Macau and Hong Kong: Travel Tips

Hii… It’s been a while since my last blog-post yah… Well, I’ve been busy lately andddddddd a little bit lazy hahaha. I wanna tell you about my last trip to Macau and Hong Kong: places to visit, foods to eat and of course some tips and tricks to save your money (and maybe time). In this blog-post, I try to write everything in English, so if you find something strange, misspelling, wrong grammar, feel free to correct me.

Two months ago, in November, I went to Macau and Hong Kong. I went there only by myself and it was my first time traveling alone! It was super exciting! If you want to visit Macau and Hong Kong too, I recommend to visit there in November, cuz the weather was soooooo great. It was windy and cold, but it was no rain at all. You can feel sunshine sometimes, but it’s still cold. So don’t forget to bring your warm and windproof jacket.

Macau and Hong Kong are still part of China, but they have their own economic and administrative system. That’s why you need to apply visa to enter China, but you don’t need visa to enter Macau and Hong Kong (visa free for Indonesian passport holder). So, the best way to visit Macau or Hong Kong from Indonesia is by plane, they have their own international airport and there are plenty flights from Indonesia (CGK) to Hong Kong (HKG) or Macau (MFM).

Pro tip: If you travel on a tight budget, I recommend you to enter via Macau International Airport (like I did). It’s way much cheaper than Hong Kong. If you are lucky enough, you can find direct flight by Air Asia (CGK-MFM) with only Rp 800.000-ish for a round trip ticket. And also you can use free shuttle bus from airport to some spot in Macau or you can take the public bus (no more than 6.40 MOP, 1 MOP= 1700). If you enter via Hong Kong International Airport, you should use train ($90 or $100) or bus ($33 or $40) to reach the downtown (1 HK$= 1750).

About currency, they have their own currency. Macau has Macanese Pataca (MOP) and Hong Kong has Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). And this is the rule: you can use HKD in Macau, but you can’t do the same thing in Hong Kong. The only currency accepted in Hong Kong is HKD.

Pro tip: Since MOP currency is slightly lower than HKD, you better change your HKD to MOP for your needs in Macau. Cuz shops will count HKD same as MOP.

Hong Kong Dollar (source)

Macanese Pataca (source)

Usually, people are doing the ‘mainstream’ thing, they go to Hong Kong and spend only a day in Macau. I did it in different way. I spent two days and a night in Macau, before I went to Hong Kong. I think it was a good idea cuz I can wandered freely without rushing and visited more places. And as a bonus, I can visited Ruins St. Paul before it got too crowded (but I had to go in early morning).

Pro tip: It is nearly impossible to find a hostel in Macau. If you are a backpacker and travel alone, I recommend you to find a partner so you can share your hotel cost. Some hotels (usually the big hotel) have free shuttle bus from/to airport or harbour, so it would be easier if you stay there. But if you don’t, choose any hotel nearby.

Ruins St. Paul

There are some ways to travel between Macau and Hong Kong, but the easiest way (and maybe the cheapest too) is using a ferry. The travel time is about an hour and there are two companies who provide this service, CotaiJet and TurboJet. They both have economy and VIP class. The difference is their docks location in Macau.

Pro tip: Go to their website and check if there any promotion or discount for ticket price ;)

CotaiJet (source)

TurboJet (source)

After arrive in Hong Kong, the first thing you have to do Kong is: buy an Octopus Card. It’s a multifunctional card, you can use it for any public transportation, payment at shops or vending machine, etc. Just like E-Money in Indonesia. It’s super useful when you’re in hurry or just can’t handle with coins, just tap, anddddd if you use this card to ride MTR (Mass Transit Railway), you will get price deduction.

Octopus Card (source)

For public transportation, Hong Kong has more than Macau. Macau only has bus (taxi not included yah), but Hong Kong has……. everything. Train (MTR), bus, ferry and even a tram! So you don’t have to worry about transportation in Hong Kong. And for accommodation, it’s easier to find hostel in Hong Kong. But you have to choose your accommodation wisely. I prefer a hostel around a MTR station and free flow water (cuz drinking water in Hong Kong is pricey).

Traveling isn’t complete without culinary (at least for me). When I’m traveling, beside I visit some tourist spot, I also do culinary. I always do a research about that before I land to my destination. Macau and Hong Kong (and maybe some country in East Asia too) have similarity in their food. Dumplings. You can find some variety of dumplings in food like wonton soup (boiled dumpling, usually filled with prawn or pork and served with noodle) or dim sum (steamed dumpling). Beside that-typical-Cantonese cuisine, they also have western dish like egg-tart and that-typical-Western breakfast, bread toast with egg and bacon or ham.

Wonton soup (source)

Dim Sum (source)

I think it’s enough to get you know about Macau and Hong Kong. I will make some blog-post to explain about the transportation, places to visit and eat later. Bye!