Macau!

SO I have been trying to get to writing about Macau for quite some time now. I think that the whole experience was so incredibly overwhelming and felt so unbelievable that it is difficult to write start writing about! First of all... we had to get up very early to make the long journey to Macau. Many people just wanted to go for the day and our liaisons planned a day trip for those that wanted to just explore for one day. However, a group of us decided that we had heard such amazing/crazy things about the "Vegas of the East" that we decided we were going to pack backpacks and head over there... once there the plan was to find a hotel. So we headed out about 8:30 and caught the metro to TST (Tsim Sha Tsui) where we were told to catch the ferry. Well... finding things here are never quite as easy as they seem. We got to the ferry area and were in all the wrong places... so we had some McDonald's and stopped in a 7-11 (very frequent occurrence bc they are EVERYWHERE). Finally, Candice started asking everyone where to go and we headed in a different direction. Suddenly, I find myself on the Champs Elysees of Hong Kong. I have never been surrounded by so many amazing stores... Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Dior, Chanel.... the list goes on and on. I mean these stores are everywhere here. Who shops here? I mean really? There are more Prada's then McDonald's here I think! We manage to weave our way through the streets window shopping as we go and finally find the ferry area. We get there and find out we have five minutes before the next ferry to Macau leaves. Candice runs up to us and yells "Supply Chain (as she commonly refers to us bc of the program we are in here) we have five minutes everyone go, go, go... move!" SO naturally we follow directions and buy tickets right before walking through the gates, then we have to fill out customs forms and head through customs. We get through to the other side and this woman starts yelling at us... run, run, run... meanwhile some stragglers of our group are still in customs, so we wait for them and then all start running. I thought the terminal would be right around the corner but we literally have to run for five minutes, go up and down and from the inside finally to the outside where we board the ferry while the ticket taker man laughs at the running ants! We make it and get settled into a pretty nice ferry and head out for Macau.

The ferry took about 1 hour instead of the 30 minutes like we were told and it cost about twice as much as we were told by the liaisons... nothing is ever as it seems! But we finally get to Macau after a rocky ferry ride, and then we have to go through customs again! Our next task is to try to find a hotel! Organizing 16 people is one of the most frustrating things in the world and luckily Chris took it upon himself to start looking for hotels. We decided that all 16 of us wanted to chip in and stay in a huge suite in the strip area of Macau. We talk to a few people and look at some maps and finally decide to take the free shuttle to The Wynn Hotel. Once we get there, Chris and I go in and ask about rates and the different suites... we were trying to play it off as ridiculously spoiled young adults (some may argue that we actually are)... but we get some information and go back out to the group to tell them the prices and choices. Once again SOOOOO difficult to try to make decisions with so many opinionated young people, especially when it comes to money. Basically it was a huge cluster(insert profanity here) and security was all around They Wynn because it is so nice and luxurious. It felt like we were being watched the whole time... eventually Julie and Elizabeth head in and ask the desk people some more questions, the main one being "how many people can stay in the suite" to which the nice lady replied, "well we can't really regulate how many people stay there because it would be your suite so we cannot control how many people you let stay with you" at which point we were sold! We booked a huge suite in exclusive " Wynn Club." Chris put it on his card and everyone paid him $50 USD. The keys even had his name on them! We got into the suite and words cannot even describe how incredible this room was! We had a massage room, two bathrooms, a great view of the Macau "strip", a gigantic master bath with an incredible shower, a bar, one king size bed, electronic blinds and shades, fax machine, ipod player two big screens, and four couches with a breakfast nook! It was decorated so cool and had HUGE glass windows looking out onto the strip. Julie, Elizabeth and I jumped on the bed like monkeys, sprawled on the massage table, put on the bathrobes and took a million pictures. It was at this point that Elizabeth and I decided not to go sight seeing and decided we were going to utilize the five-star pool! Don't get me wrong, we wanna see the sights of Macau, but we are just gonna go back for a day trip another time when we dont have the most incredible service and amenities at our service!

