Today was the day we left Tokyo. We had to check out of the hotel by 10:00. I asked last night if we could have a late check-out and they said we had to be out by 10:00. Bugger. We were hoping for a couple of extra hours so we didn’t have to wait so long to go to the airport.
We checked out and left our luggage with them for a few hours. We weighed them before we left them to see if we were going to have issues at the airport. The results are in: checked bag = 21.6kg (limit is 20kg), cabin bag = 8.2kg (limit is 7kg), backpack = 11.4kg (no weight specified but I suspect this would be well overweight).
Ken said he wanted to go to Starbucks and sit in there to work more on his blog. As we left the hotel it was spitting and we walked as quick as we could. We got to Starbucks and I said to Ken I was going to go for a ride around on the trains. I love trains and I wanted to go in a direction and to some other stations that I hadn’t before.
I left him and went to the platform at Kamata and just got on the first train that turned up in the direction of Ofuna. It was a local train and went as far as Isogo (only about 4 stops from Ofuna). I got off there and just enjoyed standing at the fence at the end of the platform and taking videos of the trains. The ride here was pretty scenic too. I saw some Sakura trees that had blossomed. It was still raining though so I couldn’t really get any decent pictures on this journey.
I think I stayed at Isogo station for about 30 minutes. I had food, I had a drink and there was a toilet on the platform. I was set. I decided after I was done here I would go to Shinagawa for about 45 minutes and get some more videos there. I got to Oimachi and decided to get off there and then get the next train back to Kamata.
I got to Kamata and was on the platform for about 20 minutes just taking some more videos. You can see the videos from the day below.
I went back up to Starbucks but I couldn’t get through the barrier (I suspected as much after I did this earlier in the trip). I spoke to the worker at the office and I had to pay the Y150 entrance fee. I think it’s cool they let you on the station to take pictures and videos).
I met Ken and we sat in Starbucks for another hour or so and then decided to head back to the hotel to get our cases. We left and as we were wheeling up to the station one of the wheels on Ken’s case broke a little. He said he is going to get a better one at home anyway.
We got to the platform and we had to take a train from Kamata to Shinagawa and then from Shinagawa to Narita Terminal 1. We got on an empty train but it didn’t leave for about 15 more minutes. Ken said we should just stay on since we had seats. I was inclined to agree (even though I just wanted to get gone). We were only going 3 stops so we weren’t worried about taking up 2 seats each.
We got to Shinagawa and it was way too much fun mingling and trying to find what we needed. I went and asked a member of the station staff and he said we had to go outside and go downstairs and then across to the platform we needed. The trouble is – there was no going outside. If you went outside, you left Shinagawa station and we wouldn’t have gotten to the platform. I told Ken and we just decided to head through the barriers the guy said and we saw platform 2. We had to go down the lift and then cross under and go up in the lift.
We got to the platform and a train was in and I was standing by the fence at the platform. Apparently, that isn’t the thing to do. Some guy nudged me back and the platform guard came running down to tell me to move behind the yellow line. I didn’t even realise. Another train came in and it was almost empty. We thought our luck was in. This was just a train that was setting down and then stabling.
Our train came in and luckily we had space. Some guy pushed in before us. Grrr. We ended up getting a seat and took up 2 seats each – we did have 2 bags and a backpack though. The journey to the airport took about 90 minutes in total. I was so ready to be off the train and just be able to walk around.
We found our way to the check-in desks and we had 25 minutes before the desks opened. We had a walk around to look for some food and something to drink. We did that and then I said we should head to the check-in desks so we can get rid of the big bags.
We went down and I said that one of us should stay with the backpacks and one of us should check in. I went and checked in and it took about 30 minutes as they were trying to figure out if I was going to be in China longer than the visa would allow. They had to count the number of hours I was there (it was 89 in total if you are wondering). I showed them the Chinese embassy website that stated the visa rules but they wanted to double-check themselves. They were also confused as to whether I had a return ticket back to the UK so I had to find that and show them that. I also had to tell them a couple of times that I wanted my bag checked all the way to Beijing. They then asked if I was going to go out of the airport in Hong Kong. I told them I was and that I didn’t need a visa for Hong Kong. Like I said, it took 30 minutes to get this all sorted. I went to Ken and told him what he needed to show them and what he needed to tell them so he didn’t have to go through the same issues I did.
He messaged me saying they needed to see the cabin bag and rucksack so they could give us the approval tags for the bags so the gate staff would let them on. They wouldn’t give mine to Ken and told him I had to go myself. He came back and then I went and asked for them and got them and put them on my bags.
We went to security control and Ken was told he wasn’t allowed to have his liquids. I had my bag secondary screened because of the power banks. They had to check the rating of them as any over 160WH aren’t allowed into China. Luckily mine we are under 100WH and he set me on my way.
