Carpe Diem, Literally: Macau 2014

- May 23-25, 2014, Friday to Monday.

Prologue:

- My dad just turned sixty, and for a long while, he was contemplating on how to celebrate his special birthday. My dad usually celebrates his birthday in a simple way, but he wanted to go outside the usual for his grand year. Our family trip to Greece last April was his supposed big celebration, but just after I arrived from my March conference in Hong Kong , my dad had the crazy idea of wanting to celebrate his birthday weekend in Macau. He wanted to try staying at the world famous Venetian Macao, and he kept insisting that he saw a really good promo for the Venetian, but couldn't remember where. Thanks to the Venetian Macao's website, and especially Agoda, we were able to purchase a discounted "Bella Cotai Fabulous Spring Package." On top of our stay in the Venetian, we were granted 300 Macau patacas worth of gift certificates for shops inside the Venetian, free breakfast, and free rides on the Venetian Macao's gondola (either this, or a one way trip to Hong Kong from Macau; we opted to ride the gondola since we didn't have plans to go to Hong Kong for this specific trip.)

- Most people, my dad being one of them, think that there is nothing much to see and do in Macau; because of this he was skeptical that we needed more than three (erm, two) days in Macau. For a place that's smaller than the already-tiny Grecian paradise island of Santorini, what's there to do other than going to the iconic ruins of Saint Paul, shopping for branded items near Senado Square or the Venetian, and risking money in the myriads of casinos in the region? I challenged myself yet again, and found out beforehand that unlike in Hong Kong (i.e. Pingshan Heritage Trail,) Macau's tourism was more open about the heritage trail, mostly comprising of Portuguese colonial buildings. This heritage trail, called the "Historic Centre of Macau," was also enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2005. Most tourist maps will show 25 numbered places, all located somewhere at the west coast of the Macau peninsula. However, there are still many places, both old and new, to can be seen and experienced beyond the 25-point heritage trail.

- I was surprised when my dad allowed me to wander off on my own, since my mom and sis had their own plans, and I had mine, and my dad just wanted to maximize his/our stay at the Venetian. He just wanted to relax, since he's been to Macau before. I, on the other hand, have not been to Macau, and I wanted to do as much as I could within limited time. Although I would usually plan things more carefully and meticulously for a really time-constricted adventure like this one, I have been busy with my thesis and my soon-to-be conference later this year. As much as I wanted to say "carpe diem," another thing I wanted to say was "YOLO" (no swag.)



The Trip Itself:

- Our plane arrived at Macau around 10:15pm last Friday, just in time for the last free shuttle to the Venetian Macao. The the Venetian, among other places, are located at the Cotai area; the Cotai area is a reclaimed area between the former islands of Taipa (where the airport is) and Coloane. Because of this, the name "Cotai" came from CO-loane, and TAI-pa. This now big block of land (Coloane, Cotai, and Taipa) is connected by three bridges to the Macau peninsula, where most tourist spots are.

Scary flight. Yes, that's a lightning.

- It took us around 15 minutes to go to the Venetian from the airport. Since all the money changers at the airport were closed, surprisingly, I decided to have just a bit of money exchanged at the hotel, since the streets are supposed to have better rates; the receptionist at the Venetian who happened to be Filipino (like many other employees in the rest of Macau,) also advised us to better exchange more money at the streets instead of the hotel.

- The Venetian Macao was as nice as most photos show, and the effort to make it look "Venetian" could be seen. Of course I cannot comment more about this since I haven't been to Italy (in the future, I hope.) The hotel is indeed huge, but I just do not like the system of having to pass by the casino area just so people could reach the elevators to their rooms. I think there are some shortcuts, but they are not as convenient as the usual go-through-the-casino route.

Ceiling.

Nice hall.

- I did not see much of the hotel on our first night, because I wanted to rest and for my whole-day-fun-day-Saturday. Our room had two queen-size beds. As what has been shown by many videos or photos by other visitors, the rooms have two televisions, one at the "living room," and another at the "bedroom." There were no actual rooms, just a balcony separating the two "rooms." Each time I watched television, I was watching Bollywood from Star Utsav, and 90% of the times that I got to watch the television, "English Vinglish" was showing. (I've seen the movie a couple of times before. It's a nice heart-warming movie, you people better watch it.)

