Singapore and Macau

oh dear!!!Where are we staying... We arrive in Singapore early morning. We collect our bags and head into the airport cafe for some breakfast. when it hits 6 am we jump on the MRT the kids have only had a few hours sleep on the plane but are trouping on, happy to explore. They've been to Singapore before and know what to expect. Small problem... due to our late decision to take this trip there was no accommodation left, I checkecd all out allotments but nothing. Just one week short of flying out I was forced to book our accommodation on the internet. Hey it looked great in the photos!!! And really the room was very nice however on elighting the MRT we wondered why a family all lugging backpacks were getting such strange looks.. I'd landed us right in the red light district oops.. Not that we dont feel safe because we do its just a bit of education for all of us. Firstly dont book your accommodation over the internet and dont leave it so late to book!! We check in anyway knowing nothing else is available and jump back on the very efficient MRT to the city and join a river cruise. The growth of Singapore is amazing and we love watching the blending of old and new. Anyway we are absolutely exhausted and settle down for a good nights rest before an early departure for macau.
After an easy 3 and a bit hour flight from Singapore we touch down in Macau keen to explore this country. We've heard much about Macau of late with the huge increase in casinos making the news. The Macau airport sits out on its own island with bridges linking to the main island. We'd booked into the Grand Emperor Macau, one of the older but stylish hotel casinos in Macua. You must visit this place, the beefeaters at the front entrance, the royal carriages and the gold bars embedded into the glass floor all make this place an attraction in itself.We set off on foot to explore Macau taking in the local markets including the red market and small street stalls. We watched elderly ladies cleaning fish near the fish docks and stacking shark fins in piles on the sidewalk. We dine in a small street side cafe where a meal for a family of 4 is just $7 which includes rice, meat, vegies and tea. They serve us a beer with "possibly the best beer in the world" written on the can, seems they aren't quite sure. The greyhound racing track is well worth a look for its unusual exterior walls made to look like a coleseum from ancient times. We visit the Macau museum which was really interesting and interactive for kids. As night arrives we venture out to see what they call the Las Vegas of Asia with casino lights ablaze everywhere. Of course we never reached our destination, Pauls nicknamed me compass I somehow manage to miss one street and we end up somewhere way off track. However this isnt really a problem when you have no real destination.. we ran into the fantastic water show out the front of the Wynn casino and found an unreal restaurant down near the water. All Good!! Macau is very interesting and is growing at a huge rate, I'd suggest you get in and explore this fascinating country before its developed to much. the people are lovely the food is fantastic and they cater for every age with playgrounds scattered amongst the township and even kid sized exercise equipment along the waterways. When I figure out the new video camera we bought in Singapore I'll upload some footage onto youtube and some pics. www.byokids.com.au ...your family travel gurus