You might wonder why this article about travel and sketchbooks has made its way onto a blog about Oracle cards and Intuition, but it totally makes sense—in my head, at least.
As you know, I love to learn (it’s my number one Clifton Strength).
I believe that the more we learn about our surroundings, history and the cultures that make up this amazing planet, the better we become at interpreting our Oracle cards. We also learn a thing or two about ourselves.
Local explorations and overseas travel are genuinely the fastest ways to expand your knowledge base and personal insights. Knowing what makes us tick and how to navigate through life’s ups and downs is NOT a self-centred or selfish act—it’s crucial for our long-term enjoyment of life and, of course, our Oracle cards.
For example, recently, I was reminded how much I hate being tethered to tour groups when I was made to walk at the front of one that moved at a snail’s pace.
The excruciatingly slow pace wasn’t set to allow everyone the chance to absorb content (that would make sense). No, it was simply a way to ensure we didn’t stray. Something I might add was totally unnecessary and odd, given we were later set loose for three hours! Anyhoo…
Life Lesson 450935289529 – I love to learn, but I love the freedom to look at whatever catches my eye more. So, always read brochures and reviews properly and book small tour groups only, or better still, your own guide.
If you are wondering why I didn’t slink off to the back of the group, well, that’s because my stupidly tall husband was given the tour flag to help keep everyone in line. I happen to like being tethered to my husband, so the option was to be upfront with him or walk past the pitying eyes of 30 strangers.
I really wished I had taken the second option!
But back to my article’s raison d’être—by sharing my explorations and sketches, I hope to cement my own experiences, inspire yours, and break through the creative block that has been plaguing me for the past two years.
What can go wrong?!
Fond Memories and the British Parent Rule
With that tour group gripe out of the way, let me tell you how we ended up in Macau.
After our year in Bali, I decided a break was needed from Eat, Pray, Love, and Snarky Dogs, so I picked Vietnam for our next adventure via Hong Kong.
Admittedly, I didn’t know much about Hong Kong, but I felt drawn to swing by because, at University, I had met so many people whose parents lived and worked there while they attended boarding schools in the UK. The sheer volume of fellow students who had been ditched by their parents (not my words) piqued my interest. Was Hong Kong an exclusive Adults-Only Venue? What did they consider young 40,50 or 60? And what was Feng Shui?! I had so many questions even back then.
However, the real draw for me was that my grandad was stationed there for two months and had brought back a huge carved jewellery box and a gorgeous blue silk dress for my Nan.
Enter the Dragon…Queen and pretty things
There are no words to describe the joy I got from exploring the contents of that multi-tiered jewellery box as a kid. Every little cushioned compartment held another piece of Nana’s history that I would pair with her fabulous dragon-emblazoned silk dress and long, scarlet red Marilyn Monroe gloves. I felt so glamorous and grown up. To this day, I still don’t understand why anyone would want to be a princess when you can be the Queen of all that, and a Dragon Queen, no less.
With my fond memories of dragons, amethyst necklaces, and knuckle duster rings, we headed to Hong Kong.
(I will cover my Bali and Hong Kong explorations at a later date, but first, Macau).
Casinos and wait, what?…The Eiffel Tower and Portuguese Tarts?!
Macau wasn’t on our travel agenda; we only realised how close it was to Hong Kong when we passed a ferry terminal offering day tickets. So we Googled it.
When you Google Macau and head to the Images tab, you will see five or more rows of photos of glitzy-glam casinos, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Venice Canal.
If you scroll past all the crazy, ritzy stuff, you will find a few photos of colourful, old European architecture. This is because Macau was once part of Portugal, you know, like how Hong Kong was under British rule until 1997.
Guess who has always wanted to go to Portugal??
The day before we were due to hop on a plane to Vietnam, we decided to fast-ferry over to Mini Portugal. And I can now confirm that those images are not AI-generated fakes. Macau really does have a Colosseum and a giant mall full of replica Renaissance ceiling art. Weird, but true.
How not to fill in Visa Application forms – Life Lesson 450935289530
Exhausted from our little adventure to Mini Portugal, we headed to the train station to check in for our flight. You read correctly. You really can check in at the train station as long as your Vietnamese Visa information matches your passport. Ours didn’t.
Long story short, we are proofreading halfwits. The check-in woman took half a nanosecond to spot all of our mistakes. Sigh.
So what do you do when faced with a polite ‘nah mate, not today’? You head to Starbucks, of course. Not for the coffee, obviously, but for their comfy chairs. Fixing our mistakes would take time and a ham & cheese croissant.
Side note: Vietnamese Visa Applications take an average of 4-5 days to process. Subsequent corrections can add another 1-2 days. Proofread before hitting send!
Limited choices and more Portuguese Tarts. When in Rome Lisbon, as I now like to say.
I’m not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but Hong Kong isn’t cheap. As we sat mulling over our fate, it became clear to us that the word was out – there were two stranded halfwits for the taking.
I swear the accommodation prices increased with every bite of my croissant.
Unlike our lovely host, Hong Kong, Macau hadn’t heard of our plight yet and invited us to stay. “Come check out our quiet little world of shiny Casino Hotels, European style cafes and generous footpaths.” What Macau forgot to mention in their invite was that their accommodation may be a little cheaper than their neighbours, but you will pay through the nose for dinners out and hotel laundry services.
With limited options available, we headed to Mini Portugal for the second time. Ignoring the confusion and stress of it all, we actually had a great time in Macau. The blend of glitzy glam, old-world architecture, and delicious tarts offers a lot for a would-be artist-designer stuck in a creative funk. Macau was the first of many chisels that has helped me get to this point – the sharing of my half baked sketches.
Would I visit again?
I think there is more to Macau than meets the eye, but I don’t have enough coin to test my theory. Hopefully, my photos and doodles will be enough to cement my memories of my time there.
Macau – Highlights
The back streets of Macao offer so much to see, with its stunning architecture, Churches, cool shops, and tiles. TILES - so many pretty tiles!
Nostalgia of Macao, Evolution of Advertising Exhibition - I could have spent forever there drooling over old printed paper bags, adverts, and vintage photos.
Stir-fried noodles with pork belly and mushrooms in yellow oil from 99 Noodles. You know you are onto something good when the guy at the next table gives you the thumbs up! If you want your own thumbs-up dish of deliciousness, you will find 99 Noodles inside Wynn Resorts, on the ground floor, past the Baccarat tables.
Portuguese Tarts - It didn’t matter where we got them from, TASTY!
Macau – Lowlights
Restaurant price. Even Pizza Hut will fleece you of some serious coin! Cafes not opening until 9 am. Not great for people who need an early morning fix! Cost of hotel laundry. Three chiropractic visits cost less than this load of Wash & Fold
There you have it—the first of many (hopefully) shared adventures, big and small! In the next episode, I will share one of my favourite books I read in Bali.