Macau is among the world’s richest regions, and its economy is heavily dependable on gambling and tourism. Inhabited majority by Chinese, it is one of the most populous places to live in the world. The Hong Kong International Airport provides ferry service for transfer passengers, making a visit to Macau an easy pass which I found out. After an exhaustive trip in Mongolia, I was looking forward to some relaxation and good food here in this tiny peninsula known as the “Las Vegas of the East”.
My friend and I stayed at Taipa, consider a new town of Macau with a growing residential area of mostly upscale apartment complexes. The old town consists mainly of old shop houses selling varieties of almond cookies in different flavors, gift shops, coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. My first bite was the pork chop bun, made famous by the locals in Macau. It reminded me of a burger but without all other ingredients that came with it. Temples are scattered everywhere in Taipa. Trees with roots hanging down from trunks are sacred places to place altars for people to worship. Tourists were not as much, but instead, locals were seen busy with their daily chores as though no one else was watching.
My friend took me to another side of the city for Macau’s famous Portuguese tart. It was at the original location where it all started. We bought a few and ate by the water which was still occupied by locals living makeshift houses dotting along the coastline. We stopped by the one of the new casinos in Taipa, Studio City 8, on our way back to the hotel. It was beautiful but unfortunately, the crowd was missing making it an almost deserted place. It was reported the new casinos were built to cater for the newly rich clientele from China but they were nowhere on sight. Perhaps they had found other places round the world to dispense their cash.
The ruins of Saint Paul’s Church is one of the most recognizable sites in the world. A UNESCO Heritage Site, the ruins is now consist of the southern stone facade sitting proudly on top of a hill. I had never seen so many people taking selfies with the facade as a background before. It was fun taking pictures of people taking selfies as each has a pose which was distinctively theirs. After we bought Macau’s famous almond cookies, we head to a local coffee shop for dessert. Ginger almond pudding served warm was one the best desserts I have tasted in years. It was so smooth yet tasty. I could have ordered the same one, but I had to try others as selections were pretty awesome.
At the heart of Macau downtown is the Senado Square. Tiled in wave of black and white stones, and surrounded by neo-classical buildings, the square is filled with activities. Old merchants are side by side with other fancy places. The Square also served as a platform for the locals to voice their opinions against the government which I witnessed.
I spent the last evening in Macau at Taipa, taking an early evening walk to a row of lime green Portuguese-style buildings located near a pond of water lilies with high rise buildings in the background. It was a serene atmosphere to contemplate after a long day of walking, shopping and eating in Macau. The place was a good photo op for wedding pictures. It is an interesting place to visit not just for the view but also a place to know a little history of Macau and Portuguese influenced in the peninsula.
I ended my trip in Macau that evening with a bowl soup of pork’s meat, intestines and liver. Delicious!
