for far more than just a day.People go to Hong Kong for its bustling urbane lifestyle, but it’s Macau they retreat to for relaxation, a more languid pace, and an escape from all that elbow jostling. Admittedly, Macau is a small town; its mainland peninsula and two islands Taipa and Coloane add up to only 28 square kilometers. But therein lies its charm – you get to go everywhere in a short time: the people are friendly and easy-going; and after its its return to china in 1999, it has become very safe to offer – from an array of great food to quaint, old-world architecture, and of course, there’s gambling.
Casinos
If you did not already know, the neon lights of the casinos have always been the strongest lure of Macau. Casino Lisboa located in the opulent Hotel Lisboa, is Macau’s most prominent den, and is a time-honored place that sees risk-takers flocking like moths to a flame.
Then there’s the new Sands Casino – a massive seven story high new landmark in Macau, while a betting space unlike anything most players in Macau have ever experienced, space in the form of main gaming hall the size of two football pitches and headroom from an atrium that extends upwards for almost 20 meters. It also has a video screen bigger than a billboard site on one of its wall.
Another place to put your money on the table is the greyhound races at the Jockey Club on Taipa Island. But this sport looks like callous entertainment to the animal lovers in us as we watched the dogs in the enclosed tracks frantically scampering like robots after a fake stuffed rabbit.
Outdoor Attractions
If losing money isn’t your cup of tea, head for the peaceful Lou Lim Loec Gardens instead. The locals come here for their monitoring stroll, to read the papers under huge shady trees, or practice taiji. Pretty lotus ponds and flowers also provide lots of photo opportunities for shutterbug enthusiasts.
Our authoritative guide from the Macau Government Tourist Office, Teresa Costa Gomes told us that this garden was the most Chinese of all Macau’s gardens. It was built by a wealthy 19th century Chinese merchant, Lou Kua, and was inherited by his son Lou Lim Ieoc in 1906. When the family fortunes declined, the government eventually purchased and restored it and finally opened the public in 1974.
The garden is modeled on those of Soochow, the most famous of all Chinese classical gardens. A nine-turn bridge zigzags across the pond (according to legend, evil spirits can only move in straight lines) to a large pavilion combining Classical and Chinese architecture elements.
Churches
When the Portuguese establish Europe’s first settlement on the China coast in 1557, it was expected to be a bastion of Christianity as well as a trading post, and they called it “City of the Name of God, Macau.” The first settlers included priests, and some of the first buildings were churches, initially constructed of wood and matting, later of Taipa (rammed clay) and from the mid-17th century of stone and plaster.
The Jesuits built the churches, dedicated to the “Mother of God” and named after popular saints, and monastic orders with funds provided by the city and the Portuguese Crown. The style was predominantly European baroque, but Oriental and tropical features were incorporated and can still be see in roofs of Chinese tiles, panels of terra cotta and eastern motifs carved on some facades.
The Portuguese’s religious influence is no more prominent in the city than its major landmark is the Ruins of Saint Paul. The old church was entirely destroyed by a fire in 1835. All that remains of the greatest of Macau’s churches is the magnificent stone façade, and majestic staircase.
The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Pauls’s the first Western college in the Far East were missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Peking as astronomers and mathematicians. The church, made of Taipa and wood, was brilliantly decorated and furnished, according to early travelers.
The façade of carved stone was built in 1620-27 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, the college was used as any army barracks and in 1835 a fire started in the kitchens and destroyed the college and the body of the church. The surviving façade raised in four colonnaded tiers, and is covered carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia.
After restoration work, lasting from 1990 to 1995, the backside of the Ruins of Saint Paul’s was turned into a museum. The ruins are regarded as the symbol of Macau and now offer visitors a new site where they can view the remains of the former Church of the Mother of God, visit a Crypt where the relics of the Martyrs of Japan and Vietnam rests, and a museum of Sacred Art where there are exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects from churches and monasteries in the city.
