Macau was the first of two destinations for this trip. It used to be a Portuguese colony for centuries before being handed back to China in 1999. The Portuguese colonization introduced to Macau Christianity, thus the churches all over the place. It also left behind buildings with beautiful European architecture and design. Recently there are multitudes of casinos sprouting up all over the place. The rich history reflected all over the place made it an ideal location to have another photo shoot.
Despite planning to stay in the place for just a night and half a day, we made sure to prioritize the pictorial. As it was also not our first time, we also didn't have too many plans of touring the place.
First part of the pictorial was at midnight right after we landed at Macau. Still groggy from the flight, we had to quickly dress up and brave the chilly evening air. The shots were to be taken outside the Venetian hotel. The intricate building designs all over the place were magnificent. There's also the all-day blue-sky-ed ceiling painting. It feels just like looking up a real sky, and it never gets dark.
The next morning, we headed off to St Paul's Ruins. Being a famous tourist attraction, we had to be early to escape the crowds of tourists that flock the place. It used to the largest Catholic church in Asia during the 16th century. Built by the Jesuits, it was dedicated to the apostle, St Paul. A fire during the 19th century burned down the place, and what is left now is one side of the building facade. A museum containing religious artifacts and relics is housed at the rear.
We had some shots taken around the ruins and the cobble-stoned road leading up to it, Senado Square. It's a commercial district with boutiques and food shops. Macau is also famous for their yummy egg tarts. And you can find them along the way leading up to the ruins.
We got a room at the Venetian hotel that night, and stayed there with four other people. All their rooms are suites. Each has a living room area aside from the bedroom. Booking the suites a month in advance gives you a 20% discount. We got the room at around P8,400 a night.
I had so high expectations of our suite. It was the Venetian after all! Aside from the bathroom which was so pretty, it was not as all as I expected. But it was still good, except from the fact that no one realized that the room had a heater. We ended up freezing ourselves to sleep, and waking up to an even chillier morning.
Macau is not bad for first timers. But after the initial visit to the famous attractions, there's not much left to do except gamble. Getting around Macau would mean taking the taxi, bus or free hotel shuttles that run all over the place. There are no trains or subways in Macau, though plans to build one are underway.
For now, I think that's enough Macau for me. Will see a couple of years after.
P.S. We took no pictures as we were busy having ours taken.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
His Trip - Macau & Hong Kong (Part 2)
After our short Macau trip, we took the hour-long fast craft (catamarans) trip to Hong Kong. We boarded the wrong vessels that brought us to the Hong Kong island side and not the Kowloon side where our hotel was situated. Had to take the MTR train again to cross to the other side. Hotels on the Kowloon side are much cheaper than on the Hong Kong side. And there are also much more things to see and do in Kowloon.
After checking in at Casa Hotel, we started the trip by going around Tsim Sha Tsui area looking for jewelries for our engagement ceremony. We spent the rest of the afternoon until the early evening strolling around the busy and crowded streets in TST.
Our second day in HK is scheduled for our photoshoot with Ming Wong. We met him in our hotel in Yau Ma Tei since its near the MTR station for our shots there. We took more shots around Yau Ma Tei area such as the temple, an old HK restaurant and some old buildings.
The most prominent landmark in HK is its stunning skyline which we didn't miss to include in our photoshoot. We took some shots from Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui and other attractions nearby like the HK Clocktower and Cultural Center. Then we took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island for more photos onboard the historic HK Star Ferry.
The last stop for our photoshoot was at the Victoria Peak which offers an impressive views of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Our photoshoot was a tour in itself since we get to visit most of the major attractions in the island. What makes it different is we have a professional photographer to take the photos for us instead of doing it ourselves (like in our trips before). I was really impress with how professional our photographer and the photos he taken for us (see related blog entry). He has a complete range of photography equipments and lenses which he brought along for our photoshoot. And he was easy to work along with also.