We went to get some food and drinks to bring on the plane but they didn’t have any egg mayo sandwiches. I was gutted. I had to make do with Apple Fanta and chocolates. I forgot to get water though. Damnit! We got Ken a Starbucks and then just went and sat at the gate until it was time to board. The people at the gate next to us weren’t having a good time. They were told their flight was cancelled due to a crack in the cockpit window and that they would need to stay overnight and be flown out tomorrow. I told Ken I was glad that it wasn’t ours and he thought I meant it was for our flight. I’d have been so mad if it was as I just wanted to get on the plane and get gone.
We boarded and got on the flight pretty quick as we were right at the back. They tend to board luxury travellers first and then from the back of the plane to the front. I think this is a better way of doing it. It stops people in the seats up front just dawdling in the aisle and holding everyone else up trying to get to the back of the plane. I think this should be done in Europe – but the low-cost carriers wouldn’t have that as it would kill a source of their revenue stream (I’m looking at you Ryanair).
I got to the row I thought we were on and told the people on the row that they were in our seats and then I realised we were in the row behind them. I apologised to them. Ken thought it was funny. We tried to fit our stuff in the overhead locker but they wouldn’t fit because of the way the row in front had packed their stuff in. I was getting frustrated so I just moved their stuff around and I didn’t care and they saw that and got a little mad. I redeemed myself though by helping them with the overhead vents and how to use them.
We were told by the captain that there would be a delay of about 30 minutes as they were still loading cargo. I wanted to just get gone already. I was sick of waiting. I love flying but I hate airports and hate just sitting on the plane waiting to take off.
We left 30 minutes late and were told we would get into Hong Kong at 01:00 local time. The flight there was a little turbulent. I hate that too. I tried to sleep but didn’t really get much though. I’m not sure why either as I was really tired.
We got off the plane and followed the crowds to get out of the terminal. It seemed to take forever though. It seemed like we walked miles and miles once we had got off the jet bridge.
We thought we were at the immigration point but it turns out it was just a bus to get us to the terminal where immigration was.
We kept seeing signs for immigration one way and then Macau another way. We were so confused. We decided to ask someone that worked there and he told us the bus number and said that we could pay for the bus by card. He also said that the border may not be 24 hours from the side of China coming back to Hong Kong.
We crossed the border at the airport and followed the signs for the Macau buses. It turns out these were charter buses going to Macau from the airport. We started to walk back and found a sign for the city buses and we found the stop for the bus the guy said we needed.
We got on and we couldn’t pay by card and the driver said cash only. We got off and found a cash machine. We got some Hong Kong dollars out and went back to wait for the bus. By this time we were both super tired and it was really really hot and humid outside and that didn’t help our moods. The bus came back round and we showed her the $100 note and she said it was not giving change. We signed and she just waved us on. We were glad as we definitely didn’t want to sit in the airport all day. They seemed to make it super hot in the terminal.
We got to the bridge port building and had to buy our ticket for the shuttle bus across the bridge. First, we had to go through immigration again. They took our landing card we got on the plane and said we would need to fill another one out when we came back. This cost us $70 each. $10 is about £1. I asked the guy about getting the bus in Macau and he said “This is Hong Kong and that bus is in Macau”. Well, no crap!
We got our tickets and waited about 20 minutes for the bus to turn up. By this time it was about 03:45. We got on the bus and it was 5 minutes to go across the bridge.
The bridge is called the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB for short). As its name suggests, it connects Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macao. The bridge was built between December 2009 and February 2018. It was opened in October 2018.
The bridge is a bridge-tunnel system and crosses the Pearl River Delta. The bridge is 34 miles (55km) in length. It has 3 spans and then a tunnel section that is around 4.5 miles of the 34-mile length.
You can read more about the bridge here
You can see the route we took below
We got off in Macau and had to go to the border and cross again. This is now four times we have crossed a border just since going through immigration in Tokyo. We crossed the border and made our way to the bus stop. We saw a vending machine for SIM cards and I tried to buy one but they didn’t accept debit cards. Grrr. I hate being in a new area blind and not knowing where things are. We waited for about 20 minutes here. This was an exact fare ride too. We saw they took Hong Kong dollars so we just gave them $20 for the ride to where we needed to be – Ruínas de São Paulo – the driver was a little crazy and drove like his life depended on him driving fast. Luckily the buses here have boards inside that tell you where you are in the journey so we didn’t have to struggle with that.
We got off the bus and I said I wanted to find a cash point so I could get some cash for my collection. I got 300 Macau Pataca’s and then I saw a garage and said to Ken we should get something cold to drink. We both commented on how run down the area seemed to be.
I got a drink and then headed in the direction that the map said. It also said that there was a souvenir shop in that area. The issue with this was that it was only about 05:30 and it didn’t open until 10:00.
