Coloane Island, Macau: Cheoc Van Beach, Seac Pai Van Park and Giant Panda Pavilion

On our second day in Macau last year, we woke up to another hazy morn. The parking lot servicing beach goers was almost empty. We sprinted across it as we waved mom hello, she was watching us from our Pousada De Coloane Beach Hotel room's balcony. I got my fingers crossed, hoping the drizzle would cease. Hurriedly, we took the obligatory family snapshot, sans mom who refused to go down. She ain't, and never was, a beach person.

Cheoc Van Beach on a foggy Friday.
Cheoc Van Beach during weekdays and hazy days is an uncrowded cove. Its yellow ochre sand and murky water may not have enough charm to draw in busloads of tourists, but it's quite popular with locals (or so I heard) who wish to bask in the sun once in a while... And backpackers like us who sought refuge from the bustle of Macau Peninsula and Cotai.

Testing the water's temp.
We spotted a lone swimmer preoccupied with the monotony of his laps, and we quietly watched him until we realized that it has stopped raining. It was our cue to go. Mom finally joined us as we climbed up the set of steep stairs that leads to the main street. She whined all the way.

Seac Pai Van Park.
The bus stop is just a few meters away from the hotel's rear access and we all got there in no time, despite mom's breathless bickers and countless rest stops. A No. 25 bus fetched us after about five minutes of waiting, and the ride to Seac Pai Van Park took less than ten. From the entrance, we followed a stream of families with kids of all ages and ended up at the newly opened Giant Panda Pavilion's ticket booth.

Now here's something that cheered her up after all that hiking. She elbowed everyone out of the frame prior to this shot.
There's no admission fee to get in Seac Pai Van Park where you could view a few animals in cages, but the admission to the Giant Panda Pavilion costs 10 MOP for adults (children 12 and under and seniors 65 and above come in for free). Only a certain number of guests are allowed in the pavilion every hour, that means the ticket is only good for a certain schedule. We were fortunate that one panda was awake at 10:00-11:00 AM, our designated sched, which apparently is their feeding time.

Giant Panda Pavilion.
For almost the entire hour, I cried (remember Ocean Park?). And I constantly fought my way through children to get close to the glass window for the panda was amazingly walking here and there. I garnered stares of bewilderment from them little ones, and from my folks. My mom even remarked "weird" in passing. "This happened before, it's normal.", the hubby (carrying our daughter Luna who slept throughout) assured her.

Feeding time!
I stayed until the guards shooed us away. While half of the family headed to the snack bar for food, the other half scoured the souvenir shop for the cheapest items. I emerged from the store with just a plastic pocket credit card holder. The panda plushies were way beyond our budget. Thank goodness Luna was too young to grab stuff from shelves.

Waiting for the crowd to thin out to spend some time alone with the adorable panda.
If you're obsessed with pandas like me or have children who are obsessed with pandas like me, the bus trip from Macau Peninsula is definitely worth it. Otherwise, you're better off amusing yourself in one of those glitzy hotels. The Giant Panda Pavilion is closed on Mondays, and you could check the schedule here. How to get there: Take buses numbered 21A, 25, and 26A.

Prepare to battle it out with ferocious kids.

Macau Series: Meet My Backpacking Folks

Meet My Backpacking Folks
Century-Old SanVa Hospederia
Largo Do Senado: And The Family Chaos Continues
Review: Pousada De Coloane Beach Hotel
Photo Essay: The Venetian and City of Dreams, Macau

Tweet



This page was viewed times.

Photo Essay: The Venetian and City of Dreams, Macau

It's "the most wonderful time of the year" and we're miles away from home. Christmas in Oaxaca City, Mexico sort of resembles that of the Philippines'. Unfortunately, instead of getting rid of this nasty thing called homesickness, the merry atmosphere on the eve of the 24th aggravated it further more. Watching families stroll together around the zocalo made me miss my family so much... The feeling now actually hurts.

What I miss most, their smiles.
I find browsing through our Macau trip photos therapeutic, that's why despite the holiday fever, I had the drive to resume my Meet My Backpacking Folks Series. Remember the day when we transferred from century-Old SanVa Hospederia to the more swanky Pousada De Coloane Beach Hotel? Well, we resisted the urge to swim in a deep sea of blankets and everyone quickly took turns in the shower (cause SanVa Hospederia's bathrooms made us cringe, none of us bothered to do so when we arrived in Macau the night before).