We end the day by going around the Hong Kong Island part taking the old Tram and the longest outdoor covered escalator/walkalator. Then we drop by the famous night hang-out spot in HK, the Lan Kwai Fong.
After the 3 hectic days we had in Macau and HK, we took our last day of vacation leisurely. We took a late breakfast in one of the fastfoods along Nathan Street. Then we stroll around Mong Kok shopping area and went back to Tsim Sha Tsui again to see the Avenue of Stars. Then we had a late night flight back to Cebu.
After checking in at Casa Hotel, we started the trip by going around Tsim Sha Tsui area looking for jewelries for our engagement ceremony. We spent the rest of the afternoon until the early evening strolling around the busy and crowded streets in TST.
Our second day in HK is scheduled for our photoshoot with Ming Wong. We met him in our hotel in Yau Ma Tei since its near the MTR station for our shots there. We took more shots around Yau Ma Tei area such as the temple, an old HK restaurant and some old buildings.
The most prominent landmark in HK is its stunning skyline which we didn't miss to include in our photoshoot. We took some shots from Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui and other attractions nearby like the HK Clocktower and Cultural Center. Then we took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island for more photos onboard the historic HK Star Ferry.
The last stop for our photoshoot was at the Victoria Peak which offers an impressive views of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Our photoshoot was a tour in itself since we get to visit most of the major attractions in the island. What makes it different is we have a professional photographer to take the photos for us instead of doing it ourselves (like in our trips before). I was really impress with how professional our photographer and the photos he taken for us (see related blog entry). He has a complete range of photography equipments and lenses which he brought along for our photoshoot. And he was easy to work along with also.
We end the day by going around the Hong Kong Island part taking the old Tram and the longest outdoor covered escalator/walkalator. Then we drop by the famous night hang-out spot in HK, the Lan Kwai Fong.
After the 3 hectic days we had in Macau and HK, we took our last day of vacation leisurely. We took a late breakfast in one of the fastfoods along Nathan Street. Then we stroll around Mong Kok shopping area and went back to Tsim Sha Tsui again to see the Avenue of Stars. Then we had a late night flight back to Cebu.
His Trip - Macau & Hong Kong (Part 1)
I wasn't able to write an entry about my thoughts for our Macau and Hong Kong trip due to the limited time after we got back from the Manila and Clark trip. Since we're back from the trip already, I'll just write about my experiences during the trip instead and also my thoughts about it as well.
It was our first foreign trip together with my girl - the first of four trips scheduled this year. I didn't prepare as much as I used to do when I traveled alone before coz I feel my girl did more of the research and bookings for us this time. But I'm not complaining. It made me realized traveling alone is not an option anymore when you get to experience traveling with somebody special to you.
We had company is this trip. They were also the ones who helped us plan things out. Three couples, who are all officemates of my girl, travelled with us. We were originally 11 when we booked this trip April of last year, but only 8 of us were able to make it. That shows how much these low-cost airline carriers make from unused airline tickets sold at cheap pre-booking prices.
I have been to Macau twice, and Hong Kong five times before this trip. But I know this would be different since we'll be there for "work" and not just for a plain vacation. With "work" I mean the pre-wedding/prenuptial photo shoots we scheduled for the trip - both in Macau and Hong Kong.
Before the trip, I searched for almost all wedding photographers there who could give us a good deal. Compared to local photographers here, the rates they have there are quite exorbitant. We ended up booking with a portrait photographer from Macau who doesn't have much experience taking pre-wedding pictures. But we got a good deal from the Hong Kong wedding photographer who gave out a promo price for us.
The trip started with a late night flight from Manila to Macau. It was my first time to take the trip thru Macau Airport since I only took the fast craft for a day-trip from HK the last 2 times I was there. When we arrived there, we boarded the free hotel shuttle service to Venetian Hotel. Yes, we stayed at the Venetian Hotel, the biggest casino hotel in the world. But we shared the room with 4 other people to divide the room charges, though we got a discount for booking a month before.
