you cant hide whats inside your passport so might as well go straight to the point that you went to Macau with some friends to gamble and won a sufficient amount of cash to buy her some signitured bags.
i'm sure she wont mind to hear that from you the next time around.

You can give my example.

I came Hong Kong on 14th. Tried too many hotels but due to sourcing fair or some other reason, no space at all. I was offered very filthy hotel for 1200 HKD.

My friend who lives in Shenzhen told me to go to Macau and I accepted the advice. Got a decent hotel for half the money, enjoyed the night and next day came to Gunagzhou.

This can be counterchecked with any other fellow persons who tried to book hotels here during this time.

I'm guessing that your friend flies to HK on business right? Then just say that the business partner likes going to Macau to gamble and you're joining him. Best yet, pretend to develop a gambling habit. If there's a casino near where he lives in the States, start going there like once every couple of weeks for a few hours. Since he's nto really gambling, he's wont lose money and can just pretend to win most of the times that he goes. So when the HK trip comes along, the Macau stopover can be easily explaiend.

If your wife is checking your passport to see if you are actually traveling for business you have bigger problems (read: TRUST) than just hiding a country stamp. I cannot fathom why in the world your wife would need to check your passport!!  Should probably be careful, there might be GPS tracking on your phone too.

Well put.  This is a trust issue.  My SO never checks anything of mine.  If she didn't trust me, there would be no relationship.  Period.

Going through laptops, computers, emails, passports, and god knows what the fuck else is just a brutal way to live through a relationship.  She won't do it, I won't tolerate it.  

Then again, I can understand how some guys have to put up with this.  If that's the case, it's just best to come straight out and tell her some excuse and reassure she is the only one and you would never want to lay your eyes or hands on another woman.  Be confident and lie well.  It truly helps.

I heard (not sure if true) about a guy who accidently put his passport thru the washing-machine.  Apparantly a number of the stamps were washed clean, yet the passport itself remained in good shape.  Seems some entry-points use better ink than others.  (???)

I have always been curious about this.  I travel a ton and have filled up my passport before it expired and had to go get a new one - a pain in the ass, right?  Would be great to toss it in the wash and have a few more open spots.

Incidentally - my SO never looks either, but if she did and really chose to think about dates/trips/etc I would be screwed indeed. Plenty of dates and locations dont make sense.

I used to visit Vietnam before the trade embargo was lifted. It was normal for foreigners from countries that respected the embargo to apply for the Vietnam visa to be stuck on a separate piece of paper and all entry/departure stamps placed also on said paper. Then when I returned home, I just had to remember to take out that piece of paper and toss it. My country never knew I visited Vietnam back then.

Or another example, for visitors to Israel, it is also a followed practice to get the Israeli visa and stamps on a separate piece of paper because many times the neighboring Arab or enemies-of-Israel countries may exercise their right to refuse entry to any foreigner whose passport has an Israeli stamp.


Does anyone know if Macau would respect a similar request to stamp a separate piece of paper? One can use the excuse that one cannot be visiting Macau because one's religion forbids one being in a place that is a known gambling mecca...Or that their home country is a diplomatic enemy of Macau/PRC and one does not want to get in trouble upon return home.

It is worth it for someone to give it a try.

Here my suggestion: get a divorce!

Nah really, she checks your passport and you are fine with this? Man up bro! None of her business. My wife barely understand what I do for a living and just knows I travel a lot.  She wouldnt check my passport because its either always with me or in the office (in case I need to travel).

Or if getting a divorce is not an option (really wouldnt understand why), dont got to Macau! You can definitely find some good punting action in HK (but saunas in macau are really worth a try, but a divorce, am not sure! ;) ).

"that their home country is a diplomatic enemy of Macau/PRC and one does not want to get in trouble upon return home. "

Don't think Macau is a diplomatic enemy of anyone. I mean, though Macau is part of China, from immigration point of view, they operate independently of Mainland. But I suppose it is worth asking the immigration officer. I'll do so my next trip and let you knwo how it goes.

Wander have done that and it's a pain. Some stamps wash out (indonesia and china mainly). But you'll get challenged by many immigration desks thereafter. The main risk is that your photo page may also get unstuck so that the overlay plastic layer comesoff (most passports glue the plastic overlay on your photo). I ended going to my consulate to get a new passport.

just do all your visits to china through the macau border crossing. soon enough they wont make a difference and will blend all together...or when you go just throw in a china trip across the border for a golf session and come back...

w.

do MFM style saunas exist in any other countries besides china?

>Dang bro you are living under a nightmare.  If my S.O. even thought of touching my passport her ass would be out on the street.  Do you have an American wife?

I tend to agree but his circumstances may be different. If he has a couple of kids and she decides to divorce him, there may be no more money for punting.

Divorce is very expensive in the US, especially if there are young kids involved. Sometimes, the best option is to suck it up.

I guess you are a visitor.

If you are a Hong Kong permanent resident, then you can register your HKID card to use one of the automated machines which Macau immigration has set up at the boat terminal. They work like the HKID machines at the Hong Kong airport.

The good news is no incriminating stamp in the passport, the bad news is you have to live here to get this privilege. In addition, if you are living here, you would have to explain to your wife your absence if you decided to nip over to Macau for a few hours in the evening - should she ring you the ringing sound is different in Macau, best to simply turn off your phone if you go.  

Keep on mongering  

The mobile phone companies do sell a value-added service that keeps the same HK phone ring when you are roaming outside HK.

Great for getting away from family but sucks for business because clients think you are in HK and will keep chatting on phone for way too long.