At about 4:00 in the afternoon, after much barking at everybody like some military officer reminding his soldiers of their schedule, we finally headed out.

The whole gang waiting for the bus.
A long walk from the bus stop to The Venetian's main entrance. Mum all sweaty, can be seen here removing her cardigan. Modelesque. Turned this pavement into a catwalk.
The folks marveled at every eye-catching design, and there were uhm, tons!
Gambling ain't for you? How about shopping? Neither of the two attracted us, but a quick walk by the Grand Canal was pretty entertaining.
According to Wikipedia, "The Venetian also boasts the largest number of Filipino gondoleers in the world". K! Sorry, did I miss the punchline?
Cotai Strip's skyline.
About to cross the street toward the City of Dreams.
Inside the City of Dreams' 360° Bubble Theatre.
The Dragon's Treasure (what we came here for) is a 10-minute visual treat. Mom just kept saying "Wow!".
Capped off the night with a dinner at the City of Dreams' food court. I sooo dig this funky ceiling!
Thankfully our first whole day in Macau went by without much bickering between me and my mom family members. This was what the family needed at that time, a breather. A break from stress brought about by conventional routine. Oh how I wish they are with us right now, routineless too.

Macau Series: Meet My Backpacking Folks

Meet My Backpacking Folks
Century-Old SanVa Hospederia
Largo Do Senado: And The Family Chaos Continues
Review: Pousada De Coloane Beach Hotel

TweetShare


This page was viewed times.

Random 11 of 2011

2011's a year of fulfilling dreams: Living in Baguio, visiting India, backpacking with my parents, flying our daughter overseas for the first time, and finally kicking off our round-the-world vagabonding. Each waking day, I am thankful that everything's falling into place and we never take this opportunity for granted. The hubby and I strive hard in keeping our online jobs so as to continue this unconventional nomadic lifestyle... Until we get tired of it.

There's really nothing more I could ask for right now. Okay, except pinakbet for Noche Buena.

I've been to five countries plus one SAR this year, and here are eleven random travel moments off the top of my head (because it's a gargantuan task to select which trips to categorize under "The Best Of"):

1. Mt. Cabuyao hike, Benguet. An easy, breezy day hike with my mounaineeresque friends. My first after giving birth four months prior.


2. Being part of SEAir's Winter Batanes Tour. It gave me the chance to not only revisit Batanes but also to meet a wacky bunch of bloggers: James, Izah, Leon, Mike, Bless, and Batanes maven Engr. Joseph Dy (thanks Engr. for this photo!).


3. Eating Indian food in India. One of my fave cuisines everrr.


4. I was sorta forced to attend the Panagbenga Festival. I actually thought it was just going to be some chaotic parade, but hey, it was beautifully chaotic.


5. Took my geologist sis-in-law (who lives in Australia) to Mt. Pinatubo. For her, it was a dream trek come true.


6. Entering Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site (that dates back to the 1st century BC) in Sri Lanka.


7. Brought the whole family to Macau. It was my parents' first time to travel overseas. Luna's too.


8. My application for a U.S.A. visa was unexpectedly approved. Luna and I tagged along the hubby's business trip in California (sponsored by the company). We managed to squeeze a few sightseeing jaunts, such as our accidental visit in San Simeon where we saw elephant seals in their natural habitat.


9. Spent my 31st birthday hiking at Greater Blue Mountains, Australia.


10. Flew back to California and stayed for a month for the hubby's work. We braved the winter cold in San Francisco for an Alcatraz tour.


11. Climbed up Piramide de la Luna with our little Luna in Teotihuacan, and watched Aztec dancers stomp along the Avenue of the Dead while the sun slowly dipped. Surreal. We'll be here in Mexico for Christmas and New Year's eve as well.



To describe 2011 as awesome, is such an understatement... I raise my jigger of mezcal to more adventures mi amigos. I am sooo ready for you 2012! Salud!

TweetShare


This page was viewed times.

Review: Pousada de Coloane Beach Hotel, Macau

Our folks' horrible night was over. My daughter's harrowing day on the other hand, had just begun. The whole gang was in high spirits when we checked out of Sanva Hospederia, a century-old rundown hostel where we stayed overnight. The shabby rooms left most of us sleepless, and its resident mosquitoes marked our then seven-month old daughter Luna with nasty bites.

We were looking forward to finally moving in a semi-swanky accommodation, something my parents and our backpacking infant truly deserve.