We immediately got to "work" upon arriving. The photographer and his assistant were already waiting for us at the hotel lobby. We wanted evening shots both inside and outside the hotel. It felt nice dressing up and posing for a professional photographer, while people gaze by wondering who the models might be. After the photo shoot, we went around the casino and the shops inside the hotel. Most of the shops were already closed but the casino was still so alive with a lot of Chinese people gambling. Going around the casino was the closest thing to Las Vegas we could experience.
Our second day in Macau was still scheduled for more photo shoot. After taking some day shots of the same sites we taken the night before, we went to the most famous landmark of Macau, St. Peter's Ruins. We took more shots there and in around nearby attractions like the Senado Square and Happiness Street.
After the shoot, we took some time for ourself to wander around the place. Being a stamp collector, we dropped by the Macau Post Office to buy some stamps. We went by some of the food and souvenir shops in that place to try on some macau delicacies like the egg tart.
Macau had completely changed since the last time I was there 5 years ago. A lot of new casinos have sprouted throughout the island. Most people go there not for the attractions anymore but to gamble. And you could still see a lot more on-going constructions of huge hotels and casinos all around. I can't imagine how Macau would look like if I go back 5 years later.
It was our first foreign trip together with my girl - the first of four trips scheduled this year. I didn't prepare as much as I used to do when I traveled alone before coz I feel my girl did more of the research and bookings for us this time. But I'm not complaining. It made me realized traveling alone is not an option anymore when you get to experience traveling with somebody special to you.
We had company is this trip. They were also the ones who helped us plan things out. Three couples, who are all officemates of my girl, travelled with us. We were originally 11 when we booked this trip April of last year, but only 8 of us were able to make it. That shows how much these low-cost airline carriers make from unused airline tickets sold at cheap pre-booking prices.
I have been to Macau twice, and Hong Kong five times before this trip. But I know this would be different since we'll be there for "work" and not just for a plain vacation. With "work" I mean the pre-wedding/prenuptial photo shoots we scheduled for the trip - both in Macau and Hong Kong.
Before the trip, I searched for almost all wedding photographers there who could give us a good deal. Compared to local photographers here, the rates they have there are quite exorbitant. We ended up booking with a portrait photographer from Macau who doesn't have much experience taking pre-wedding pictures. But we got a good deal from the Hong Kong wedding photographer who gave out a promo price for us.
The trip started with a late night flight from Manila to Macau. It was my first time to take the trip thru Macau Airport since I only took the fast craft for a day-trip from HK the last 2 times I was there. When we arrived there, we boarded the free hotel shuttle service to Venetian Hotel. Yes, we stayed at the Venetian Hotel, the biggest casino hotel in the world. But we shared the room with 4 other people to divide the room charges, though we got a discount for booking a month before.
We immediately got to "work" upon arriving. The photographer and his assistant were already waiting for us at the hotel lobby. We wanted evening shots both inside and outside the hotel. It felt nice dressing up and posing for a professional photographer, while people gaze by wondering who the models might be. After the photo shoot, we went around the casino and the shops inside the hotel. Most of the shops were already closed but the casino was still so alive with a lot of Chinese people gambling. Going around the casino was the closest thing to Las Vegas we could experience.
Our second day in Macau was still scheduled for more photo shoot. After taking some day shots of the same sites we taken the night before, we went to the most famous landmark of Macau, St. Peter's Ruins. We took more shots there and in around nearby attractions like the Senado Square and Happiness Street.
After the shoot, we took some time for ourself to wander around the place. Being a stamp collector, we dropped by the Macau Post Office to buy some stamps. We went by some of the food and souvenir shops in that place to try on some macau delicacies like the egg tart.
