As we mentioned in the previous article, our visit to Macao was short-lived since the city turned out to be far smaller than expected. But an untimely event threatens to substantially extend our stay...      

My kingdom for a visa

Our arrival at the border crossing is utterly carefree, with the idea of re-entering Chinese territory where a bus awaits us to return to Guangzhou. We manage to cross the Macao border to leave the city, but when we reach the Chinese border crossing, trouble begins... It appears our visas have been invalid for 5 days, and consequently we are prohibited from entering Chinese territory.

The path to freedom

As a reminder, we had been unable to obtain a business visa valid for 6 months for our internship, and had therefore had to submit a request in February for a double-entry tourist visa, valid for 3 months each. To remain for such a period, we only needed to leave Chinese territory after 3 months (by visiting Hong Kong or Macao for example, which are independent regions from Chine), then re-enter Chinese territory for the remaining 3 months. According to our calculations, we had to leave Chine and re-enter before June 1st, which we did as you could see from our articles on Hong Kong and Macao.

#fail

Of course, we don't immediately realize how serious the situation is, and attempt to negotiate with the authorities to try to understand. In the end, we learn that the 3 months begin from the visa issue date (for us February 18th), not from our first entry into Chinese territory (actually March 1st). We thought we had a few more days left when our visa had actually expired nearly a week ago... This is moreover in contradiction with the police registration document (mandatory upon our arrival in Guangzhou), which indicated May 30th as the cutoff date. We are thus stranded outside the country, without spare clothes, without a computer, with only a backpack and a phone without a charger. The situation is critical but the facts are there: we must return to Macao and attempt to find a solution. We manage to reach our boss with the little credit we have left, informing him that we won't be at the office the next day. Two options are available to us: obtaining a new visa in Macao to re-enter Chinese territory, or returning to Hong Kong where procedures are much easier and faster, knowing in return that accommodations are expensive. We opt for the first solution hoping to find an affordable hotel for the days ahead... The Hou Kong Hotel will do. Located just across from the Macau Masters Hotel, it offers much smaller rooms but significantly cheaper ones...

Early morning the next day to head to the Macao consulate and hope to submit a visa application. Because when it rains, it pours, we learn that not only is it impossible to obtain a visa valid for 3 months (it's 7 days maximum), but we must also provide proof that we will leave Chinese territory within 7 days. As you'll understand, our plane ticket to France is dated July 31st... We obviously leave the consulate feeling disheartened, but, far from being discouraged, we manage to enter a nearby real estate agency and explain our problem to them. For 50 HK dollars (and yes, Chinese kindness often comes with a price tag...) we connect to Internet and print all required documents. Our return to the consulate results in another setback, but after about twenty minutes a young woman manages to understand our problem and calls the consulate to explain the situation. We eventually receive assurance that we'll obtain our visa within 2 days. Consequently, still 2 days to spend in Macao which will decidedly become our cursed city! This visa valid for only 7 days will need to be renewed once we arrive in Guangzhou to extend our stay by an additional 2 months.  

The visit continues

This involuntary extended stay will therefore be an opportunity to explore corners we hadn't been able to discover until then. Starting with the southern peninsula, where the Maritime Museum and the A-Ma Temple are located, both closed at this hour.

In the distance stands the Macao Tower, standing 338 meters high and adjoining the bridge that leads to Taipa.

A bit of exercise thanks to the equipment available, and we find ourselves confronted with a magnificent view of the city's casinos, which will be our next destination!

The Lisboa, Wynn, and other Sands casinos are obviously far more impressive at night, and the district is every bit the equal of Las Vegas.

Below you'll find an overview of the Grand Lisboa lobby, but once again photography is prohibited in the gaming rooms and of the gamblers.

Our return to the hotel takes us through Rua da Felicidade, which we mentioned in the previous article, and which is equally delightful at night.

Our last dinner in Macao takes place in a Sino-Portuguese restaurant with an enticing menu, where our tablemates are clearly

  Ultimately, we will struggle to hold onto positive memories of Macao after what happened to us, but we must admit that the city holds a certain charm and that it completely breaks from what we've seen in Chine. We are nonetheless relieved to cross the border and find ourselves on the other side of the barrier, awaiting the bus for Guangzhou...

On the other side of the barrier...

  To view our photos, don't hesitate to visit the Macao gallery. And to avoid similar mishaps, be sure to consult the dedicated page on obtaining a Visa for Chine.