Thursday, December 29, 2005
/ 3:37 pm
6D/5N Macau-Hong Kong-Zhuhai (Guangdong) Free & Ez
Day 01 – 11 Dec 2005 (Sunday) <br>
Route Outline: Singapore(Changi) > Taipa (Macau) > Macau Peninsular.
*Relevant pix of Macau trip will be placed on Flickr (yet to be loaded), so that it’ll not lag the uploading time of this webpage
Hmm…Looks like I didn’t had a proper sleep this morning..slept at 0100hrs…now I’m forced to be awake at 0520h. Though my flight wasn’t so early, the initial plan was to take public transport throughout….and I mean…throughout the whole journey. Haha. The plan…right from the beginning…was ruined. It was drizzling…wth!..of all days…it has to rain that morning! -__-“. My dad insisted to take the cab, however it was silly to take a cab coz we have plenty..loads of xs time…well..well…come on…the emphasis is on public transport. Well, I gave in. There it goes…the cab fare cost $13.10…these days the cab fares seems to be increasing for no reason…every year, it never fails to increase even though it’s the same route, same period of time.
We arrived Changi Airport T1 at 0645h!!!! OmG!!! I rattled & rattled…whats the use of turning up so early…its like 45 mins earlier than the check-in time & I doubt the counter opens that early anyway. Bah…
Whoa…looks like there’s a lot early birds like me…theres the long queue of passengers bound to HK & of curz the usual snake queue of Indian Airlines to Chennai. That has left me pondering…why izzit that everytime I pass by…there’s always bound to be a few Indians purchasing those electronic keyboards? =o And they don’t buy one, but several…21” TVs are common as their cargo, but elec. keyboard..hmm…that’s puzzling!
Had breakfast at T2 BK…oh yeah…no provided meals onboard Tiger Airways (TR). Returned back to T1 at 0735h. Oooo…there was already a queue formed at Row 4. It’s a great thing now TR flight tix are now computerized, not like previously, the name, flight number was all hand-written. Immigration seems to be more stringent than ever. Hmm…I was told by the SIR officer that its time to change my passport photo…she was right, the officer at the airport kept on comparing my face & the passport photo. Okok…that’s old photo. Humph…that’s the start of all the troubles. 10 immigration checks for the following few more days.
Holy cow, I saw an abandoned passport & an attached TR air tix to Macau as well on the floor of the toilet. Nopez…it isn’t mine manz….phew…but hmm…it was in the middle of the walkway of the toilet. The owner muz have dropped it & that guy’s on the same flight. I muz have met the guy since I spotted it only when im exiting the loo. Well, another guy’s leg is nearer to the passport, he picked it after a few glances at each other and that non living thing. I hope he did the right thing…tho’ he might not be on the same flight. Gosh…how terrible it is to lost a passport u know. I might as well emphasis that S’pore passport is one of the most highly valued passport of numerous countries in the black market. Juz imagine how many countries we don’t require visas with our passports...cool…we are indeed lucky souls. Kk, enough of passports.
Apparently, as a budget flight, the gate was situated far-far away, beyond your sights from the other end…all the way at the end of the Gate Cs. Gate C19 to be precise. It takes about 10 mins juz to walk there alone. A small queue already formed at 0835h…well, that’s kinda rare for international flights (except for those transit ones). That same gate is shared with C24, C25 as well, & one of them is already in the process of building the 3rd aerobridge to accommodate the future A380 jumbojet in 2006 J
Entering the plane is by intervals. Children & their companions plus elderly or any disabled are allowed to board first, followed by the rest, also in intervals to prevent jamming. It is only a ONE aisle A320-200, 3-3 seat configuration, 3 lavatory, 180 seats. However, it’s a brand-new plane. Everyone was amazingly punctual.
Pilot’s announcement was monotonous, like as if he just woke up...seriously, either he seems drunk or what…his voice don’t seem pleasing to my journey. Air stewardess were whoa…prettier than any other stewardess I’ve ever seen. Ehhs. Not bad. Hmm…no cushions provided on the airplane seat. There’s inflight magazine – Tigertales. It is also available online and I must give them 9*/10* for their contents. Its superb, so far it has surpassed most of my expectations. Its really excellent, the enlightening stories, the introduction of each cities it flies. Well done. Oops, there’s no air sickness bag for the giddy peeps out there. =O
Surprisingly, there were quite a couple of kids tagging along. I suppose they are hitching on a cheaper trip to HK I believe. Hahaha, after all, HK Disneyland is open and I must say that its claimed that they are losing $$$ by some newspaper....HK Disneyland is even paying the travel agents thrice now for the commission to promote that attraction…well, its small, its overcrowded, the culture of the peeps is duh, the quality isn’t there, the price isn’t worth. I don’t mean to denunciate HK Disneyland, but for the every cent worth, its betta to be at Tokyo Disneyland, the experience there is much fulfilling.