Macau had completely changed since the last time I was there 5 years ago. A lot of new casinos have sprouted throughout the island. Most people go there not for the attractions anymore but to gamble. And you could still see a lot more on-going constructions of huge hotels and casinos all around. I can't imagine how Macau would look like if I go back 5 years later.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Our Trip - Clark Pre-Wedding Photoshoot
Location: Clark Airfield, Pampanga (Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival)
Date: February 11, 2011
Photographer: Paolo Feliciano
Monday, February 21, 2011
Her Thoughts - Macau & Hong Kong
Exactly a week after our trip to Manila, we'll be off again! This time to Macau & Hong Kong. This trip was booked 11 months ago on April 1 last year. It was supposedly a "promo" fare from Cebu Pacific. But at P4,000 round trip, it was not. But then again, the flight has been booked. Lesson learned.
The first leg of the trip will be from Cebu to Manila. We'd need to wait a few hours in the airport, then board again for Macau. The plan is to stay a night, tour the place a few hours the next day, then take the ferry to Hong Kong. Then stay 2 days in Hong Kong, and finally take the plane back to Cebu.
It will be a very short trip. But here's the fun part. We'll be doing the 2nd and 3rd series of pre-wedding photo shoots in both places! Yeah, we're currently addicted to posing and having our pictures taken. Our plan is to have the shots taken in famous landmarks, like St Paul's Ruins in Macau, and The Peak in Hong Kong. Anything that says HK or Macau!
Though it'll be my second time in these 2 places, I'm very much eager to go on this trip. I love Hong Kong! The crowded streets, the underground subways, the shopping markets, and the cold winter weather (at this time of the year). I find the place so full of life and energy. Macau, on the other, I find different. Let's just say I love Hong Kong more.
Upon leaving the place the place last year, I promised myself that I'd be back. And I kept my promise.
The first leg of the trip will be from Cebu to Manila. We'd need to wait a few hours in the airport, then board again for Macau. The plan is to stay a night, tour the place a few hours the next day, then take the ferry to Hong Kong. Then stay 2 days in Hong Kong, and finally take the plane back to Cebu.
It will be a very short trip. But here's the fun part. We'll be doing the 2nd and 3rd series of pre-wedding photo shoots in both places! Yeah, we're currently addicted to posing and having our pictures taken. Our plan is to have the shots taken in famous landmarks, like St Paul's Ruins in Macau, and The Peak in Hong Kong. Anything that says HK or Macau!
Though it'll be my second time in these 2 places, I'm very much eager to go on this trip. I love Hong Kong! The crowded streets, the underground subways, the shopping markets, and the cold winter weather (at this time of the year). I find the place so full of life and energy. Macau, on the other, I find different. Let's just say I love Hong Kong more.
Upon leaving the place the place last year, I promised myself that I'd be back. And I kept my promise.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Her Trip - Manila, Clark
We recently got back from a 3-day trip to Manila. It was more of a trip for work, rather than for leisure. The trip was heavily scheduled. But as the saying goes, "Things never turn out the way you planned." And some of the plans we previously made had to be canceled.
The PRC Real Estate oathtaking ceremony was held at the Manila Hotel, the oldest hotel in Manila. It is strategically located along Manila Bay, just near Rizal Park and Intramuros. It was built by the Americans during the American occupation in the Philippines. Supposedly a 5-star hotel, the hotel to me very much needed a face lift. The chandeliers in the dining hall where the event was held, were not upright. It looked like they would come crashing down in the event of an earthquake. The food served, though just snacks, were not impressive at all.
The oathtaking event itself was boring for me, but I was just tagging along. My better half was the participant. Just like any normal ceremony, there was the usual introduction of officers then the keynote speeches. That and the meeting of other fellow participants. I usually do not socialize. A few minutes after the polite hi's and hello's, and I got bored. I just am not interested in the lives of people I've just met. I killed time playing mobile Monopoly, losing one game after the other. Drat.
An upside to that was the formal dress attire of the event. Donning the traditional barong tagalog*, my better half was the handsomest gentleman to me in the entire room. I rarely see him all dressed up like that. I can only imagine my groom on our big day.
