Macau.

We were told that Macau was a fun day trip, just a one hour ferry ride from HK. It's like Vegas, but with lots of Chinese people.

It was a crazy mix of East and West, with little corner stalls like this one.

Next to Portuguese buildings like this one.

Lots of shopping.

This cute girl was giggling uncontrollably because she was amazed at how tall Don was. She asked him if she could take a photo with him, so I doubled up on the photo fun.

It had been a really long time since I had been in a proper Catholic church.

OMG. I look so much like my mom in this photo! I really love how the public squares and benches are all tiled.

The streets are all cobbled, European style.

After a highly civilized lunch at Aurora, we went on a hunt for the Laikei ice cream shop. My uncle Albert is a big fan of the ice cream sandwiches there, and apparently the place hasn't been renovated or changed since the late 60s.

It was a time warp! And I got my hands on the infamous ice cream sandwich. Wafers on the outside and tri-flavoured inside. Coffee, egg custard, and coconut.

Then we walked in the direction of a bunch of the casinos.

Wacky hotels have sprung up around the pre-existing buildings.

I can appreciate that hotels need to be glitzy, but I found I liked the MGM the most. It wasn't as "themed" as some of the other ones.

Oh, like the Venetian! It's uh... undeniably grand and luxurious, but it's so produced. I know that's the point. Fun to walk through and look at, however, I am not dying to stay there any time soon.

We took in The House of Dancing Water show. Very cirque du soleil, with an incredible theatre built for the stage which is actually a deep pool. There was lots of impressive diving!

After dinner we walked to the old village in Cotai and had rustic dinner at a Portuguese place, O Santos.

And then it was back on the ferry to catch a ride back to HK! Watch out for the rush to get on the ferry. Despite the fact that we were all scheduled to be on the same ferry, there was a frenzy when it was time to board. Same goes for standing in line for immigration and such. There seemed to be a need for pushing, shoving, budding, and total lack of manners. The person standing in line behind you WILL elbow you in the back several times. People will cut in line in front of you and pretend like nothing is wrong.

I had to turn around and inform the person behind me that they were hitting me, and request that they stop. And I also had to inform the lady who cut in line right in front of me that I was standing there first.

Man, its the law of the jungle out there at the ferry terminal!

Perhaps it's the laid back Canadian in me, but I'm used people holding doors open, queuing properly and requesting politely when they want to pass. I was happy to see such a wacky hybrid of a city, what with all its spectacle. If you go, just remember to bring your pushy A-game at the ferry terminal!