Child-sized bathrobes, child-sized room slippers, free Wii, soft comfortable bunk beds...We don't want to leave this place!
Four days later, I am disappointed to report that its cultural link with Hong Kong has weakened considerably (4 out of 5 people we stopped for directions were foreigners, spoke Mandarin, or some strange Cantonese accent), the heat & humidity melted our enthusiasm for history, and the casino...well, the casino never yields.
Regardless, we had fun, because well, a holiday *is* a holiday, right?
Breakfast at a typical char chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafe) sipping on yuen yong (mix of coffee & tea) and ling mutt (honey lemon tea)
Trying the famous Portugese egg tarts from Lord Stow's. Both the kids liked them, which is a big stamp of approval since my kids are extremely picky with food.
Queuing for the famous Portugese egg tarts from Lord Stow's. The original shop is located in the village of Coloane, in the southernmost tip of Macau.
YL preferred these ones from one of the popular bakery chain, Koi Kei. He said they were slightly sweeter with a crispier crust. You can find them everywhere, no need to go to Coloane to queue.
Since we are on the topic of food, here's another local Macanese dish - African chicken. Under the blanket of red spicy savoury sauce made from a blend of coconut milk, chili, garlic & butter are fried chicken pieces. Tasty! But don't ask me about the name.
Bacalhau - Portuguese for dried salted cod - with shredded potatoes. Yummy!
On the historical side of things, Macau was an important port in the East in the 16th century under the Portuguese rule. They held power for more than 450 years, thwarting several Dutch attempts to conquer it along the way, and finally returned it to China's control in 1999, thereby making it the last European colony in Asia.
Four hundred years of continuous rule is bound to leave something of a mark on this place, and 14 years after the return, we still find many traces of its Portuguese heritage, even apart from the old structures. It is precisely for this reason - East meets West - that Macau earned her UNESCO World Heritage badge.
A roadside poster about accessing funds to repair structures in Portuguese and traditional Chinese. No English at all.
Shop signs are all in Portuguese and Chinese.
A notice outside a church about the costs of various functions conducted by the church. A funeral service cost MOP 500, for instance. (MOP = Macau Pataca. 1 MOP is approximately SGD 6)
Escola = Sekolah! (Malay word for school)
Malacca, a small state in southern Peninsula Malaysia, was also once a Portuguese colony, and it being the genesis of the Malay civilisation, many Portuguese words found themselves into the Malay language. For example, mentega (margerine), gereja (church), kereta (car), almari (cupboard), etc.
A typical affluent Macanese house - definitely European but the Chinese influence is unmistakable. Have a look at the design in the windows
The doors of a local church, too
Hong Kong transplanted into Europe
Near the Taipa Houses, built in 1920s, and now a museum for old artefacts from that era
I must also mention the cluster of historical buildings that constitutes Macau's UNESCO World Heritage Site, starting with the Largo Senado (Senate Square) the main public square below:
The place was swarming with tourists and absolutely scorching by 9am. This was taken at 8am. Made a world of difference, and worth dragging out the kids at 7am :)
Igreja de Santo Domingo (St Dominic's Church) built in the 16th century, more than 400 years ago. Still standing pretty in its shades of yellow and white.
And of course, the famous landmark Ruinas de Sao Paulo (ruins of St Paul's). It was destroyed by a fire in 1835, leaving behind only the facade.
There are also some very typically Chinese structures in the cluster of historical buildings, like this Casa de Lou Kau (Lou Kau Mansion), the home of a wealthy Chinese merchant and banker in the late 19th century.
1 comment:
ah it's nice to get to know macau a bit better here. all my brothers reported back after their trips was - food. which was tempting too as a place to go, but i thought since there's nothing else to do apart from eating and casino, then should i make an effort to visit?
maybe it's time to rethink this.
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