Next stop was Clark. With the ever-reliable GPS navigator, we drove all the way. We stayed at DM Residente, got a suite for P1,395 the night. There were other less expensive rooms, but it was what was available that time. Aside from the usual hot and cold shower, cable television and telephone, it also had a little kitchenette. The room was decent, and especially since it was located in a quiet residential area, away from the night clubs, it was actually pretty good. The hotel is just not easily accessible, nor visible from the main road.
Clark was not as I expected. Being a former US air base, I expected an American-ish setting. The freeport zone was - bare. Except for the bars that lined up the streets, there was no hint of the American settlement left at all. The old houses and barracks were sadly replaced or renovated.
But we were there for the Annual Hot Air Balloon festival. And there were a number of them. The balloons were huge, and colorful. They looked nicer still being blown up on the ground, as they looked tiny floating up in the sky. We were able to get near the balloons for our pre-wedding photo shoot. A number of other couples also had prenups and postnups taken that morning. We took a few more shots around Clark, then slowly headed back to Manila.
Next stop was Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. We stayed at Binondo Suites, a hotel right in the middle of it all. Just like the Chinatown's of other places, it was dirty, it stunk, but it sold just about anything you could think of. And since we were looking for Chinese stuff, it was the only place to go.
The plan was to stay a day in Binondo, then head to Kawit, Cavite for Jose Mari Chan's concert. But sadly, the concert was canceled. Though we had still planned to push through with Cavite to see the place and relax, we had to forgo the trip to make way for the Binondo shopping. We were a long way from done, and it was the priority.
We spent the rest of the trip going around the streets of Binondo, Raon and made a quick visit to Quiapo church. As we were there on a Sunday, we tried to attend a mass in Mandarin. Funny as there were less than 10 people inside the church when the mass started. Felt like the priest was celebrating mass just for us. And we couldn't understand a thing! Regrettably, we had to leave and go to the nearby church.
We celebrated Pre-Valentine's Day that weekend. Coincidentally, we also turned 11(months) that time. We couldn't have dinner on Valentine's Day itself. But being together that weekend was more Valentine-y to me more than anything.
P.S. We were so busy that we failed to take pictures.
* The barong tagalog is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. These are usually worn over an undershirt, untucked. The finest barong tagalogs are hand-loomed from pineapple leaf fibers.
The PRC Real Estate oathtaking ceremony was held at the Manila Hotel, the oldest hotel in Manila. It is strategically located along Manila Bay, just near Rizal Park and Intramuros. It was built by the Americans during the American occupation in the Philippines. Supposedly a 5-star hotel, the hotel to me very much needed a face lift. The chandeliers in the dining hall where the event was held, were not upright. It looked like they would come crashing down in the event of an earthquake. The food served, though just snacks, were not impressive at all.
The oathtaking event itself was boring for me, but I was just tagging along. My better half was the participant. Just like any normal ceremony, there was the usual introduction of officers then the keynote speeches. That and the meeting of other fellow participants. I usually do not socialize. A few minutes after the polite hi's and hello's, and I got bored. I just am not interested in the lives of people I've just met. I killed time playing mobile Monopoly, losing one game after the other. Drat.
An upside to that was the formal dress attire of the event. Donning the traditional barong tagalog*, my better half was the handsomest gentleman to me in the entire room. I rarely see him all dressed up like that. I can only imagine my groom on our big day.
Next stop was Clark. With the ever-reliable GPS navigator, we drove all the way. We stayed at DM Residente, got a suite for P1,395 the night. There were other less expensive rooms, but it was what was available that time. Aside from the usual hot and cold shower, cable television and telephone, it also had a little kitchenette. The room was decent, and especially since it was located in a quiet residential area, away from the night clubs, it was actually pretty good. The hotel is just not easily accessible, nor visible from the main road.
Clark was not as I expected. Being a former US air base, I expected an American-ish setting. The freeport zone was - bare. Except for the bars that lined up the streets, there was no hint of the American settlement left at all. The old houses and barracks were sadly replaced or renovated.
