It was so unfortunate that we had a rushed trip to Macau. Blame those travel companions without travel plans! (peace!) Anyways, I just had to make the most of my one-day-only stay at this amazingly bright and colorful city.

We took a fast boat, Turbojet, from HK to Macau. It's similar to the fast crafts that we have in the Philippines. The boat trip was short and comfortable---thanks to the cushion seats and fun companions. After getting through the immigration, we rushed out to look for maps and money changer. HK dollar is accepted in Macau though.

I always plan my trips and study bus or train routes of the place I'm going to. We took the right bus but, we failed to alight at our stop. No choice but to take another bus and alight at Senado Square. We didn't book any accommodation, so we just walked around (with our luggages!) and looked for the most convenient, clean, and cheap guesthouse.  We ended up at Vila Universal which is very near Macau's tourist spots. After a short nap, we started discovering the charm of Macau.

Me, the tourist.

We started our tour with a walk around Senado Square which is the most touristy place in Macau. Frankly, I was surprised that the old buildings were occupied by commercial establishments. I was expecting them to be filled with museums and history stuff.

Mc Mc Mcdo!

Green Tea Sundae. Didn't like it.

You'll never get lost in the square; it's not that big. And also, there are very helpful signs around.



The street going up to the Ruins of St. Paul will not only lead you to the picturesque site but will also fill your stomach. We went out without having our lunch yet. And it was a very warm welcome seeing all those free, sample food. Of course, we won't let this opportunity pass. We basically entered every store and tasted everything until we got sick of it!

free taste of beef jerky

The street leading to the ruins was full of tourists making it hard for us make our way to the landmark. Along the way, I saw a food cart selling egg tarts. I heard that egg tarts in Macau are the best. They really are. It was, by far, the best egg tart I ever tasted.




The highlight of our Macau trip was actually visiting the famous casinos and hotel. Where else to go first but The Venetian. At first glance of the building I was immediately at awe. With all its bright lights, huge size, and incredible architecture, the tour was definitely captivating.



The most mind-boggling experience was the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. Those super bright lights and daylight-similar environment. Totally mind-f*ck. Haha! That canal too. Super awesome!





We also went inside the casino and met a lot of Filipino workers there. They were very friendly. They help us find our way out of the enormous Venetian Hotel and Casino.

We then took a shuttle bus from the Venetian to Senado Square. This is free so expect a queue. And this is how the square looks like at night...



Below is a summary of our actual itinerary and expenses. You may use this as a guide on your trip to Macau:
         

11:00am	HK to Macau via Turbojet	Ticket: 150HKD
12:00nn	Arrival in Macau Take Bus to Senado Square	Fare: 3.2HKD
1:00pm	Check in at Vila Universal	300HKD
2:00pm	Tour: Senado Square, The Ruins, Fortress, Macau Tower, The Venetian
8:00pm	REST
THE NEXT DAY
10:30am	Hostel to Ferry	Fare: 3.2HKD
12:00nn	Macau to HK via Turbojet	Ticket: 149HKD

entrance to the restaurant

There are so many cottages available--may it be floating or not. You can have your food served here.

cottages along the path walk to the floating restaurant

If you prefer to have your food served at a restaurant, this would be the place for you. They serve different kinds of food--fish, clams, meat, etc. They also have bands that play at their floating restaurant--weekends only.


Aside from eating and picture-taking, you can also do kayaking for only PHP100.00. If you wish to stay overnight, you can do so. There are available rooms at the back of the restaurant.

one page of the resto's menu

MY THOUGHTS: Considering that I am in Bobon which is a relatively small municipality in Northern Samar, I can say that this place is good. But, compared to all the seafood places I have been to, this place would be at the bottom of my list. Why? Simply because their seafoods are not fresh. Most, if not all are frozen--and I don't like it. Then, we you take a look at their prices, I think I deserved more delish food. Also, the place was not so clean. Dusty table...

         Well, I can't really say that this is resto review since it's been a couple of months since I've visited the place and I can;t remember how each dish tasted. It would be unreliable if I try to write comments now about their food. I'll just have to post photos of the dishes and let the pictures speak to you. But one thing is for sure: DELICIOUS FOOD. 

        Let me also say that it took us almost (or was it more than) an hour to locate this place. Thinking that it was very near our hostel, we took a supposedly short walk to the resto. And d*mn, it was far. So I recommend you take the MTR to Olympic City. From there, it's just a short walk. I can't give you the directions though coz we didn't try it.


       When you enter the resto, you'd be seated on a table and given a slip (photo above) which has the menu and prices of each food. You just have to check the ones you want to order and give it to the staff. Your foods will be served to you.

       Anyways, here are the photos of the dishes we tried in Tim Ho Wan:







      And here's a flyer of the resto. Maybe you can locate them easily through this. Not sure though. Good luck to you =)

During our backpacking trip to the Pahiyas Festival in Quezon Province, my friend and I decided to visit some random places. Andd this was where our feet dragged us to—Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. It is a resort/resto located at Tayabas, Quezon. From Lucban, it is just 1 jeepney ride (fare of PHP17.00) which will take about 20-30 minutes.
Kamayan is so easy to spot. It is located along the road and there are huge signboards that indicates its location.

There are actually 3 Kamayan in Tayabas. One is a restaurant (with floating cottages), another is a resort/hotel, and another was also a restaurant but owned and managed by a different individual. If you’re from Lucban going to Lucena, you’d first see a Kamayan on the left side of the road. That is the one with floating cottage. They serve different kinds of foods in their resto.



Just about 200 meters ahead is the Kamayan resort/hotel. There are a lot more things to do in this place. You can stay overnight in their  different accommodations, go night swimming, and even try zipline.

We tried their food and damn, it was just so delicious. And it was really affordable. The ginataang tilapia was heavenly!


And did I already said that everything was cheap and affordable?! Oh yeah! I already did =D

On my way back to Iloilo, I got hungry. So what else should I do  but eat!?!






Thanks to my colleagues I get to try the food offered at Paquito’s. It is attached to Palomata Traveller’s Inn in Nabas, Aklan. Their best seller is their burger. No wonder it was their bestseller. It was yummy, affordable, and huge!



Their chicken was also really good. I got to  eat a lot haha! They also offer coffee and other drinks.



The are was relatively small BUT it was fine. We were there for the food anyways. WiFi connection is great. Ambiance is fine. Staff was really friendly.




MY THOUGHTS: It was a nice stop. The food was really delicious PLUS it was cheap. If I remember correctly, the burger was only PHP150.00. If I order it somewhere in the metro, it may cost me around PHO300.00 which is double the price. Great place!