For the 1st time in my life, I got such a front seat…yesh….I got seat 9A. Free seating on Tiger Airways. Too bad, Valuair & Jetstar have allocated seats for you. I’ll like to quote this phrase which was announced, “Smoking is a no-no onboard”. Hahaha. I like this informal tone.
Another first – the plane departed off the gate ahead of schedule
0932h – Flight TR 802 left Gate C19, via the future T3 (whoa, its gonna be completed J & our beloved world’s first open-roof airport)
0940h – Flight TR 802 departed from S’pore Changi T1. It was still drizzling, raindrops drifted across the windows with the flow from vertical to horizontal when the plane increased in speed. I simply loved such weathers, take-offs are the most thrilling part of the journey. =p
0950h – Only 4 crews onboard the plane, started to distribute Macau immigration forms & taking orders for the “hot” meal for the day. Its “hot”, coz u must inform them beforehand so that they can reheat & serve you. And its “hot” coz the “hot food” is limited and it disappears before you change your decision. The air-stewardess announced, “Hot meal of the day – Nasi Lemak + Lor Mai Kai at S$8 only”, while holding a sample of the food going row by row enquiring, while the other took orders & carried a netted cash pouch to store the cash.
The old grannies behind were simply confused, they looked like some lost souls in the air muttering some dialect that were alien to me; all I know is that the stewardess replied in putonghua “This one saltier, this one less salty, so which one do you prefer?” Well, the crew is sooo much friendlier, not like some airline crew give you that heck-care-you are-just-some-inferior-econ-class “Uuu!!! Fiss or cheeken” or “arlo…Ca-fee orh tee?”…and yesh, bad pronunciation. But not Tiger Airways. I enjoyed the aroma diffusing to my area…oooo….it smells tasty, but I had my meal already and eight bucks is erm abit expensive don’t you think. The crew said, “wait for 15-20 mins, we need to reheat the “hot” food”. So it was like, “ok row 10A, 10B, that’ll be $16 then, shi liu kuai…ahh….shi liu..shi liu…one-six…ahh…singaporrrre dollllarss”…in a friendly tone.
Around 1000h, the beverage cum food cart came into action, two simultaneously, one in front and the other at the back, making the aisle almost impossible to cross, unless you are one bamboo, dorsal-ventrally flattened soul which can pass through. 100% of the souls attempting to cross will fail in their mission…ok 95%...and you can see their sighs or their annoyance. Hohohoho…its hilarious!!! Food is popular, so the cart goes tuu-tuu-tuu. Non-dorsal-flattened peeps have to trail behind the cart like some goats. Oh, some of these “goats” were munching on their food while waiting, so some crumbs were scattered around wherever they walked -__-“
Here’s the menu (found on the last page of TigerTales Mag)…
>>Assorted Sandwiches (ham, cheese) – S$ 5
>>Gourmet Sandwiches (tuna/chicken) – S$ 7
>>Hot meal of the day (only for flights more than 3h) – S$ 8
>>Instant noodles/soup (hot water provided obviously)
- Vegetarian/Tom Yam – S$ 3
- Korean Noodle (seafood/spicy) – S$ 4
- Cream of mushroom/chicken (no MSG) – S$ 3
>>Toblerone chocolate, camel mixed nuts, Yan Yan Dip (Choco/Strawberry), etc – S$ 2
>>Nescafe (3-in-1), Green Tea, Milo (3-in-1), Horlicks (3-in-1) – S$ 2
>>Coke, Diet Coke, 7-up, Schwepps Soda/Tonic H20, Evian Mineral H20, Orange/Apple juice – S$ 2
>>Liquor (limited range) – S$ 3 to S$ 4.50
Varieties good…slightly much better than StarCafe (Jetstar Asia’s inflight food), tho’ Jetstar’s hot meal is much tantalising than Tiger’s. Oh, one must twist and turn the air-con ducts yourself, otherwise it seems “non air-con”. No wonder, I felt kinda stuffy earlier on. There is also duty-free shopping, I doubt anyone bought anything. The passenger safety card (that tells you all the emergency procedures) is already on its 3rd issue even though the company is like 1years old plus…perhaps many peeps have the tendency to take away the card & that’s why the phrase “please do not remove from the plane” is clearly highlighted. There are seats even on the emergency exits (Row 12, 13). Passengers who take these seats must be 15years old and above, no aural, oral disabilities, must recognise the captain’s commands, must operate & help all the passengers & most importantly, open the emergency doors situated next to them within 5sec. The step-by-step picture seems to show a guy pulling the latch, throw it away, pull the door (33lbs, 15kg) and fling the door outwards. Hahahaa. That’s hilarious, the DIY procedures & the door being flung out. Haha.
