Day 2: Walking through Macau’s historic district and casinos

We started the day with a walking tour of Macau’s old quarters. Lucky for us, Sofitel is centrally located, so we only had to walk from the hotel. João from the Macau Government Tourism Office walked us from Ponte 16 through the small streets leading out to the Senado Square.

Sayuri at the St. Paul's Ruins
Sayuri Version 2.0 at the Ruins of St. Paul’s

It was surreal — we snaked through small streets with cramped shop houses and emerged in a very European plaza. The area is home to many gorgeous heritage buildings that has been adapted for modern use. Almost all of them now house Starbucks or McDonald’s.
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Category: Macau
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Day 1: Bem-vindo a Macau!

Hello from Macau! Kaoko, Ferdz, Estan, Ivan, Christine and I touched down at 9:30pm Thursday night. Aside from Ivan, Christine and Charina, the representative from the Macau Government Tourism Office in Manila, we are all first timers. We were welcomed with the glittering lights of the casinos, and as we drive towards the old city, the scenery has changed to old buildings and dark streets. Even with that short preview of the city, you know that this is a city of contrasts whose charm is its ability to seamlessly mix the old and the new.

Turtle Man
Turtle Man cooking up a storm

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Category: Macau
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Winner of the Just Wandering 4th Anniversary Raffle

First off, thank you to everyone who liked the Just Wandering page on Facebook, and even more to those who joined the contest. It’s great to see new faces there, and not just those of friends who felt compelled to join because we’re friends. You know who you guys are :P

The correct answer to the question “When did I join the Big Binondo Food Wok?” is indeed July 2006. I joined upon my friend Vic’s invitation, and I have to say, that was the best Php 650 I’ve ever spent. It was just too bad that my camera died in the middle of the tour. I never did get around to blogging about the tour, except to mention it in passing in this entry.
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Category: Everything Travel
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Just Wandering Reader’s Survey

Thank you so much for everybody who participated in my survey! I’ve read all of your comments, and I am actively trying to improve my blog based on what you have answered.

A big majority responded that they do not like reading sponsored posts. I can’t promise to completely stop posting sponsored posts, but I will try to even it out by working on my backlog and post about my previous personal trips that I haven’t gotten around to writing about. On the otherhand, many of you said that you want more travel guides. I have responded to this by writing the Calaguas Travel Guide e-book. It’s a work in progress, and I will continue updating it whenever I get new information. But for the 277 users who have downloaded it, thank you very much! I would love to hear your feedback.

And 83% of all respondent of the survey like pie.

I have a new survey, and it’s about you, my dear Just Wandering readers. I want to know more about you and your traveling style and preferences. Why? No special reason, really. I just want to know who reads my blog (the survey is completely anonymous though). Are you ready? Take the Just Wandering Reader’s Survey!

Category: Geek stuff
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International Museum Day

If you’re traveling this May, or even if you’re just staying put, check if your city is participating in the International Museum Day. Celebrated in May 18 every year, participating museums all over the world either have an event scheduled on that date or a series of events held around that time. For some participating museums, they hold an open house, wherein admission fees for the museums and exhibits are waived. This is awesome news for all budget travelers.

National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore

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Category: Everything Travel
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