We walked along and then up the street and came across a church and took some pictures of that and then we sat in a park watching people exercise. It was nice to sit. The only issue with this was the need to sleep. We were both so tired and were coming up to 21 hours awake.
You could tell this was a former Portuguese colony (minus Portuguese everywhere): the streets and buildings are very similar to this in Portugal. Tiled streets. Some tiled buildings. It felt very familiar.
We left here and walked in the direction of some church ruins. There was some traffic management being put into place for some sort of Macau festival at the ruins. Ken asked if we were allowed to go up to the ruins and they said that it was fine. We did that and got some pictures and then carried on walking. By this point, we were both sick of walking and sick of the heat and sick of the humidity and sick of being tired.
We sat on some benches and just admired whatever was around us and the views of the mountains.
Birds were flying around everywhere. It was cool to hear them. You can listen to the video below (alongside seeing some views).
We couldn’t decide what to do next so I told Ken I would just follow what he wanted to do. I think his tiredness was making him a little frustrated at this point (as mine was me). We headed back in the direction of the bus stop and stopped for a drink. It worked out well as I could get some coins from Macau for my collection.
We got to the bus stop and waited and a bus turned up almost straight away. I put my hands out and the driver looked and just drove off. Luckily the buses were every 8-15 minutes at this time of the morning (it was about 07:00).
The route we took back took us by the casinos and you could see where the money was in this nation. It’s crazy they have all this gambling money but the residential areas are pretty run down. What also amazed me was how frequent the buses were and how many people used them at 07:30 on a Sunday morning. Madness.
We got the bus back to Macau Port and then went to get some tickets. The tickets were 65 MOP on the way back. They, thankfully, accepted Hong Kong dollars but would only give change in MOP. That was fine – even though we got $5 in the change too. Ken wanted to spend his and we found a vending machine. Right next to the drinks machine was a machine that had magnets. That was the right result. I got a magnet and it gave change all in 5 Pataca coins. 13 coins are heavy.
Ken tried to spend just notes but the machine just wasn’t accepting it at all. I could tell he was getting really frustrated. We headed through security then crossed the border for a fifth time and headed downstairs to get the bus.
Ken tried a vending machine down there but no had luck either.
Luckily we didn’t have to wait long. The buses during the day seem to be every few minutes or so. We got on the bus back across the bridge and I think both of us fell asleep for about 15 minutes. We got off on the Hong Kong side and made our way to the area where there were landing cards so we could fill them in and then head to the border for the SIXTH time. The queue seemed to go pretty quick thankfully. We got across and found a 7-Eleven and I got something to eat and drink. I was hungry and thirsty more than I was tired at that point.
We headed out for the bus back to the airport and couldn’t find the stop. I said it must be upstairs so we went back in to find a way upstairs but there wasn’t one. I asked a worker and they pointed me in the direction of the bus. We walked a little further than last time and saw the bus stop. There was a bus waiting right as we got there. It had the air con running. How blessed we felt. It was very much needed. The fare was $9.10 to get back to the airport.
We got to the airport and decided we needed to get something to eat and drink. We found a Starbucks and then went there. I got some junk food from the 7-Eleven and we struggled to find a seat. We had to walk right down the other end of the terminal to get a seat. I think we were parked here for a few hours. I think we both got some sleep too.
I said we should head through security since the queue was massive and we could find some food on that side.
Ken got through security faster than me. They seemed to want to check everything I had in my backpack and then check all my documents at the border (seventh time). I finally got through and we found a McDonald’s and sat by the window watching the planes from there. It was really cool. Ken went off to do something and I watched an A380 being marshalled into the stand. It was really cool to see. They are massive planes. I saw no less than 35 cleaning crew get on to start the cleaning process.
It’s so huge that the marshaller had to stand on the other side of the road to bring it in.
We left here and then headed to the gate. That seemed to be a million miles away too. We had to get the people-mover to the gates we needed. I found a Relay shop there to get something to drink for the plane. It cost me $72 for 2x500ml bottles of water, a Twix and a Snickers. Robbery!
We got to the gate and right next to our gate was a viewing platform. I went outside for a few minutes and just enjoyed the sounds of the airport. I came back in and pretty soon after it was time to start boarding. We got all our luggage on without anyone questioning the weight of it. Result again.
The flight was pretty full which is a shame as I was hoping for a row to myself. Oh well. The flight was pretty uneventful other than being full. They fed us a BBQ pork bun and gave us a bottle of water.
I can say for certainty that I would never want a layover that long again. Whilst it was good we got to see another country, I’d happily forego it for a much shorter layover.
Total steps: 17,462Total miles: 8.02
Below are some pics from today
You can view all my Macao pics here