Macau Adventure: A Slice of Portugal in Asia
On our second day in Hong Kong, we decided to visit Macau since it's just one ferry ride from the city. One turbojet ferry ticket (Economy class) from Hong Kong to Macau cost us HKD159.00. The return ticket costs cheaper though. The fare matrix can be found on TurboJet's official website.
When we arrived at the Macau ferry terminal, we already had an idea of where to go. Unfortunately, one of the our colleagues asked a tour guide where to board the buses and he got an advertisement instead. The tour guide kept telling us that it was better if we booked a tour with her because Macau doesn't have an MTR, and all they have are buses, she on the other hand has a car that can take us all over the place. Plus, she was gonna give us a discount!
I declined several times because it wasn't part of our budget, but our colleagues still kept listening to the tour guide, and the tour guide kept lowering the price. From HKD1,600 she told us she was gonna give us a HKD600 discount and we only had to pay HKD1000. There were four of us, so that's HKD250 each. My colleagues told me it seemed like a good deal. I wasn't convinced, but I went along anyway since my feet were already sore from walking the streets of Hong Kong. Our tour guide's name is Rosa!
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| Senado Square, Macau |
A Bit of History
The architecture of the buildings in Macau tells a lot about it's history. Macau became a colony of Portugal in 1557, and it was handed back to China in 1999. That's a REALLY long time! As a result, most of the buildings you'll see in Macau will resemble stuff that you see in the alleys of most European countries. Our first stop was Senado Square. It is one of the biggest squares in Macau.
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| St. Paul Ruins |
Next, we were taken to the Ruins of St. Paul. Built from 1582 to 1602, it was once the largest church in Asia. But it was destroyed by a fire in the middle of a typhoon. Can you believe that? Now, only the facade remains. Right across the ruins are several shops that offer pastries, food, and souvenirs. I suggest you grab a bite of their egg tarts! They were delicious, I wanted to buy an entire box, but sadly all my budget went to the tour guide. lol.
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| One of the shops right across St. Paul Ruins. |
Of course, before the Portuguese came, Macau was inhabited by the Chinese. Rosa took us to A-ma temple, one of the oldest taoist temple in Macau. When Portuguese sailors first came, they landed at the coast of A-ma temple. They asked the locals what is the name of the place, and the locals simply replied: "Maa Gok". Since then, the Portuguese have called the place Macau.
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| A tree surrounded by prayer cards. |
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| Macau Tower, the tallest building in the city. They offer bungy jumping, but I don't want to end my life yet, so, no thanks. |
Gambling in Macau has been legal since 1850. That's why they have a LOT of casinos that attract foreigners from all corners of the world. Macau's economy relies highly on gambling. 40% of it's GDP is from gambling. To date, they have 33 casinos, the biggest of which is "the Venetian". Rosa took us to a lot of Casinos, but since none of us were gamblers, we simply stayed in the lobby, took pictures of whatever was interesting and stayed for a couple of minutes. My favorite was "The Venetian"!
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| I think the Grand Lisboa is the most horrible building I have ever seen. Eh, but what do I know? |
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| Fierce dragon sculpture hanging at the ceiling of Hard Rock Hotel. |
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| Light show every 2:30 pm in the Lobby of Galaxy Casino. |
The Venetian is the biggest Casino in Macau, and one of the things that really made me want to visit it is the Venice themed shopping strip. The attention to detail was a big visual treat for us! They had gondolas in the canals, and of course people can ride it and have the boat guy serenade them.
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| I find it quite refreshing that westerners are hired to serenade on the gondola. It makes the entire setup surreal. |
I enjoyed my one day stay in Macau! It was a very a informative trip; a true delight both for the eyes and the brain. Getting the tour guide was a good deal in the end because some of those venues never came up on my searches, and the entire city was REALLY hot! Kudos to Rosa for being a wonderful host! I think Macau deserves a trip of it's own, and I meant actually staying there for a couple of days. I'd love to see the skyline at night!
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