Goodbye, Macau – Until Next Time!

Macau, you were an absolute fever dream of gold, history, and sensory overload, and I loved every moment of it. This SAR/this city is a wild, wonderful clash of old and new.

That said, if I could change a couple of things, I’d do it a little differently next time:

1. Download Alipay (or anything that works in Macau) 💴 Macau runs on Chinese mobile payment apps, Macau-only cards, or Macanese Pataca (MOP) cash—and let me tell you, credit cards are basically useless here. I thought I’d be fine with my usual cards, but nope. The number of times I got that very direct apologetic head shake from a cashier ? Too many to count lol. If you’re coming to Macau and don’t want to feel like a medieval traveler trying to barter with gold coins, get a working payment app in advance.

2. Take the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.🌉
This 55-kilometer megastructure is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world, and I was so looking forward to experiencing it. It connects Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai in a single breathtaking drive over the Pearl River Delta. But—due to timing—I had to skip it, and I regret that deeply. Yes, it adds about two extra hours to the journey, but the sheer engineering feat of it? Worth it. Next time, I’m absolutely making this happen.

So, Macau, this isn’t goodbye—just see you later. And next time, I’m paying properly and crossing that bridge! Onto the TurboJet Boat back to HK!Read more