best brand for Hk egg tarts.

As for Macau, one of the most famous shop for egg tarts are from

Lord Stow's Bakery & Cafe

Unit 2119a, Level 3,

The Grand Canal Shoppes

Venetian, Macau

Tel: [853] 2886-6889

10 am - 11 pm (12 am on fri & sat)

Original Shop (place you have to go if you want to capture the old shots)

1 Rua Do Tassara,

Coloane Town Square, Macau

Tel: [853] 2882-2534

7 am - 10 pm daily

for the other outlets around asia/macau you can go to their website for more info!

http://www.lordstow.com/

Fret not if you want to try these brand of egg tarts their franchaise in HK is located at

EXpresso at the Excelsior Hong Kong

281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

Tel: [853] 2894-8888

www.excelsiorhongkong.com

look at the queue!

I tookaway some black iced-tea and some raspberry yogurt drink which was super sour I think they really didn't even put any sugar in it is like the raw greek yogurt which tasted so healthy but HAHAH i rather it be sweeter?

I didn't have time to go another branch which was rumored to be like the lady boss of lord stow's that has separated from the boss alr so she set up here own shop called

Margaret Cafe e Nata

玛嘉烈蛋挞

(situated close to St Paul Ruins & Senado Square)

well known for their great Portuguese egg tarts as well.

Address: Edif. Kam Loi, Nam Van Area

Mon - Sat: 6.30 am to 8.00 pm

Sun: 9 am to 7 pm (closed on Wed)

a cafe you can visit if you have the time!

my hotel room suite - the place which I can call my DEN for the coupled days.

dammnnnnnnn happy with my egg tarts, I am definitely not what you would deem as a egg tart lover. BUT MACAU AND HK TOTALLY CHANGED MY OPINION ON THEM. This is how good it is! I had like super extremely uber blocked nose by then but this was so good I still could taste its goodness while struggling with my mucus hahaha okay enough of sounding gross

lol and I ate them up and diedddddd (fell asleep) peak of my illness

woke up at 7 pm and like ordered their in-suite dining, fish and chips which was super meh compared to the food I had when I ordered in-room dining in Marina Bay Sands SG

Day 2! I was feeling slightly better, since I slept super much. We made our way to

Macau Peninsula

The northernmost region connected to the Chinese mainland in Macau!

cloudy skies passing the connector bridges by cab!

failed selfie in the cab!

One of the largest Square in Macau Peninsula, Senado Square!

Settled for lunch at the famous

Wong Chi Kei (黃枝記)

17 Largo do Senado, Macau

Daily: 8.00 am - 12 am

is a noodle and congee restaurant located at Senado Square. They also have another 3 branches, this, the main old shop and the other two in Hong Kong, at Central and Hong Kong International Airport.

so packed!

but waiting time was brief since its like 3 stories!

a must try in macau/hk stalls,

Shrimp Roe Noodles 'Har Zi Lo Meen'

its nothing like what we have here in Singapore, my mom's hk friend would usually buy a few packs back separately for us in Hk to make and eat at home!

Some people may find it too dry but I like it! I love the rich umami flavor of the shrimp roes~

Crispy Fried Wanton

so different! the crust is soo huge here and it comes with some special sauce hehe

not forgetting their signature

Fresh Crab Congee (MOP 75 per bowl)

Its really gooooood comfort food *.*

I liked this too~

Cuttlefish/Squid with some veg which was so good!

then explored abit but there's not much there rly, bought like one pair of 200+ SGD Hk brand shoes and then got welcomed by many many many casinos even on the macau peninsula side ._.

and i'm sure another 'must try' things in hk and macau are their steamed milk puddings? One of the most famous outlets is

Yee Shun Dairy Company 義順牛奶公司
Main Branch in Macau:
7 Senado Square 议事厅前地7号
Tel: 28573638

Macau other branches:
11 Rua Ferreira do Amaral R/C 东望洋街11号
Tel: 28304857

381 Avenida de Almeida Rebeilo 新马路381号
Tel: 28373104

We went to the branch near Senado Square, but fret not, hk has their branches too! But I guess the price per bowl in hk is slightly more ex than the ones in macau (even though most stuff you can find in hk from macau is definately cheaper in HK since macau is more touristy and resorty)

Hong Kong branches:

