Macau,
an island off the coast of China and a short trip from Hong Kong requiring a
stamp in your passport was an hour by ferry. I had heard so much about Macau I
couldn't wait to visit its old Portuguese cobbled streets and colourful
churches. I was armed with an email from Paul, pointing out ALL the highlights,
a travel guide and an agenda for the day.
We set
sail and left Hong Kong behind. It had the feeling of crossing the channel from
Dover to Calais.
Upon
arrival we cleared customs and headed to our first destination, Senado Square. I was expecting quite
cobbled streets with beautiful colourful buildings. It was busy, very very
busy.
The
streets were packed with tourists and it was hard to stop for a moment to
gather your thoughts and find your direction. We stumbled upon a church and
entered. It was peaceful and cool. There was an art museum in the adjacent
building filled with every depiction of the crucifix. It sparked off an
interesting debate about religion.
We
left the church and followed the signs (and mass crowds) to St Pauls cathedral. We caught sight
of it and decided that before exploring we needed to eat something and headed
down a small ally. We ended up in a local cafe/restaurant, if that what it can
be described as, we wanted something authentic, and that is what we
got. A disgusting looking bowl of fat and bones and steamed rice. I was glad
that Mr G didn't eat the meat imitation looking dish.
We
found a beautiful garden which we wandered through and then headed back towards
the ruins of St Paul's. We took the tourist photos and made our way to the
Macau Museum, a small museum filled
with history about the small island. It was interesting to read about the
shipping paths of the old times.
The
bus finally arrived and we hopped on hoping the next part of the trip and
checklist would be easier and more relaxing.
Fernando's
is highly spoken of whenever Macau is brought up in conversation. An authentic
and rustic restaurant on the beach. The perfect destination to unwind after a
morning of busy Macau streets. Coloane
village was on route so we decided to jump off the bus here, grab a coffee
and mooch about for a bit. The bus had nothing to suggest where to get off and
we tried to follow the map, the guidebook and the Portuguese messages flashing
up on the bus. Nothing was matching up. The bus seemed to go past places that
weren't listed in the book, and the book seemed to not follow the same layout
as the map. Confusion set in. We reached the end of the bus route
without recognising anything. We had missed all of the destinations
we were hoping to spot on route. At least Fernando's, the most popular and famous
restaurant should be easy to find..............
There
was no one around, the streets were empty, the beach quite. The famous
restaurant nowhere to be seen. We walked up and down with very confused
expressions and a sense that trying to follow someone else's experience was
probably where we had gone wrong, expecting things that just weren't happening.
As Shakespeare so well points out 'expectation is the root of all heartache'.
Very fitting for our Macau adventure so far.
We
finally stumbled across the famous Fernando's.
We hadn't seen a cash machine, as we had expected to see the village on route
therefore we had limited funds to enjoy the Fernando's full experience. We
decided that a picture of Sangria was MORE than necessary. Things started
to look up after a few glasses of Sangria. We decided that all Macau tour
guides should state very early on 'drink Sangria as soon as you arrive in
Macau'
After
some very yummy food and drink our spirits were some what lifted and we felt
that we could find the missing Coloane Village
and continue hunting for the 'highlights of Macau'. We still had the village to
find, the cafe for egg tarts, Tim's cafe and the Venetian.
It was
now almost 7pm and it was getting dark. We asked the bus driver to inform us
when we got to Coloane village and five minutes after boarding the bus he swung
his head around and said something loudly in Portuguese at us. We took this as
we had reached our requested destination. We found Lord Stow's Bakery which had been suggested to us to test the local
delights, egg and chocolate tarts. We indulged and enjoyed the bakery. I can
see why this was on the agenda.
Next
we found the little square with the yellow church surrounded by restaurants and
people enjoying a leisurely meal around the fountain under the night sky.
THIS was what I had imagined Macau to be, ALL of Macau. We settled down in one
of the restaurants and ordered a couple of beers. As I sat there I
realised that when I returned to Macau, I would be writing a very similar list
to that of the one I had received and offering suggestions similar to what
was suggested to me. Paul later told me that on his first few visits to Macau
he didn't really like it and it took time to fall in love with the place and
for it to become one of his favourite escapes from the city. Now I know where
to go, the next Macau trip will be a delight, I'm sure.
We jumped in a taxi from Coloane village and made our way to the largest casino in the world, the Venetian. I have never understood or indulged in the casino experience before. I know that lots of people enjoy it, but I personally have never really understood the pull or desire to go to one. Saying that, I had always been interested to have a look into this world that for so many is THE experience.
The
Venetian is a whole world undercover. As the name suggests, it's designed to
look and feel like Venice. There is an entire canal inside. You can get on
a gondola on the canal that meanders through the shopping mall
INSIDE. I say inside, because it really is VERY bazaar. This whole new
world was all under one roof. I imagine it is similar to a cruise ship. Shops,
restaurants, casino halls, bars, hotels and obviously a canal with gondolas. We
wandered about breathing in the air (which definitely had something extra
added, apparently oxygen to keep you awake, much to Mr G and
my disappointment, it also sobered us up)
We
placed a bet on one of the roulette tables and swiftly lost and decided that we
had had enough of Macau for one day and found our way out of the maze of fake
reality. Tired and a little bemused, we cleared customs and boarded our ferry
home.
I
would definitely like to revisit Macau. Luckily, I will be required
to go back to validate my visa in the next few weeks. I will be heading
straight to Coloane Village to Nga Tim Cafe with my book and an
afternoon with no agenda planned. Now I know where to go, I will look forward
to my visit. I will also be heading back when my sister and mum visit, as there
is a Panda zoo.
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