After the initial excitement, everyone headed their separate directions. As mentioned before, Elizabeth and I went to the pool. We got there and immediately had people walk up to us and had us who we were and what room we were staying in. I had to admit I felt pretty cool that we could sign suite 1806 in the "Wynn Club." I am pretty sure we had even better service once they realized the room in which we were staying. They grabbed three towels for each of us and set us up poolside where they made little chairs for us and then brought us lunch menus... we had decided to really live it up and have lunch (and drinks) poolside! We each ordered a cocktail and caesar salad. Of course our cocktail did not come until twenty minutes after our food, but the salad was probably the best caesar I have ever had. Our drinks finally came and were very strong bc we had ordered an extra rum shot! Our waiter was so nice and spoke amazing English so it was so nice. Chris joined us a little later and we discovered Macau beer! Obviously, it was made in Macau and it was so good and CHEAP! We swam and tried to soak up the nonexistent sun (def the only thing that could have made this any better!) The pool was the most beautiful and perfect pool I have ever seen or swam in. It was lined with beautiful blue tiles and surrounded by trees and lush greens. There was a small pond area near by equipped with camel statues, a sauna, and an area of the pool that some people call an infinity pool... where the water flows over the side and looks like you are almost in the ocean! We played in the pool with my waterproof camera and took a million pics. Unfortunately our time was cut a tad bit short bc we wanted to attend the group dinner on the other island of Macau, with the people that werent staying the night and with our liaisons... mainly we wanted to go bc it was FREE! We took a taxi to the other island and ended up that we got there early... which rarely ever happens for me, so we decided to take advantage of it and explored an area that was very Portuguese and not very touristy (Macau used to be a Portuguese colony). Julie, Chris, Elizabeth and I all got Macau beer for about a dollar and walked the streets. We saw a lot of religious shrines, neat apartments and even a pet store, where they were selling pet toys, food and even did grooming. There was a cute dog in there that looked like a white schnauzer. I kept talking about it and how I wondered what it was... one of the groomers finally looked at me and said, "it is a maltese with a schnauzer haircut," in perfect English! I thought it was so cool and the little dog was so cute and friendly. We finally headed back to the restaurant and met up with the rest of the group. The manager of the restaurant, Pinocchio's, was the cutest and smallest little guy. He was so nice and very proud of the restaurant. Since, the meal was paid for and organized for a large group, the liaison ordered a lot of different dishes and then the food was eaten buffet style. When the food came out it was very interesting. We had cabbage and some strange thick soy type sauce, whole fish (eyes and all), crab hush puppy things, crab legs (which were impossible to crack open) and some other meat dishes that I did not pay attention too. It was quite an authentic experience, but let's just say that that basically means I was glad that I was kinda still full from my poolside lunch and my Macau beer!

After the restaurant, we headed back to our suite. It was at this point that we started the round of showers. Everyone wanted to shower in the crazy shower and use the "rain" shower head! It was soooo great but took forever! Everyone started to get ready and we had people using every spare inch of space to get ready.. the girls were trying to utilize every little decorative mirror and we all used the hairdryer (which is def a luxury here bc no one has one in the dorm). Then there was a line to use the air straightener that Julie, Elizabeth and I all purchased together. Basically, everyone was looking good and feeling fine... especially since this is also about the time that drinks started flowing! We had the craziest pre-party and took a million pictures in the hotel room together... yes al 16 of us! It was def the best group bonding experience yet. There were many things said and done that were quotable the next day... one being of course "what happens in Macau, stays in Macau!" We prob partied for like two hours before we even made it out of the room and it could be argued that it would have been just as fun to stay in our suite the whole night! After we finally all made in downstairs, we took a million more pictures in the lobby and then caught the showing of The Tree of Prosperity. It is really popular and def a touristy thing to do within the hotel, but it was actually really cool. There is a huge dome like thing in the ground that sits under a very ornate ceiling that has gold vines and serpenty snakes all over it. Then this music starts playing and a huge tree that changes to all different colors comes out of the dome and reaches towards the serpenty ceiling. Did I really understand it... hmmm no, but it was cool! Then we headed out onto the street and took more pictures. After which we headed to the MGM and a disco... etc the night goes on and gets more fuzzy. At some point a group heads back to the hotel while some other people do their own thing. Chris ends up donating an great amount of money to the MGM casino and others come back with crazy tales of Californians and getting lost by themselves... like I said etc... PG version! I end up scoring a great spot in the bed along with about three other people who find their drunken way there. I was def a lucky one bc someone slept of the massage table (a def score), in chairs, on the floor, couches and one legit looking cot! It was hilarious. I wish someone could have taken a picture of everyone in their respective sleeping positions! It was great.

In the morning I enjoyed an incredible five star buffet breakfast and we all tried to enjoy the hotel. We ended up making our way home from fairy tale land and it took us for forever! WE got back around 6 and left around 2 from Macau... but we made it and then had to come back to the real world of homework and dorm life! I am cutting this short bc it is Thursday and we are getting ready to go out to LFK! Gotta go... more to come soon!