- I woke up a little before six in the morning after roughly four to five hours of sleep. I quickly took a bath, got dressed, and hailed the first cab I could see in front of lobby. The woman driver also seemed to be in a hurry, so our cab flew towards the Macau peninsula. I got off at the Ruins of St. Paul, and did my photoshoot. Since it was early in the morning, less than a handful tourists who were as excited as I was, and some joggers or passersby were there. At that point (until now,) I wanted to thank my friend Sinney, who recently went to Macau, and had nice photos of herself with the not-crowded ruins; she told me that the secret to that was going to the ruins as early as possible, because the crowds at the ruins can get very bad to the point of claustrophobia.

The Gran Lisboa from the Ruins.

Behold, a not-crowded Ruins of St. Paul!!

Photoshoot!!

- The Ruins of St. Paul was smaller than I imagined it to be - and it has been my observation with all the other places in Macau; they were smaller than I imagined. The church was built in the 16th century, and the rest of the church, made of wood, was destroyed in a fire during a typhoon in 1835. The complex was also part of the St. Paul's College, also built in the 16th century.

- Behind the St. Paul facade is a small, but historic temple. The Na Tcha Temple is a Buddhist and Taoist temple built in the late 1800s, as a homage to the child war god. Beside the temple, one can also find part of the old city wall.

Na Tcha Temple.

Old Macau New Macau.

A nice statue couple near the Ruins.

- Before leaving the area, I went slightly uphill to the Fortaleza do Monte (Mountain Fort,) where some old people were either jogging or doing taichi. The fort had some cannons, and it also houses the Macau Museum. I did not go inside the museum because it was still closed, and I was in a hurry to do everything I wanted to do.

A familiar name from history books, and because my undergraduate university was Jesuit-run.

Casino go boom.

Hello Tai Chi people!!

- I walked past the Portuguese Consulate, and had a tiny sandwich from 7 Eleven for breakfast, and stocked my backpack of liquids. It was supposedly around 26 to 28 degrees Celsius in Macau, but it felt as hot as in Manila, although it was a bit cloudy. I ran out of water early in the morning, and I was greatly dehydrated. How dehydrated? I haven't been out for two hours, and the amount of sweat that my handkerchief and my towelette absorbed were good enough to water the plants. How? Whenever I wrung them, water/sweat would always come out. True enough, I watered the plants with my sweat. By that time, my shirt was also soaking wet, but it was the only shirt I had, and I just kept my towelette behind me back, even if the towelette itself was damp after wringing.

Nice consulate!!

- Going uphill again, my sweat dripped like I had an endless supply of water in my body. I arrived 15 minutes before the Guia Fortress (Fortaleza da Guia.) On the way there, I noticed that most signs in Macau are bilingual - in Mandarin and Portuguese - which may confuse people who cannot speak both languages. (I find it strange that Portuguese is an official government language in Macau, but is not anymore required in the educational curriculum, and so finding Macanese people who know Portuguese would be rare.) Only some signs had English on them. I am thankful that I knew both Mandarin and Portuguese. It made my life easier, especially when reading street signs or street names. Macau was conquered by the Portuguese during the age of European conquest of the world around the 16th century onwards; interestingly, those who still speak Portuguese in Macau speak a creole version of Portuguese, called Macanese Portuguese. It is quite different from the standard Portuguese that I know, but thank goodness the signs and announcements were written in standard Portuguese.

- The Guia Fortress is located on top of the Guia Hill, and apart from the fort, it has a lighthouse, and a chapel-turned-museum. The chapel is air-conditioned, doesn't allow photography, and shows the old walls and stone engravings. Entrance is free, as with most (if not all) of the heritage sites.

Go snail go!!

Church and lighthouse.

- After my Guia "hike," I planned to change my route. Instead of going directly to Largo do Senado (Senado Square,) I decided to visit the giant off-shore Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara) statue. The statue is not part of the heritage trail since it is a contemporary work, but it has become an icon in Macau because this particular Guanyin was made to look both its usual Chinese Buddhist portrayal, and the Portuguese-influenced Catholic Mother Mary.

- I got lost big time on the way to the statue. My sweat had been dripping continuously, and little did I know that a lot of my sweat dropped on my printed-out map. The map became blurred, and I couldn't read some parts of it, and unfortunately, I went the opposite direction of where I needed to go. With a twist of luck, I met a Filipina employee in the middle of the street, and she told me how to go there.

