Macau Side Trip: Macau Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf

September 4, 2010
Macau Side Trip: Bungy Jump at Macau Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf

This is the last part of our side trip to Macau when we traveled to Hong Kong for a vacation. Definitely this was the highlight of the whole event because of the opportunity to bungy jump from the world’s highest bungee! We also dropped by the Fisherman’s Wharf which was a scenic view, reminiscent of Rome.

Macau Fisherman’s Wharf

dome

After watching the free shows at the Wynn Hotel, we rode a taxi proceeding to the Macau Tower. We didn’t wait for a shuttle bus ride because we would have to stop over another hotel in order to get to the tower which would take more time. I didn’t want to miss out on the tower because there might have been a long queue due to the number of tourists around.

Macau Tower
Fisherman’s Wharf
Sands Hotel

Macau Tower View from the top

Cindy and Logan waiting for me to jump from the Macau Tower

Note: Macau has a different currency from Hong Kong.

Macau Pataca (MOP) – Macau
Hongkong Dollars (HKD) – Hong Kong

You can use your Hong Kong Dollars when buying or paying for items in Macau. However, you CANNOT use Macau Pataca in Hongkong. HKD has a slightly higher value compared to MOP.

The Macau tower measures 338 m (1,109 ft) in height from ground level to the highest point. An observation deck with panoramic views, restaurants, theaters, shopping malls and the Skywalk X – a thrilling walking tour around the outer rim. The Macau Tower offers the best view of Macau and in recent years has been used for a variety of adventurous activities. (Macau Tower – Wikipedia)

When we arrived, it took me some time to decide whether I would push through with the bungy jumping experience since I was not aware of the additional charge for the Videos and Photos. I prepared for the standard bungy package, but I didn’t see the pictures and video coming.

Cindy and Logan bought their tickets through Ate Eva which was convenient. I didn’t have to pay for the entrance since I took the bungee package. They waited for me upstairs while I prepared for this event.

Anyway, I did push through with the bungee and it was a blast! Here’s my blog entry about the jump: My bungy jumping experience at the Macau Tower

Macau bungy jump

After the whole fiasco, we still had some more time to drop by the Fisherman’s Wharf. We rode a shuttle going to the Sands Hotel since it was near our next destination. When inside the bus, I saw a girl in a wedding dress wearing sneakers and her friend proceeding to the tower. I’m assuming that either a photoshoot was going to happen or she was planning to bungy jump wearing the dress. I saw some folks that wore some crazy Superman or Buzz Lightyear outfits for the adventure which was really cool.

going bungy too?

So we went to the Sands Hotel and got some free drinks (orange, mango, pineapple juices and some more bottled water) in their casino. We walked a couple of meters where we were able to see the Fisherman’s Wharf. I didn’t really expect much but I was amazed at the different structures that were put up.

Sands Hotel, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf

looks like a little Rome – but I’ve never been to Rome

The Fisherman’s Wharf is a complex that includes over 150 stores and restaurants in buildings built in the style of different world seaports such as Cape Town, Amsterdam and Venice. (Macau Fisherman’s Wharf – Wikpedia)

We took more pictures and explored the place. It was especially great since the lights became alive when it turned dark.

turning dark

and then came the night

Logan was already so tired so he decided to just sit down and had some chitchat with Ate Eva. We found out that her children were staying in the Philippines while she took different jobs in Macau. Cindy and I continued to walk a few steps further but we decided to just stay put and burn a few minutes marveling at the architecture of the structures.

All the while I wanted to stay at least a night here in Macau. I said that this was a beautiful place — and I hardly use the adjective.

lights in the dome structure

I saw other tourists who brought out their tripods to capture the place better. I don’t know why I forgot to bring my tripod when this was really needed because of the play of lights. That’s why for those of you who are having second thoughts about bringing your tripod in Macau, DON’T! You’ll regret it a lot if you leave it. hehe.

lights playing

We also wanted to eat dinner in one of the restaurants but since we were still on a budget, we didn’t push through. Besides, I was already full with the cookies and free juice and water drinks from the trip. hehe

tourists having dinner and a view of the bridge

We said goodbye to Ate Eva afterward; we also gave her a little tip for the whole tour — she stayed with us the entire time and we appreciated her effort to show us around. We rode a free shuttle bus back to the Tai Pa Terminal. After filling out our departure cards, we rode the 8pm ferry boat back to Hongkong.

Yoshinoya fastfood at the Sheung Tak Center in Hong Kong

We were at the Sheung Tak Center when we arrived and we ate at Yoshinaya, which is a fast food place that was recommended to me by a colleague in Facebook — we posted status updates in FB during our trip so it was nice when people recommended places for us to visit.

We rode the MTR back to TST and arrived at the Tai San Guesthouse all tired and pooped. It was another long day the next day but we were glad that it only rained for a little while in Macau. We wouldn’t be able to cover as many tourist spots there if the storm had persisted.

free bottled water from hotels in Macau

We brought out our water bottles which were really useful the succeeding days so that we didn’t have to buy water anymore. I’ll be posting entries of Hong Kong on the next entries.

Expenses:
Food: 30 HKD – Yoshinoya Beef Rice Bowl Meal
Transportation: 20 HKD – Taxi from Wynn Hotel to Macau Tower
Others: 100 HKD – Macau Tower Tickets
150 HKD – Ate Eva’s Tip for being our tour guide
2416 MOP – Macau Bungy Package with Video and Pictures

Check out my other posts on our Macau Side Trip:

• Macau Side Trip: Venetian Hotel, City of Dreams, Grand Lisboa
• Macau Side Trip: Senado Square and Ruins of St. Paul
• Prosperity Tree and Dragon Show at Wynn Hotel
• Macau Side Trip: Macau Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf
• My Bungy Jumping Experience at the Macau Tower
  
• Thoughts and Tips on My Trip to Macau

Total Expenses:

• Total Budget Expense of our Hong Kong & Macau Trips