Macau - part 1 of 4

 

大三巴牌坊

Found some leftover MOP澳幣 and Hong Kong dollars港幣. They could be worthless soon. So let's go Macau and spend them all. This sounds like a poor reason for making a trip. Macau does deserve a visit for its uniqueness and position in the Age of Discovery. The Age of Discovery, some call it the Great Times of Navigation, some call the Age of Exploration. Anyway, it was a pivotal period in world history spanning roughly from the early 15th century to the 17th century. It was a time of intense maritime exploration undertaken primarily by European powers, which dramatically expanded their knowledge of the world, led to the establishment of global trade networks, and had profound and lasting impacts on cultures and societies across the globe.

Macau's story during the Age of Discovery is a fascinating and crucial one, marking the first sustained and significant interaction between Europe and China by sea. It transformed Macau from a relatively minor fishing settlement into a vital global trading hub and a unique cultural crossroads. We'll talk more about this when visiting the Macau Historical Museum. Today, when you say you go to Macau, people think you go gambling. This is not the case.

To begin with, both "Macau" and "Macao" are acceptable spellings in English for the Special Administrative Region of China, with Macau more popular in usage.

Today's Macau consists of four parts - Macau Peninsula, Taipa, Cotai, and Coloane (澳門半島、氹仔、路氹及路環). One may wonder why not two? From the map, Taipa, Cotai, and Coloane are one. As a matter of fact, Taipa and Coloane are two islands, while Cotai is entirely the result of land reclamation, filling in the sea between the islands of Taipa and Coloane. If you say Cotai is made by Sands, it may sound just right with lower case s. However, Sands China being a prominent integrated resort developer and operator in Macau may have contributed the most of Cotai strip. This is why it looks like the Las Vegas Strip, ater all Sands China is a majority-owned subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

Planning the trip is easy since it is a popular destination. Many people visit Cacau for the weekend getaway. The hotel is more expensive for Friday and Saturday night. So we plan to stay in Coloane for that time, and be back to the strip for another two. Macau is relatively small. Three days is enough to cover all. But you still can find treasury here and there before getting bore.

Although Macau has been returned to China since 1999, it is still treated as a Special Administrative Region of China at least for another 24 years (till 2049). No Visa required for 30 days. The airport runway is built out to the sea, on the right side of Cotai. Hotel free shuttles are running back and forth. In less than 20 min, you can be in and out of the casions. We landed around 7PM, so stopped by the casino for dinner, then take the bus to the hotel.

Pousada de Coloane means Inn at Coloane, located at south end of Coloane, about 5 miles from the strip. The bus runs every 15 min, so didn't take taxi for the entire trip. However, need to prepare MOP (local currency) with exact change (6 MOP per person).

Great view from the room

Pousada de Coloane

Day one's plan is to hike up to the highest point of Coloane - Aldeia Cultural de A-Ma (媽祖文化村). In Macau, when you see A-Ma, it is 媽祖. 

First, we stop by the Coloane Village. Ramalho Eanes Garden is at the center of the village. António Ramalho Eanes served as the 16th President of Portugal from 1976 to 1986. Since he played a key role in the Macau transition, the garden is named after him.

Ramalho Eanes Garde

The village is small and not over developed. Small alleys with old houses deserve a short walk around. Lord Stow's Bakery is one cannot miss. They are famous for egg tarts. This is their main store, although they have branches all over Macau.

Egg tart from Lord Stow's Bakery

The church above is on Av. de Cinco de Outubro (Avenue of the Fifth of October). If you wonder why they name a street like that. It turns out it is the revolution day in Portuguese history, the 5th of October 1910.

Av. de Cinco de Outubro

Since the village is on the ocean, you can see the other side clearly. That's Zhuhai/珠海 China. The Ocean Resort is similar to SeaWorld in San Diago.

Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort

Going north, you came to the front gate of the Aldeia Cultural de A-Ma (媽祖文化村) below.

You can find the trail map along the path. The highest point is 170 meters. But from zero to 170m is still considered steep. Many smaller trails to fit different people's need. As a matter of fact, you can take the free shuttle at the front gate to Aldeia Cultural de A-Ma (媽祖文化村) and back if you don't plan to hike.

Statue of the Goddess A-Ma

The cultural center next to the statue is just the temples. 

There is a bus station on the opposite side of the front gate and there is bus that take us to the Macau Peninsula. We got off in the historic district. Two main attractions here, one is the Ruins of St. Paul's (the Ruinas de Sao Paulo) and the other is the Monte do Forte.

the Ruins of St. Paul's (behind)

The Ruins of St. Paul's were officially listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau by UNESCO in 2005. They are the remnants of a 17th-century Portuguese Catholic religious complex, including St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul. This complex was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia at the time, highlighting Macau's early role as a crucial point of cultural and religious exchange between East and West. The remaining facade is a stunning example of Baroque architecture with intricate carvings that display a blend of Western and Eastern influences. Notably, it features carvings with both Christian and Asian motifs, reflecting the cultural fusion that characterized Macau.

「三巴」是「São Paulo」的粵語音譯。「大」字則是因為這座教堂在當時是澳門最大的教堂，所以被稱為「大三巴」。

Next to the ruins is Monte Fort (大砲台), also known as Fortaleza do Monte. It was built between 1617 and 1626 by the Portuguese Jesuits to protect the Jesuits and their property from pirate attacks. It later became the historical military center of Macau and played a crucial role in defending the city, including repelling a Dutch invasion in 1622.

The fort is now Macao Museum. So if you follow the museum entrance sign, you can take the elevator up to the top of the hill. We didn't know at that time. So we ended up walk around the perimeter of the fort and finally found the openning gate in.

there were 32 cannons still can't fight off the casinos

The museum entrance fee is 20 MOP. Can't recall much other than Macau started from a small fishing village near Barra (媽閣) which we will visit in the coming day.

Also nearby is Na Tcha Temple 哪吒廟. Its significance is the coexistence of east and west cultural.

Na Tcha Temple 哪吒廟

Also in this area.

St. Dominic's Church 玫瑰聖母堂

Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, Macau 主教座堂

Tonight's dinner is at La Gondola on the beach near the hotel. Port chops and thin slice of pizza. Maybe it is the weather, there aren't much people. But from the setup, it could be very crowded in the summer time.

Continue to the next day.