- After walking nonstop, I noticed that I felt a small sting somewhere in my right foot. I found out that my foot had a small wound from my shoes, and it bled. My legs were sweating too, spreading some blood, so it looked messy and horrible. Some blood even stained my shoes (easy to wipe so no worries.)

- I finally reached the statue of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy. To my delight, the lotus base of the statue also served as a(n air-conditioned) mini museum about the statue itself.

Macau Science Center.

Guanyin. 

Inside museum.

- I did not stay long inside the museum, and continued my way. I reached the Macau Tower, felt that I was too tired, and so I decided to ride a taxi to the A-ma Temple. The temple was built in 1488, and boy, was it jam packed. I wanted to do a photoshoot there, but seeing how difficult it was to find a quiet spot, especially because of the mainland Chinese tourists and devotees, I just went around the place, and left.

Macau Tower facing Taipa and Cotai.

Grand Lisboa at the center.

Macau Tower.

A-ma Temple. Very crowded.

Nice old neo-colonial architecture while looking for a money changer.

- The heat continued to boast itself to humanity. My liquid supply was running low, and so did my cash. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem since I only had to exchange money in a bank or through a money changer. The nearest bank was far, and it was a Saturday too, so the bank was closed. There were no money changers around the area. I decided to carry on with my journey, until I find a money changer near the city center. I decided not to each lunch for the moment, since I was saving my leftover money for more important things (like liquids.)

- One highlight of the day was seeing the Moorish Barracks, around a 5-10 minute uphill walk from the A-ma Temple. The building was built in the late 1800s, built by an Italian in the neo-classic style with Moorish/Mughal influences. The building used to be a barracks for Indian policemen from Goa. (Goa used to be a Portuguese colony too, and is now one of the states of India; it is famous for its nice beaches.) There is nothing much to see in the Moorish Barracks, especially since the building itself is now occupied by the Macau Maritime Administration.

Stupid of me to forget to take a photo from the outside. -____-

Doing the Shiva Nataraja pose.

Playing my flute. Yes, I brought my flute that I can't play too well.

It was hard to get up there.

- More steps uphill brought me to the Lilau Square, one of the first Portuguese residential areas in Macau. Across the Lilau Square was the Casa do Mandarim (House of the Mandarin,) where late-Qing-dynasty celebrity Zheng Guanying used to live. The house was indeed huge; it even has an air-conditioned gift shop.

Lilau Square.

Casa do Mandarim.

- At the peak of the hill, four historic buildings stand close to each other: the St. Lawrence's Church, the Dom Pedro V Theatre, the St. Augustine's Church, and the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library. The Sir Robert Ho Tung Library was my savior for the afternoon. This library is public, and because people could use the internet for free, I used the internet while resting, ranted to people about how much of an adventure I was having (hey, it was both good and bad,) charged my camera, and hoped to dry myself without catching a cold or something.

St. Lawrence's Church.

Dom Pedro V Theatre.

St. Augustine's Church.

One of my saviors of the afternoon: The Sir Robert Ho Tung Library. 

- I arrived at the Largo do Senado after minutes of walking, and was hypnotized by the wavy black-and-white waves; this is the traditional Portuguese pavement art. The Largo do Senado was unforgivingly crowded, and even more so at the Ruins of St. Paul. I finally found a money changer, and had some cash exchanged. I passed by the St. Dominic's Church, the Leal Senado, the Holy House of Mercy (Santa Casa Da Misericordia,) and the Macau Post Office.

Probably my biggest savior of the afternoon.

Leal Senado.

Macau Post Office.

Santa Casa Da Miseracordia.

St. Dominic's Church.

- While walking mindlessly at the city center, I stumbled upon my mom and sister who were both lost. They decided to join me, and after re-stocking my bag of liquids, and eating a small bowl of noodles for lunch, we went to the Lou Kau Mansion for the required guided tour. The guided tours in the Lou Kau Mansion are only in Mandarin or Cantonese, which can be very inconvenient for non-speakers (obviously.) The guided tours are required for those who want to see the second floor, otherwise, only the first floor can be seen. The Lou Kau Mansion reminded me of Casa Manila, but unlike Casa Manila, Lou Kau Mansion had empty rooms; the focus of the tour was on the doors/gates and windows of the house.

From the second floor.

Made from brass.

