Macau is a City

At the end of December 2019, I went to Japan just before my three-year visa expired. Who would have thought that after that trip, I would never be able to go out again?

Then the pandemic hit, and it's been a year and a half since. Even so, some people envy me for having caught the last train.

The gain over this year and a half is gratitude to my country, which allowed my footprints to shift to the vast land of China.

While we were able to enjoy the scenery and laughter, many friends and relatives overseas could only leave comments saying "envy" on their social media.

For the first time in my life, I deeply felt proud of my country.

Half a year ago, I got a new car and set off on a whim. Thanks to the people of Hubei for remembering the kindness of the whole country in lending a hand, with free admission to all attractions. The perfect timing, place, and people allowed me to embark on a trip to Shennongjia and Enshi, which I had always hesitated to take.

After returning, too many things happened. I picked up my luggage again and got ready to set out because news that Macau no longer required quarantine was spreading among friends.

After 18 months, at Pudong Airport, a place I once knew so well, the moment I stepped inside wearing a mask, I really felt emotional—maybe I'm too sentimental, or maybe it's because of my profession (I'm considered a tourism industry worker). Seeing the empty departure hall, layers of security checks, the desolate duty-free shops (even the once most sought-after tax-free cigarettes needed promotions and discounts, and the sales assistants who used to be too busy to greet people were now shouting to attract customers at the door, completely losing their former glory), and the volunteers in protective suits—for a moment, I could feel my eyes turning red and getting moist.

After layers of scanning codes and filling in various information, everything was orderly. When I stepped onto Macau Airport and saw that there were no hotel shuttle buses at all, I turned red-eyed again. It all seemed to remind me that my country and my husband had just gone through a tribulation. A new beginning, a new life—we all need to regain confidence and adapt again.

15MAY MU9991 16:30-19:20, delayed one hour (still due to professional knowledge, knowing that there were strong convective weather in East China these days, how many flights were delayed, cancelled, or diverted. At the moment of landing, I told myself this was a good start). On the first day, since we arrived in the evening, I didn't want to waste money on luxury hotels, so I took advantage of my husband's IHG points to exchange for a free room at Macau Holiday Inn. Great location, with many eateries and snack shops on the street. Excellent service with smiles all the way. They gave welcome drinks, upgraded the room, and allowed late checkout—very convenient.

16MAY We walked to Sneaker Street. When we got there, we realized it was very close, but miscalculated—all stores were closed. So my husband used his strength again and plunged into an alley to find a great breakfast shop (our experience is that places where locals gather and staff don't understand Mandarin are always delicious). We also found a Chinese herb shop where local housewives were shopping, and bought some soup ingredients at very good prices. The boss even gave us some homemade turtle jelly—delicious, my favorite.

After eating and drinking, we found the stores had opened. We strolled around and bought some shoes for ourselves and family. The price times the exchange rate was quite favorable. The first wave of shopping was quite successful. On the way back on foot, we discovered that Crown Cafe (the prototype of the Hong Kong drama "Macau People") was open (it was Sunday, supposed to be a day off, but perhaps business was slow—they'd take whatever they could get). So we went in and had a meal. It was a bit of a letdown—taste was okay, but a bit pricey.

By the time we walked back to the hotel, it was almost 2 PM. That's where the late checkout came in handy—no need to pack early, store luggage, then come back to retrieve and unpack. We could go straight to the room, slowly organize, close the suitcase, take a shower, put on comfortable new shoes (haha, that's why the first stop was to buy sneakers), check out, and walk to nearby Wynn Macau to take the shuttle bus (every half hour) to the highlight of this trip—Wynn Palace.

We arrived at Wynn Palace around 3 PM, just in time for the check-in crowd. Check-in was a bit slow, and the front desk didn't give clear instructions (which caused a little trouble later). The room was large and well-equipped, with 6 bottles of water and chocolates. Again, thanks to my husband—it was his birthday month, so they sent a delicious cake. A little surprise, very happy. After a short rest, we took a taxi to Galaxy (it was the last day of the Galaxy shopping cashback event). A bit disappointed—no gains. Maybe because it was the last evening, almost all popular brands were sold out. Nothing was available.