Overlooking Macau is the Penha Church that sits atop Penha hill. Portuguese sailors built it in 1622 and they would come here to pray before settling off to sail. Now, it’s no longer used for daily religious purposes, except only twice a year – New Year and on May 13, in a candle-lit procession for Our Lady of Fatima. This grand occasion sees about 30,000 devotees, including non-Catholics.
Temples
Buddhism is the major religion in the city, and the A-Ma Temple is constantly filled with believers who come to pray to A-Ma, the goddess of seafarers. Two stone lions stand guard at the entrance of this old temple that dates as far back as 500 years.
Macau’s name is derived from A-Mau-Gau or Place of A-Ma. Legend has it that A-Ma, a poor girl looking for passages to Canton, was refused by the wealthy junk owners but a lowly fisherman took her on board. A storm blew up and wrecked all but the boat carrying the girl. On arrival in Macau she vanished, to reappear as a goddess, on the spot where the fishermen built her temple.
Firecrackers to scare away evil spirits, are exploded in the entrance courtyard to greet tour groups and lion dances are performed here on weekends.
Walking through the city’s streets, you’ll see a rich architectural heritage influenced by chinese and Portuguese styles. Red and cream colored colonial buildings are a common sight, and over 200 of these are conserved buildings. You’ll also find buildings with Neo-classical verandas and balustrades, and Vespas scooters parked on cobbled stone streets adding to the whole nostalgia.
Museums
It is rather difficult to find in the whole world a place so small although with such a rich past, culture and patrimony as Macau. For Macau is indeed one of those cities which we may have difficulties to point out on the map, but once we walk through its narrow streets and charming squares, we start realizing what makes it a unique way of life. Different beliefs, smells, costumes and habits parade in front of our very eyes; a reality which is here for centuries embodied by two major communities (Chinese and Portuguese) that found a sage and tolerant way to live together.
It is this rich history that makes the specific cultural heritage of Macau, which we can observe in the various Museums of the city as well as in its monuments.
For a greater insight into Macau’s heritage, the Taipa Houses Museum on Praia Avenue is a good start. The first pastel green and white bungalows that make up the museum were originally residences of Macanese families, and in one building, an actual home of Macanese family has been recreated. Praia Avenue itself boasts of serene surroundings and chirping birds, and is also one of the most symbolic sites of Taipa. A must see for house and interior enthusiasts.
Check out the first house. This space attempts to recreate a traditional Macanese family home. On the ground floor above, there is a living room, dining room, a study room and a kitchen. On the floor above, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. All are faithfully decorated with furniture, utensils and typical ornaments from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century.
Head to the Grand Prix Museum located along the Rua Luis Gonzaga Gomes 421 at the basement of the Tourism Activities Center – CAT, where famous Filipino race car driver Arsenio “Dodjie” Laurel is immortalized in his white Lotus Formula 22 car, the race car he drove which gave him the distinction of being the first driver to win two consecutive Macau Grand Prix titles in 1962 and 1963. He died instantly in a car clash while attempting his third win of the famous Macau Grand Prix in 1967 in a Brabham race car more powerful than his white Lotus race car.
Aside from Dodjie’s white Lotus race car, the car museum includes a number of automobiles and motorbikes on display. The museum was inaugurated in 1993 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Macau Grand Prix. The Macau grand Prix includes a number of automobile races and takes place every year in November. Today, it is an international sports event that attracts thousands of tourist worldwide, especially to view the classical “Guia Race” and the “Formula 3 Grand Prix.” Due to the exactness and precision it imposes to it drivers, the Macau racing event has attracted participation of great names of motor racing and also worked as a launching platform for many other names, the visitor will certainly recognize while visiting the Grand Prix Museum.