- We went back to the Largo do Senado, and had a mini-photoshoot, before going a last round in the area. The Largo do Senado mostly has branded shops, with some small stalls hidden along the back streets and alleys. Souvenir shops are hard to find in Macau (or at least not as easy as other places,) surprisingly, even near the tourist areas. Most of the stores sold food.

East-meets-west art.

Largo do Senado.

Thank goodness no one mistook me for a beggar, or a fortune teller.

- The three of us rode the free shuttle back to the Venetian, and upon reaching the hotel, limping, sweating. and soaking wet, I took a long shower after a triumphant full day. I had dinner, and caught up with sleep.

- On our last day, we checked out after breakfast, and walked to Taipa. The Venetian Macao is located at the Cotai-Taipa border, so people will only need to cross the street if they wanted to go to Taipa. One interesting place to visit is the Taipa Houses Museum. It is a series of houses built in the 1920s, where Macanese aristocrats used to live. Today, each house is a(n air-conditioned) mini-museum with a distinct theme or exhibit. My favorite house was the one that exhibited the Portuguese houses, with mannequins dressed in different regional Portuguese costumes.

Colonial houses.

I'm not liking the shade of green, but OK, the houses still looked nice anyway.

My favorite exhibit hall/house.

Creepy.

Portuguese costumes.

- We also passed by the Macau Civil Registration Office, also air-conditioned, and is located right across the Church of Our Lady of Carmel. These two were located behind the Taipa Houses Museum, and along the way to Rua de Cunha, a small shopping alley where we were going to have lunch.

Church of Our Lady of Carmel with a nice car beside.

Civil Registration Office.

- I was particularly excited for lunch, because the restaurant I picked out for lunch served one of the best (if not the best) and most reasonably-priced Portuguese food in Macau. I never had Portuguese food before, so I wanted my first bite to be authentic. O Santos Comida Portuguesa is owned by Mr. Santos Pinto. He manages the restaurant hands-on, together with his Filipina wife. My family and I were able to meet him personally, and I got to practice my Portuguese with him (finally, a Portuguese speaker in Macau!!)

On the way to Rua do Cunha.

At the restaurant, at last!!

Sorry you were busy, Mr. Santos.

There you go.

- We had grilled lambchops, baked chicken with milk sauce, and two different salads. There was also a free bread basket with a light-crisp outer crust, and a soft middle. The restaurant itself was also heavily decorated with Portuguese cultural items, with one whole wall dedicated to the Portuguese football team.

- After our friendly thank-yous and farewells with Mr. Santos, we strolled along the short Rua do Cunha, and window-shopped at the weekend bazaar at an empty lot just behind Rua do Cunha. Again, most stalls were food stores, restaurants, or cafes, and only two or three souvenir stores.

- We walked back to the Venetian after our short trip to Taipa, and spent the rest of the afternoon going around the maze of shops. My mom and I availed our free gondola ride, and thankfully, our boatman was an Italian. He sang "O Sole Mio" and "Volare." (There were a handful of Filipino boatmen/boatwomen too. They also sang well.) My mom and I shared a boat with a Taiwanese family. I did not really mind, until our boatman told us that he found it "interesting" that both Taiwanese and Filipinos (although my mom and I are ethnically Chinese) were on a (fishing) boat, obviously with political innuendos (if you don't understand this very subtle reference, you're not aware of the worldy geo-political issues; probably you'd be given more tolerance if you're not from East Asia.)

The Venetian Macao from the overpass.

Galaxy Hotel on the other side.

Gondola!!

Same poses.

Awkward Taiwanese family.

"St. Mark's Square."

Our boatman Massimo.

Oh there was also an operatic singer, but I'm still not sure if the performance was lip-synced or not/

My Indian set dinner before heading to the airport.

- We had dinner before getting our pieces of luggage from the bag deposit area, rode the shuttle to the airport, and flew home safely. Macau has been a bittersweet experience for me, and I wholeheartedly agree with some travelers that Macau is best explored at least three to four full days. Macau not only provides a convenient glimpse of Portugal in East Asia, but Macau itself has a vibrant character and story of its own beyond the blinding casino lights. I was not successful in completing the heritage trail, because I lacked time, and decided to stay longer at the places I was more interested in. Despite this, I could still say that I was able to do the most that I could with my lack of time. I'm not sure if I want to go back to Macau again anytime soon, but just in case I get to have the chance to fly back to Macau, hopefully, it would be in winter, where I will have less chances of sweating as much as I did.