But we were there for the Annual Hot Air Balloon festival. And there were a number of them. The balloons were huge, and colorful. They looked nicer still being blown up on the ground, as they looked tiny floating up in the sky. We were able to get near the balloons for our pre-wedding photo shoot. A number of other couples also had prenups and postnups taken that morning. We took a few more shots around Clark, then slowly headed back to Manila.
Next stop was Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. We stayed at Binondo Suites, a hotel right in the middle of it all. Just like the Chinatown's of other places, it was dirty, it stunk, but it sold just about anything you could think of. And since we were looking for Chinese stuff, it was the only place to go.
The plan was to stay a day in Binondo, then head to Kawit, Cavite for Jose Mari Chan's concert. But sadly, the concert was canceled. Though we had still planned to push through with Cavite to see the place and relax, we had to forgo the trip to make way for the Binondo shopping. We were a long way from done, and it was the priority.
We spent the rest of the trip going around the streets of Binondo, Raon and made a quick visit to Quiapo church. As we were there on a Sunday, we tried to attend a mass in Mandarin. Funny as there were less than 10 people inside the church when the mass started. Felt like the priest was celebrating mass just for us. And we couldn't understand a thing! Regrettably, we had to leave and go to the nearby church.
We celebrated Pre-Valentine's Day that weekend. Coincidentally, we also turned 11(months) that time. We couldn't have dinner on Valentine's Day itself. But being together that weekend was more Valentine-y to me more than anything.
P.S. We were so busy that we failed to take pictures.
* The barong tagalog is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. These are usually worn over an undershirt, untucked. The finest barong tagalogs are hand-loomed from pineapple leaf fibers.
His Trip - Manila, Clark
I don't have much to write about this trip since it was more of a working trip than a vacation. It wasn't like most of our trips before where we had all the time to tour around and explore the place. We were there more for the preparation for our wedding.
We were able to go to Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga for the Hot Air Balloon Festival but we were there just for the pre-wedding/prenuptial photo shoot. We will post some of the pictures here once we get them. I want to thank Paolo Feliciano, our photographer there. He's really a professional in his trade and he made sure we got to have the best shots for our photo shoot by getting us inside the balloon flying area.
Our trip to Manila wasn't different. We didn't have a photo shoot but we spent our 2 days there searching and buying for Chinese engagement (Ting Hun) stuff. We had to endure the crowded streets of Chinatown in Binondo, Manila to search shops selling jewelries and chinese symbolic stuffs. We stayed in Binondo Suites Hotel which is kinda rundown. There's not much choices for hotels in Binondo since there are not so many tourist who stays in Binondo. People go there just to do business or buy some chinese foods and stuffs.
We didn't push through with Cavite since the concert was canceled a week prior. We then had to cancel our hotel booking and car rental as well. Maybe we could schedule it some other time we could go back to Manila.
I hope that we'll have some more time to tour around, explore the place and relax in our next few trips to come.
We were able to go to Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga for the Hot Air Balloon Festival but we were there just for the pre-wedding/prenuptial photo shoot. We will post some of the pictures here once we get them. I want to thank Paolo Feliciano, our photographer there. He's really a professional in his trade and he made sure we got to have the best shots for our photo shoot by getting us inside the balloon flying area.
Our trip to Manila wasn't different. We didn't have a photo shoot but we spent our 2 days there searching and buying for Chinese engagement (Ting Hun) stuff. We had to endure the crowded streets of Chinatown in Binondo, Manila to search shops selling jewelries and chinese symbolic stuffs. We stayed in Binondo Suites Hotel which is kinda rundown. There's not much choices for hotels in Binondo since there are not so many tourist who stays in Binondo. People go there just to do business or buy some chinese foods and stuffs.
We didn't push through with Cavite since the concert was canceled a week prior. We then had to cancel our hotel booking and car rental as well. Maybe we could schedule it some other time we could go back to Manila.
I hope that we'll have some more time to tour around, explore the place and relax in our next few trips to come.
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