Across the Grand Prix Museum is the Wine Museum. Occupying the 1400 square meters of space, the wine museum aims to bring the visitor into contact with the social, economic and cultural importance of the wine in the Portuguese tradition, daily life and celebration rituals. The visitors can even taste different types of wine – prova de vinhos – an experience included in the tour. The wine museum houses around 1115 wine brands including 756 commercial wines and 359 collection wines from different wine regions in Portugal and also presents samples of the wine production of the People’s Republic of China.
Other museums in Macau worth visiting include The Museum of Macau, The Macau Museum of Art with its collection of calligraphy seals, Chinese and western painting, historical pictures, contemporary art of aesthetic and historical value.
If the history of Macau is really connected to the sea, there is no better place for the Maritime Museum. The museum building is a stylized form of a sailing ship anchored in the waters of the Inner Harbor. Interesting discoveries await visitors to the museum.
Religious museums include Saint Dominic’s Museum which features treasures of the sacred art and The Museum of the Holy House of Mercy of Macau, which has on display, pieces representing the history of the institutions and objects of religious art that illustrates the meeting of cultures that came about as a result of the diffusion of Christianity in the region.
Lastly, China history buff, should also visit Dr. Sun Iat Sen’s Memorial House, where the former Chinese political figure, formerly stayed while fleeing the power of the imperial mandarins. Doctor Sun Iat Sen was the mentor and driving force of the Chinese republican revolution, which overthrew the weak regime of the Qing Dynasty.
Towers
One of Macau’s newest attractions is the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment, also considered as one of Asia’s most exciting new landmark. The most stunning feature is, of course, the Tower itself. It is becoming a familiar landmark in the skyline of Macau and promises visitors the unforgettable experience of enjoying one of the most spectacular views in the world.
The Macau Tower is even higher than its French counterpart. It soars 338 meters above the city, which makes it the 10th highest freestanding tower in the world. The Main Observation Lounge, located 223 meters above ground level, offers spectacular panoramic views. Or if you nerves are up to I, you can climb higher still, to the Outdoor Observation Deck, and feel the breeze as you survey the world.
Dining
Dining in itself can take up most of your itinerary in Macau. Given its multi-ethnic origins, it’s hardly surprising to find a rich confluence of East-meets-West. Macanese cuisine is a mix of Portuguese and Chinese cooking, with African, Brazilian and Malay influences and spices thrown in.
The distinctive cuisine of Macau combines many contrasting kitchens. Traditional dishes from Portugal include Bacalhau, the country’s beloved Cod, served baked, grilled, stewed or boiled; oxtail and ox breast; rabbit prepared in various delicious ways, and soups rich with vegetables, meat and olive oil.
In Africa and India the Portuguese learned how to use spices with the result that Macau’s most popular dishes include African and Goanese chicken and piquant prawns, all baked or grilled with peppers and chilies. The combination of Portuguese, Indian and even Malay and Chinese cuisines make up Macanese cuisine, which cannot be found elsewhere in the world.
Among the dishes we sampled were Caldo Verde (Portuguese soup or mashed potato base with sliced carrots, spinach and Portuguese sausage), African Chicken, Roasted Fresh Codfish steak with shrimps, garlic and ginger over turnip tops.
For modern Cantonese cuisine, head to the chic 360 café (Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center) and enjoy their deep fried yam paste with scallop, roast suckling pig, duck or chicken refreshingly palate-cleansing dessert of sago cream with mango cubes.
For souvenirs, make a stop at Rua do cunha, Taipa’s food street that’s lined with bakeries where you can stock up on nougat, almond biscuits and peanut candy souvenirs.
One of the most intriguing discoveries about Macau is its complimentary but contrasting split personality. On ones side, its Chinese character reflecting an ancient heritage and culture which has embraced modern concepts of commerce and trade and appeals intent on following a fast pace to keep up with the rest of the world. On the other side, its Portuguese character, revealing a more relaxed, laid-back and demure southern European demeanor which emphasizes a slower and quieter pace and enjoys each moment of each day.
For the visitor, its an opportunity to experience the dual nature of both the Chinese and Portuguese world of Macau, Gem of the Pearl River Delta.
