16th June:
We arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 1 around 11am plus. Once my uncle's family and grandparents reached, we checked in at Jetstar counter and went for our lunch. My auntie's family joined us later.
This holiday is deemed "family vacation of the year", what with the whole family embarking on a journey back to Hakka hometown in China, at the same time, we are also there to visit the great-grandfather's grave.
It was a 3.5 hours flight to Macau. Since we were taking a budget aircraft, there is not much to expect. I was pleased that the flight was overall smooth and I even saw lots of rainbows (or maybe it was the same one).
The airport is a short distance away from The Venetian Macau.
Wow, the hotel is really one of the grandest and nicely-themed hotel I saw! It is grand, opulent and lavish. Unfortunately, this positive image is marred by tons of other tourists who are there for one, single purpose: casino. Furthermore, the allowance of smoking indoors really spoilt the whole experience. You have no idea what smoking indoors does to the whole place, it stinks real bad as the smoke is stuck in the circulation system.
18 years is the minimum age to enter the casino and it is located in plain sight. I walked through a casino for the first time in my life and boy was the area large and smoky.
Our suites are so lovely and golden with a curtained king-bed and a sitting area. The en-suite is the most beautiful of them all. It is completed with double sinks, a bathtub and a shower area. Too bad there is only one bed and there are 5 of us in each room. In the end, I slept on the bed with my mother and the others had to bunk on the floor and sofa.
We had our dinner at the foodcourt and went "hotel hopping" afterwards. We visited hotels like MGM and Wynn which are more pomp while others like Hotel Lisboa leans to the flashy and ostentatious side.
At night, I went to check out the casino with my father even though we didn't play. I guess what made it such a big deal is the fact that you have to be 21 years to get into one in Singapore and pay a hefty fee of S$100.
17th June:
I finally had the chance to get some souvenirs at the gift shops. They were nice, little venetian masks keychains. Other than that, there was nothing worth buying.
We took a ride to the national monument of Macau: Ruins of St Paul's. As usual, there were lots of like-minded tourists taking photos. We bought bags of Macau's goodies.
Lunch was settled at The Venetian foodcourt again and then it was time to check out.
The border between Macau and China were filled with people, mainly the Chinese, who are leaving/entering Macau.
We bought tickets for a bus ride to Guangzhou.
Checked in at Hotel Landmark Canton. On one hand, it's 2 people per room, on the other, it is such a "downgrade" from the lovely Venetian suite. But, at least, the basic amenities are met and then some.
We went to Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street where we shopped and had dinner. There is nothing much that could tempt me there. The goods sold are not exactly my tastes.