View of Cheoc-Van Beach from the hotel's open terrace garden.
My sister hailed a cab along Avenida De Almedia Ribeiro, a couple of blocks from Sanva Hospederia. Only she and our parents with Luna in tow hopped in, for cabs in Macau allow a maximum of four passengers at a time. And instead of taking another cab, hubby and I walked to the bus stop near Grand Lisboa Hotel.

Mum gaily waving from their room's balcony.
Bus 21A whisked us out of the bustling Macau Peninsula and to the almost-southernmost point of sleepy Coloane Island. The driver, who didn't speak a single English word, gestured for us to alight at a deserted stop after we showed him the hotel's name in Chinese on a piece of paper. We shuffled to and fro the street, in search of the hotel. It took us about five minutes to spot a teeny weeny sign and a staircase heading downhill, partially hidden by dense foliage.

Standard room with twin beds for 750 MOP (exclusive of service charge and tax).
The pool lies at the foot of the stairs. I found my father sitting on a lounge chair, lazily watching a couple of guests swimming despite the chilly climate. He rose when he saw us emerge from the bushy rear access and led the way to the front desk where my mom and sister were waiting.

A private jacuzzi in each room.
The marketing officer I had been corresponding with regarding our reservation via email is Filipino. He swiftly processed our check in and handed us the keys. The bellman, another fellow Filipino, assisted us to our rooms. The whole family was awestruck as the doors unveiled beautifully furnished Portuguese-style interiors.

The hotel's restaurant which serves awesome, authentic Portuguese meals.
Four-star Pousada de Coloane Beach Hotel has only two types of rooms: The standard room which has twin beds, and the superior room which has a king size bed. Each of the hotel's 30 rooms has a jacuzzi and private balcony overlooking Cheoc-Van Beach. Such features made me choose this particular hotel. The rate of a standard room is 862.50 MOP, inclusive of service charge and tax (230 MOP per additional head, service charge and tax included).

Open terrace adjacent to the hotel restaurant that has an unobstructed view of Cheoc-Van Beach.
We booked one room for two nights for my parents and sister, but only one night for me and the hubby (uhm, we slept at cheapo Sanva Hospederia again for our last night in Macau). 2,587 MOP is a hefty price which we shelled out the first time for accommodation (our post-wedding honeymoon suite cost only half of the standard room rate), but we never regretted such expense... Especially after seeing the sheer mirth in my folks eyes as they laid on their beds. Priceless.


Unfortunately, we didn't have time to idle. We're heading out that afternoon to see The Venetian and City of Dreams. So yeah, I had to drag my dreamy parents out of the plush sheets.

Macau Series: Meet My Backpacking Folks

Meet My Backpacking Folks
Century-Old SanVa Hospederia
Largo Do Senado: And The Family Chaos Continues

TweetShare


This page was viewed times.

Largo Do Senado: And The Family Chaos Continues

He was missing when we all hobbled out of our beds. Despite slumping into a coma late, my father awoke early. He was suffering from a terrible case of diarrhea, acquired days before flying out of the Philippines, yet his meekly obedient feet submitted to the command of the travel bug in him. He wandered by himself at the crack of dawn.

Rarely deserted Largo Do Senado. Early, rainy morn.
The whole family just flew in the night before (remember how insane that went?). We only had three days to explore as much of Macau as we could (which some would probably say is too long but I consider just enough), so we intended to start our day early. But you know, not when the world still barely exists. Like six in the morning in a place considered as a gambling capital.

Macau Business Tourism Centre
Also accustomed to her rural hometown's business hours, my mum felt like walking around too and dragged me out of the room to accompany her. I sluggishly strolled, following her footsteps. She was perplexed to see all the establishments on Rua da Felicidade closed, enjoyed nonetheless our peaceful saunter, except for my intermittent whining and in passing told-you-so comments.

The closest they can get to Europe. For now.
My father was finally back from his lone rambling when we arrived at the hostel. And soon after the whole gang trooped to Largo Do Senado, just a few blocks away. First order of business, brekkie. After an unsatisfying dinner (at least for my parents) the night before, we ordered something familiar. Familiar with a twist. Like Sausage and Egg Cheesy Tasty Pasta at McDonald's. It's basically a burger patty and fried egg in sopas (macaroni soup), topped with cheese. It amazingly won my parents' approval. Won the approval of our pockets as well.