So we had to go eat a big meal to comfort ourselves. We went to the popular Seven Colors Dal Pai Dong. Thanks to netizens' advice, we didn't listen to the driver's "recommendations" and insisted that our friends were already waiting for us at the restaurant. We sat down and found everything looked delicious—cheap prices, generous portions, no pitfalls.

We returned to the hotel around 11 PM and were surprised to find that all the luxury stores inside were still open. So we went to browse—just browsing, haha.

17MAY Breakfast was the Red 8 set meal. Here's where the front desk's unclear instructions come in. Wynn Palace is large, divided into north and south zones. From our area, to get to Red 8 for breakfast, we had to go through the casino area. But the front desk didn't tell us we needed to bring our IDs, so we had to take a huge detour to the other side and queue to enter. If we had brought our IDs, we could have walked directly through the casino to Red 8 without queuing.

A little unpleasant, but afterward the lobby manager came to apologize, so it was okay. When traveling, you can't let it affect your mood.

Thanks again to netizens' tips—I learned that Y-3 at The Venetian was on sale. My husband had been eyeing a newly released shoe from the official website, priced over 4000 RMB. After the Galaxy trip where everything was sold out, we didn't have high hopes and didn't want to go to The Venetian at first because we'd have to take a taxi. But since netizens were talking about the sale, we decided to check it out. Surprise—the shoes were displayed in the window as soon as we entered. New arrivals had 30% off, plus the exchange rate—wow! We bought them right away. The sales assistant was really nice and informed us that shoes in one area were 60% off for two pairs, plus the exchange rate. Wow! So my husband and I got another pair each. Man plans, God laughs... So we ended up buying 7 pairs of sneakers without intending to. Imagine how much space that took! After that, we plunged into the IT store recommended by netizens and bought over 10 T-shirts—such a bargain, I was amazed.

Since I had been to The Venetian a few times, there wasn't much to browse. We hit these two stores, passed by Bank of China, and exchanged a little Hong Kong dollars—worth mentioning, they accept small change (except coins). Then we took a taxi directly to Rua do Cunha. Haha, every time we go, we have to eat at Tan's Fish Pond. It didn't taste as good as before, maybe my imagination.

Back at the hotel. Staying at Wynn Palace is convenient—luxury stores are downstairs, open until midnight. Every time I passed by, I could ask if the item I wanted had arrived. The SA recognized me after a few visits and said, "It might arrive tomorrow morning. Come check after breakfast."

Okay, so first we went to take the cable car. Hotel guests have a dedicated entrance. Lucky—no queue, and we happened to catch the fountain show right after boarding. It was stunning.

After the cable car, it was still early, so we tried our luck at gambling. Actually, I don't love it, but every time, whether in Japan, Genting, or Macau, we give it a try. This time we were quite lucky—just one round, then quit while ahead. I said, after surviving the tribulation, luck is slowly returning. Very happy! Back in the room, wow—when the automatic curtains opened, we caught the fountain show again, stunning once more (because of the earlier unpleasantness, the hotel said they'd upgrade our room a bit. Since Monday had fewer tourists, I didn't expect such a big surprise—the lake view suite was truly breathtaking).

18MAY The last day. I couldn't give up, plus the SA hinted the night before that stock might arrive in the morning. After breakfast, I... again... plunged into LV... The security guard recognized me. Non-weekend shopping is really pleasant—no crowds. I didn't have high hopes, but the SA asked what I wanted. Being asked like that, I couldn't even remember what I wanted... haha.

In the end, I still got something. The SA was really nice and straightforward.

A small regret—after winning money and buying what I wanted, I thought of eating a good meal. Wynn Palace restaurant had no seats... Wynn steakhouse was closed... Oh well, travel regrets are for coming back again.

My husband saw my regret and said, "Let's go eat Portuguese food. We've been here a few times but never tried it." So we took a taxi to Little Elephant. We didn't know the way, but found it was right next to Tan's at Rua do Cunha, where we had been the day before. Haha.

Portuguese food—how to describe it? Not cheap, but still tasty. The end. Back to the hotel, we sat by the window one last time to watch the final fountain show. Time to go home.

MU2008 16:45~19:20. Finally, at the airport, I... again... got some liquor—super, super, super bargain.