Macau-The Beautiful Shore
The moment when I posted about the journey to Macau in Facebook, the comments reflected the views of Keralites on that place. Most of the people earmarked this as an immoral land. Besides having many gambling centers there, nothing else I felt bad about that place. Macau is a beautiful shore situated about 64 km from Hong Kong near Southern Chinese Sea .Like Hong Kong it is also a union territory under Chinese subservience. Even though it has been called as the resort city, about six lakhs of people are living in just 30 square kilometers.
The Travel
From Honk Kong I started the journey to Macau with family in Ferry. Ferry is a kind of boat which looks like a ship in a sight. About 250 travelers can be accommodated in it and it takes one hour for the journey. This luxurious super-class journey is much expensive, similar to a business class flat. The passengers are provided with snacks and drinks. The cost for economic class is around 149 Hong Kong Dollar [approx.125 Indian Rupees]. Since the walls are made with glasses both sides are clearly visible. Even duty-free shops can be found there. We require using seat belts while travelling in ferry as it feels like being in a flight. Cabin attenders will be there for proper administration. Announcements from captain can be heard frequently. The speed of the journey is 60 km per hour. There is no requirement of visa for the Indians even though the emigration procedure should be completed at Hong Kong Terminal. It will take a few minutes. The entry to Hong Kong is allowed once the security checking is completed. If there is a luggage bag it should be separately sent.
The Hong Kong- Macau journey in ferry is a busy one. Annually around 10 lakhs of people are using this. Therefore the tickets are booked much before. It is more convenient to book the ticket much earlier the journey. If you are ready to spend more money it is likely to use the helicopter service to reach Macau within 15 minutes.
From Kerala, flight services are available to Macau. The service of Air Asia from Cochin will help you to reach there at a low cost.
In the Macau union territory, there is a peninsula named Macau, the regions called Taipa, Coloane and Cotai-the land formed by the diversion of sea. Macau is connected by three great bridges. Besides the ferry terminals to Hong Kong and Shenzhou, Macau also has an International airport. Near the ferry terminal there is a bus terminal too.