Mixing it up in Macau

I've settled into a real rut here in HK and it unfortunately seems to consist of just eating out every evening. This type of entertainment is fleeting and definitely not blog worthy. Who really wants to look at pictures of the same four people posing at a different restaurant every post? The only silver lining in all of this, is that I am finally able to catch up on my backlog of blogging material. And so while I work on getting myself out of this rut, everyone else can experience the times in my stay here that haven't been so dull. Although, a third post on Macau seems to be anything but original...

Over the course of the year I spent in Pittsburgh I helped squire about some of our many house guests. The sights I originally found dazzling became old hat and I came to resent that elevator ride to the top of the Cathedral of Learning. Not to mention the redundancy of the museums, inclines, and the whole of Oakland. All of these sites are worth taking in, but after three or four times, the thrill begins to wear off. This same phenomenon appears to happen with Macau, only after one visit. Perhaps I just need to take a spin around the roulette tables next time and I'll be whistling a different tune.

This most recent trek over was a combination of business and pleasure and despite being in the throws of a dreadful illness, I was able to effectively mix up my Macau routine and have a pleasant time.

What made this trip automatically more exciting was its concurrence with Chinese New Year. The crowds and festivities were a hassle, but also presented us with endless fodder for pictures and conversation. This display was drawing in large crowds and we ended up with a pretty good view. Unfortunately, our prime location turned out to only be available due to its close proximity to the ultra large speakers. I don't know if my ears have yet to recover. On the positive side, it was the closest I came to seeing the dragon dance.You can see all the lights strung up for the festivities. These may actually be up year round, but I prefer to think of them as Macau's way of wishing me "Kung hei fat choi!"This was taken inside the Venetian along the grand canal. I find this entire hotel to be over the top and gaudy and consequently, I love it. Oh wait, that's the food court not the canal. That certainly explains the herds of people everywhere.
For dinner we got our Portuguese on while I watched Sky High on the restaurant's tv. It just doesn't get better than that. Actually, it could have if we had eaten at "Fatima's," a restaurant down the street. It looked dicey to say the least, but with that name, I had a hard time resisting. In the end, my desire to not get food poisoning won out.
All of this was lovely, but what really set this trip apart from the others was the ferry ride home. Due to the unusually high volume of travelers coming back to HK after CNY, seats on the ferry ride were few and far between. I'm not sure why we didn't think to look for scalpers and get ourselves on an earlier ferry, but I guess we were just too tired to get creative. Instead the executive decision was made to buy the pricier tickets for super class seats on a ferry leaving in an hour and a half as opposed to going with the economy leaving at 11 something that night. We all had work the next day and I was on the verge of death so it was the natural choice. Making that price jump worth it was the usage of the super class lounge during our wait for the ferry. Those leather couches were magical, allowing us all to take much needed naps. The boat ride itself was perfection. Just check out the wood paneling and plush seats our tickets afforded us. Dinner was also served and I am all the better for eating that tuna fish sandwich! Now that I have experienced the pure joy that is super class, I will never go back.