Beef jerky, a must-buy.
Armed with maps grabbed from the tourist information booth at the airport, we made our way to the Ruins of St. Paul's. With difficulty. Not because we got lost (alleys are clearly marked with directions) but because we had to pull our mum away from the shops. Our walk lasted for almost an hour. Mum entered every store along the way that offered free beef jerky tasting.

One of Macau's most famous landmarks.
I reckon she had more fun eating jerkies than being photographed in front of St. Paul's façade, for that was all she talked about while we were waiting for her more pumped up husband who climbed up the steel stairway to the top of the façade. And because of my mum's hour-long window shopping, we spent only a few minutes at this 16th century complex. We signalled our father who was poking his head out of the church's window to come down.

Isabella, one of the flicks filmed in Sanva Hospederia, where we stayed for a night. Saw its promo poster hanging on the wall of the hostel's lobby.
It was only ten. We went back to our hostel so we could check out. Time to move my folks to a better accommodation, something a couple of retirees (whose olden days bled one into the next) truly deserve.

Boy, were they in for a surprise.


Macau Series: Meet My Backpacking Folks

Meet My Backpacking Folks
Century-Old SanVa Hospederia

TweetShare


This page was viewed times.

Century-Old SanVa Hotel/Hospederia, Rua Da Felicidade

Our cab darted through the hectic streets of central Macau on a Friday night. Another cab hot on our trail careened as it tried to keep up with us. Me and my family were on a convoy, heading to Rua da Felicidade also known as Street of Happiness.

Less than an hour earlier, the guy at the airport's tourist information counter swore that such street does not exist. And although I pronounced 'Rua da Felicidade' in varied accents and all possible ways, he merely shook his head (and gave me an expression of bizarre amazement).


Rua da Felicidade, Macau's old red light district. Hence its name, you reckon?
The SAR (Special Administrative Region) was to celebrate its Labor Day over the weekend. Unlike other tourist groups who availed family holiday deals, we chose to travel independently so as we could save more money and explore at our own pace. And that meant no prearranged transfers. We were on our own. We hopped on a bus just outside the airport that took us to Macau Ferry Terminal, where two cab drivers positively nodded upon reading our hostel's name in Chinese writing.

Soon after we were cruising into the heart of Macau. I was riding with my mom, sister and my seven-month old daughter Luna. Aboard the other cab was my father and the hubby. Judging by the way my mom gawked at the glitzy highrises, I assumed she was totally mesmerized, like a kid in a theme park for the first time. It made me feel uneasy, for we were about to sleep in a century old rundown hostel.


SanVa Hospederia's facade.
I explained to everyone weeks prior the trip why I chose SanVa Hospederia. Yes, it's cheap, but I think the more appropriate term is 'practical'. You see, my idea of checking in a $100 room at ten in the evening is ridiculous. Thankfully my folks were understanding enough to see through my rationale (or more of, they sorta didn't have much choice but to agree).

My introduction of the hostel to them is that it was built in the 19th century, like what I have read from their website (but particularly omitted the part that it used to be a private club house), and is currently a historic site for its preserved interior and exterior that boasts of the 'Southern Chinese architectural style'. My dad finds these facts remarkable while my mom felt like she could already smell the moldy, crumbling walls. Guess you could say I was able to somehow mentally prepare them for what they were about to see (after reading much of the reviews, I thought it was necessary).


Hallway may look dingy, but is surprisingly monitored by a CCTV camera.
We were dropped off in front of the hostel's entrance. The reception's up two flights of creaking, uneven steps. I handed a print out of our booking confirmation to the old Chinese guy behind the counter. I half expected him to not have my name on record because man, let me tell you, their website appears kinda dodgy. I was very much impressed that their reservation system is indeed reliable and our check in was a breeze even though the guy did not speak a single word of English.

He led us to our twin rooms, located next to each other. The windowless rooms are divided by makeshift walls made from wooden boards, and does not go all the way to the ceiling for proper ventilation. The twin room's 140 MOP (Macau Pataca), however we paid a surcharge of 100 MOP per room because it was a holiday.


A lavatory sink inside the room is an element of a true-blue old school Chinese hospederia.
The room's spacious and well lit. The beds are quite big for one (Asian) person and had clean sheets. It's actually pretty decent. By the way, there's no room with a private bath. But don't fret, the common shower area and toilet aren't so bad either.

And fellow backpackers, they provide free hot and cold drinking water (which my folks were terrified to drink, and without their knowledge I used for my infant's milk formula)... Rejoice!


