MACAU: A Destination Fulfilled!

(Second of three parts)

A former Portuguese colony, Macau is a perfect blend of eastern and western cultures.

We landed at the Hong Kong International Airport at exactly 3:25 PM. We had a few minutes to do a little shopping at the airport while waiting to sail to Macau via the Turbo Jet Sea Express.

Operated by the Hong Kong International Airport Ferry Terminal Services Limited, the Sky Pier provides high-speed ferries to shuttle passengers from six ports in the Pearl River Delta – Macau, Shenzhen Shekou, Shenzhen Fuyong, Zhongshan, Humen in Dongguan and Zhuhai Jiuzhou to whisk through HKIA for direct flights to 140 destinations while one can relax and enjoy a hassle-free journey with your luggage safely looked upon by the ferry terminal operator thus, making Hong Kong International Airport a truly multi-modal international transport hub for sea, land and air travel.  Indeed, the trip is so convenient and hassle-free.  The Sky Pier was granted the top award – Passenger Transport Excellence by the Chartered Institute Logistics and Transport – for its ingenuity and outstanding customer service. 

After almost an hour of fast sailing to Macau in winter (at 10 degrees Celsius cold air), we were welcomed with a warm smile by the dapper Joao Nobitkoff Sales, Macau Government Tourist Office public relations executive who also was our tour guide during our brief stay. Señor Joao, as we fondly called him, brought us to the 35-story, 600-room MGM Grand where we were billeted. While in transit, he gave us a briefer of the culture of the heritage-rich Macau which is also known as the “Vegas of China” and “Europe in Asia.” 

As we set foot at the MGM Grand, so stunned by the new and stylish icon of the Macau skyline, we can’t help but notice the dancing blue lady sculpture by Salvador Dali in the middle of the lobby, matched with the equally impressive and yes, very expensive flowers, red chandelier and the colorful glass mural at the reception area by the world-renowned Dale Chihuly. Another feature which caught my attention was the 1088-square meter Grand Praca at the ground level which is surrounded with different restaurants and bars depicting a typical European village. The whole area is covered with a glass ceiling 25 meters from the floor.  The MGM Grand costs about USD $1.25 billion and is a development by two prominent industry leaders and innovators, Pansy Ho and MGM Mirage. The structure of the hotel is separated into three distinct segments in bronze, silver and gold as the building rises skywards.

After depositing our luggage and a quick freshening-up at our designated rooms with a very good view of the two bridges connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the whole group again converged at the hotel lobby, all ready for our first dinner in Macau. And it was going to be a Portuguese dinner at Restaurante Espaco Lisboa in Coloane Island. And what a small world!   We met a pleasing lady, a regular of the restaurant, who happened to have lived in my father’s hometown Argao with his brother for quite some time. She does the best egg tarts of which Macau is known for. The dinner was a feast of Jamon Serrano, Bacalao, and a lot more with flowing wine especially chosen by Chico Almeda, the restaurant owner who joined us and made us more comfortable. It was a fun night of good food, fine wine and laughter as Señor Joao and Chico exchanged antics, much to our amusement!