G/F 63 Pilkem St Kln 佐敦庇利金街63號地下

Tel: 2730 2799

G/F 244 Sai Yeung Choi South St Prince Edward 太子西洋菜南街244號地下

Tel: 23933301

G/F 513 Nathan Rd Yanmati Kln 油麻地彌敦道513號地下

Tel: 2374 5460

G/F 506 Lockhart Rd Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣駱克道506號地下

Tel: 2591 1837

had two bowls of the Double steamed milk pudding (MOP 28)

(MOP 30 cause we added red bean I THINK I'LL STICK TO PLAIN NEXT TIME, the red bean wasn't catered for my tastebuds)

One cold and one hot, most ppl would prefer it hot, but I'm like the ultimate everything has to be cold for me kinda girl.

photo with my steamed egg pudding, hehe its okay-ily good but not like the out of the world egg tarts I had.

going back to Taipa, Macau and passed the famous Macau tower for the Bungy jump which I told my mom I wanted to try jumping and she says she's going to have a heart attack if she sees me jumping LOL.

typical touristy acts of spamming goodies at Kee Wah Bakery, yeah they have an outlet at the venetian AGAIN! and yeap the stuff can be found in the hk outlets cheaper as well which brings me to the point of just get your stuffs from hk yah~~~~

hungry so their bread was goood

Last but not least, another MUST TRY item in Macau is the pork chop buns! (which another of the more famous branch is located at the food court-ish area of the venetian) is..

Tai Lei Loi Kei 大利來記

The Venetian Macao, 2620, Level 3, Shoppes Grand Canal

Tel: 2886 6819
Sun -Thurs: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Fri- Sat: 10:00 am – 12:00 am

Another of its outlet:

Rua Direita Carlos Eugenio, Taipa

(Near The Venetian)
氹仔巴波沙前地18號
Tel: 2882 7150
Hours: 6 am – 6:15 pm
Directions: Near the Cunha bus station

the pork chop noodles look good too but I had too much bread and carbs so I didn't have the space for it. Their signature pork chop bun was good cause their pork chop was superbly well season-ed and marinated!

I liked the crunchy and sweet topping on the pineapple bun but I guess the pork chop tasted slightly better when its plain and simpler~

first iced milk tea! dabak!

somehow my dslr couldn't focus on greedy me hahah I still haven't perfected my dslr photography either heh

LOL the worst tasting xlb i ever eaten from one of the stalls

had some braised beef noodles there too, something which I didn't have time to try at the places it was famous for in HK, this was not too bad, the meatballs and waygu beef and soup was quite good!

told you I spent loads of time in the hotel ._. hahahaha prolly have hundreds of these shots but I deleted them away. LOL

Macau is really a place made to drain tourists of their money, even though the room was nice, there was no free wifi....... wifi cost around 32 SGD bucks for 24 hours in-room usage? So I didn't waste my 64 SGD I guess, I pretty much was in the room so much and spamming the usage of the wifi during my stay there heeeeeeeeehe

how I look with just my reddish eyeliner and eyebrow pencil *wink*

dinner settled at

Imperial House Dim Sum

The Venetian Macao, Casino Level 1042

Featuring regional delicacies, Dim Sum specialties, authentically prepared by chefs from the region.

Tel: 8118 9910

haha place is good for opening 24 hours, but its kinda stupid cause we had it for dinner, so no dim sum even though the place is like I'm called "DIM SUM house"

Red Bean Ice

silly me ordered like

Milktea Milkshake

cause I have this thing of drinking everything milktea flavored in hk hahaha the waitress was like huh did we serve this? Cause no one else ordered this stupid flavor for a pretty long time HAHAHA

Poached chicken and honey-glazed barbecued pork

bbq everywhereeeeeee in hk

soup of the day

Double boiled cordycep flowers and chicken soup - yummy~

"Kong-Po" Style prawns. Good too!

Braised eggplants with salted fish (I LOVE EGGPLANTS)

Stir-fried green beans with minced pork and chili

Fried rice with salmon and fish roe which was pretty dope

Black herbal jelly with honey! I like~ Had two bowls of these.

food was homely.

FINALLY DAY 3

I could not wait to go to hk by then.

Brunch:

Old Neptune Restaurant

Shop 1032, Level 1, Shoppes at Venetian

I thought their wanton and noodles was not too bad, but seriously macau food can-not beat the food I had in hk, so lucky I went to macau before I went hk if not i'll be so disappointed.

But the wanton was fresh with huge shrimps in it!