The place I like best in Macau is Coloane, a former island with a elegant touch of its own.
Nearby there is a bakery famous for Portuguese egg tarts, the Lord Stow’s Bakery (1 Rua de Tassara, Coloane Town Square). Don’t miss it. For Macau government’s tourist office’s introduction about the bakery, see here.
How to get there:
Take bus No. 26, 26A, 25, 21A, 15. All buses go to Coloane town square.
The night landscape
A square tucked away from the tourists thronged city centre
In front of the Barra temple, an exhibition on display about June 4 democracy movement in China
It is the best, because it has a serene setting, away from the casinos seen everywhere in Macau. It is the best also because the hotel is unique in space design and elegantly decorated. Every hotel room has a balcony, a separate living room, a bedroom as well as bathroom. The hotel is actually the tourism school in Macau. So the service is offered by the school students, who are friendly and eager to help.
The hotel is called Pousada de Mong Ha.
You will get a welcome drink and a small box of chocolates upon arrival. The hotel also offers shuttle bus service three times a day to the major the spots in the city from the hotel.
The breakfast is fresh, served in a restaurant nicely decked out. It is quite everywhere in the hotel, including over the breakfast. I totally enjoyed the breakfast and the ambience when I was there.
It costs MOP640 for a room from Sunday to Thursday. The other days of the week will be slightly more expensive.
Pousada de Mong Ha, located in a hill
Bedroom, with a separate living room and bathroom next door
the restaruant for breakfast
a corner in the hotel
How to get there:
The only disadvantage about the hotel is its location – hard to find.
It is better just to take taxi from the ferry pier, costing about MOP40 and taking about 15 minutes. The hotel website has details of its location and provides direction in Chinese for you to print out to show to the taxi driver.
If you want to take bus, take No 12 from the pier. The fare is MOP3.4. Get off at TDM (Macau’s TV station). There is a crossroad ahead. Turn left and walk straight to (about) the second street on the left. You will see a garbage collection point, behind which is a small hill. Walk up the stairs of the small hill and you will find the hotel.
If you need to travel from Lowu to Hong Kong International Airport, here’s the easiest way – take the airport bus from Sheung Shui train station on the East Rail Line.
After going through the Hong Kong immigration, you will find yourself at the Hong Kong Lowu train station. Board the train, and get off at the first stop – Sheung Shui station.
Take exit B2, to get to the Sheung Shui Bus Terminus, where you will find A43 airport bus, run by Long Win Bus Company. It takes about 1 hour to get to the Hong Kong International Airport, with a bus fare of HK$29.2. The bus is every 15-30 minutes.
For details of the schedule, please check here. Note that the first part of the schedule is for transport to the Airport from Luen Wo Hui (in Fanling, which is about 2-3 stops to Sheung Shui station), and the second part of the schedule is for transport from the Airport.
If you like French Fries, and you are in HK, try New York Fries in Harbour City, an upscale shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Despite its name, New York Fries is 100% Canadian, with franchise locations throughout the country.
Potatoes are freshly cut into French Fries and fried in sunflower oil and olive oil in the store. I’ve been to the store twice thus far and highly recommend it. The Fries feel fresh, healthy and tasty.
There is only one New York Fries store in Hong Kong. The store in Harbour City is pretty small, with about 4 to 5 tables only. But right next to the store, there is a balcony with seats and tables, commanding a nice harbour view. That should be the place to savour the fresh French Fries, especially when the weather is pleasant.
The menu is very focused – selling the French Fries from small to jumbo sizes, and hot dogs. A big cup of Fries in its jumbo size sells for HK$38. The tomato sauce comes free, but if you want the premium sauces such as sour cream or gravy, you have to pay extra.
How to get there
MTR Tsim Sha Tsui station, exit A1 (Kowloon Park). Turn right to the Haiphong Rd. Walk to the end. The shopping mall facing you is the Harbour City.
Or take the star ferry. Harbour City is right next to the star ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui.
New York Fries is located on the second floor of Harbour City. To see the exact location of the store, click here.
Website of New York Fries: www.newyorkfries.com
If you plan to visit Hong Kong, one of the times of the year you may consider coming is around June 4, when the Hong Kong people attend an annual rally in memory of those killed in the June 4 democracy movement, in defiance of the Beijing government’s wish to silence its people on what happened 20 years ago.
The memorial rally has been going on for the past 20 years, since June 4 1989, with the rally always held in the Victoria Park, on Hong Kong Island. And each year there is always a large turn out. If you want to see the soul of Hong Kong behind all the high rise buildings and busy traffic, you can always find it in the evening of June 4, in the Victoria Park lit up by candles.
This year, a bigger turn out is expected, because of the gaffe of the city’s Chief Executive Donald Tsang. When asked about June 4 in the Legislative Council two days ago, he said, “I understand Hong Kong people’s feelings about June 4, but the incident happened many years ago. The country’s development in many areas has since achieved tremendous results and brought economic prosperity to Hong Kong. I believe Hong Kong people will make an objective assessment of the nation’s development.”
What is more, he claimed his view represents the general view of Hong Kong people. He later apologized, saying that he did not mean what he said.
His remarks and apology is total nonsense and much ridicule, of course. His stupidity is simply hard to imagine. To say that your view represents the view of Hong Kong people, while you are appointed by the Beijing government, not elected by the Hong Kong people?
And what those in the top can do just to curry flavor to stay in power, and as a result make a fool of himself, look nowhere than Mr Tsang.
What is more, Mr Tsang, are you telling us that it is alright that you kill people, as long as you can get rich later?
A leader of no soul and a city of people trying to clinging to their souls. That is Hong Kong. So come to Hong Kong around June 4 to see the struggle.