Creature comfort, somehow.
To my relief, my folks did not freak out when they entered their room. Or they're probably too jet-lagged to care (or they're just clinging on to that happy thought that we were transferring to a better hotel the next day). Or just famished.


Our first Macanese Restaurant.
So after dumping our luggage, off we went to find food. The entire group was lazy to explore the area for dining places so we entered the first restaurant in sight which is just a few meters from the hostel. We capped our night with unknown noodle dishes, chicken feet (which we chose from a photo menu), bottles of Vitasoy, and weary conversations.

TweetShare

This page was viewed times.

Meet My Backpacking Folks

I herded them past the terminal fee ticketing booth with much tribulation. They were fussing about the immigration form they had to fill out (and whinging about the travel tax and terminal fee even if they did not pay themselves). It was not my sister's first time to fly overseas and she patiently assisted my folks while I dealt with mine, the hubby's and my daughter's.

The Venetian, Macau. Taking them to a trip overseas is the most gratifying feeling.
We were at Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark about two months ago, more than two hours early for our flight since we anticipated that something like this would happen. Plus I consulted and asked immigration officials which of our baby Luna's passports would be more convenient to use for the trip. She's unofficially a dual citizen and it was her first time to go abroad as well.

There were heaps of bickering within the group. You know when parents are being difficult because they're trying to not be difficult? Case in a point: When mom says she can lug her baggage herself when she looks like her arms are about to fall off or when dad promises he can still walk even if he already feels like passing out. Yes, they're in that old-ish stage where they just try so hard to prove their worth. And they always, always refuse to accept help.

"Dati kami nagtuturo sa inyo magsulat, ngayon kami na tinuturuan. (We were the ones teaching you how to write before, now you're the one teaching us)", mom exasperatingly said while jotting down her details.

Looking at these already makes me feel exhausted.
It was not the first time I took them on a vacation. My sister and I dragged them before to Puerto Galera's White Beach to celebrate New Year's Eve. It was 2004, and three countries were just hit with destructive tsunamis days prior our trip. Amidst my parents' paranoia, with our encouragement, they braved the beach. Mom enjoyed picking shells (and we had an argument about that "take nothing but pictures" thing) and buying trinkets while dad enjoyed his bottle of ice cold beer at the bar with a book. We constructed a lot of fun memories.

Almost seven years have passed, and us four were/are rarely together.

Because my hubby and I were about to leave the country (for an indefinite time) with our baby, we thought it would be nice to have a grander farewell celebration. Also, my dad has just fully recovered from being hospitalized for days, we wanted to give him a very special treat. By the way the trip was a surprise for them, they didn't even have passports yet when we booked the tickets.

Macau was my choice. My hubby would not have picked it because it's pricier than our other options. My reason for which (aside from the fact that we haven't been there) is that its environment is remarkably different from other countries in South East Asia. More organized transport system, cleaner streets, European-inspired heritage buildings, and opulent hotels. I assumed it has that 'wow' factor that will make them feel that indeed, they are not on Philippine territory anymore.

Sis helping dad with his Macau immigration form. Dad seemingly spaced out, probably couldn't believe he's finally flying out of the country. Baby Luna slept through her first airplane ride!
So did they like it? Let's just say that Macau changed them. And it's actually not the place per se, but traveling overseas as a whole. Their experience also changed the way they see through me, and what they think of me as a travel junkie... and they finally understood why we were embarking on a long journey soon to live in different cities. They have discovered the educational benefit of displacement.

More importantly, our short holiday bunched us all closer together. Something we desperately needed.

Of course we had a few dismal kinks during our three-day stay. Well, my mom and I almost always engage in a hot debate five minutes into speaking with each other - So that's one. Dad had diarrhea, which he already was suffering from even before arrival. Sister just wanted to sleep all the time. And... we fought many times about them not drinking water from the dispenser at the dingy hotel we stayed at (and let me tell you, they drink unfiltered water from a deep well via a rusty water pump in their province - let me tell you also that bottled water is expensive like anything else in Macau).

Okay, so maybe I am overreacting about the last matter. But hey, we're a dysfunctional functional family, perhaps like any "modern family". I shall reveal more of our bizarre disceptations soon... for this post kicks off my Macau series.

I know, I got too many series with intermittent posts.

PS Mom's now nagging me about the next trip.

TweetShare


This page was viewed times.