Then, there was another cart selling those DIY inflated neck pillow for a comfortable ride. Blankets were available at S$2 (loan). If only the blankets were of those tiger stripes design, ooo…I’ll love it. I’ll buy it. J.
1250h – Flight TR 802 descended to a lower height, overlooking South China Sea. Preparation for landing…Small islands started to appear from the mist or perhaps...haze should be a proper word in this case.
1257h – Flight TR 802 landed on the runway of Aeroporto Internacional De Macau. Well, the full official name of the country is actually: Região Administrativa Especial deMacau da República Popular da China (Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. In English, we write it as “Macao”, in Portuguese, it is written as “Macau”. Now, I know the difference.
The runway and its taxiway itself are on a separate island connected to the airport terminal and its berth on the main island – Taipa (“Tam Chai” in Cantonese). Hence, after a magnificent view during landing, whereby the mountainous Taipa Island was visible, the plane will have to cross a long bridge across the sea to get to the airport terminal. By then, some major landmarks could be seen, such as the 338m Macau Tower on Macau Island. The weather was obviously very hazy with low visibility.
1303h – After a few minutes traveling on the bridge, TR 802 finally arrived at Gate 7A. Dang! Gate 7A does not use an aerobridge connected to the airport terminal, instead, it is away from the terminal & everyone have to use the stairs down & walk outdoors. The temperature was roughly 14c degrees. Holy cow, now then I realized how small an A320 plane was, as I’m used to travel on a larger & longer B777 plane most of the time. Oh, no buses provided, one have to walk, too bad grannies =p. Just a short sheltered walk towards the terminal & in fact it is even nearer walking distance to the immigration counters in comparison to the other gates. Hmm…so that’s smart move, no wonder it seems many airlines used Gate 7A and pay lesser, instead of those with aerobridge & have to pay more.
Macau Airport, as like what the Lonely Planet travel guide mentioned, is ultra-modern. I begged to differ, its modern only, but the metallic architecture gave it a cool appearance. Macau is a getaway to Hong Kong as well, hence there’s another exit to transfer to HK airport, with your luggage automatically transferred to the HK airport. Official languages in Macau are Portuguese & Chinese. English language is somehow rare. It is like a 3rd or 4th language, rather redundant here. However, Cantonese is the main communication tool in Macau. The one and only dialect you’ll ever need in a Cantonese region like this.
Finding your way out is a breeze, there are brochures regarding transportation & a tourism booth at the chegadas (arrivals) section. However, as this is entirely a free & ez tour, all transportation had to be settled by ourselves. After discussions, we decided to change a portion of our HK dollars to MOP$ (Macau’s currency). Just like S’pore & Brunei dollars are legal tender in S’pore, both HK dollars and Macau’s patacas can be used in Macau, although MOP$100 = HK$103 if I’m not wrong, thus it’s a big difference if one were to purchase in large amounts. Patacas = dollars, Avos = cents
The people of Macau, whether Chinese, Portuguese, or an amalgam of the two – Macanese – have always been proud of their city’s unique architecture as reflected in its temples, churches and genteel European squares. Nowadays, they even have more reason to boast – UNESCO recently bestowed World Heritage status on 12 local sites, a record by any standard. Wow! That’s a lot!
No other place on Earth so magically blends the heritage of Asia & Europe. It is a place where churches and casinos stand side by side; where religious deities of East & West forgive the vices of a week gone by; where quiet discoveries are made at every turn. Macau’s rich past is never far from view, from the shrines alongside shiny glass towers to the blue and white street signs with Portuguese names. It is a city full of contradictions that make perfect sense only when you take the time to understand them.
Just some introduction: The Macau Special Administrative Region has an area of 25.8sq km, comprised of the Macau Peninsular (8.5 sq km and connected to Mainland China), the islands of Taipa (6.2 sq km) and Coloane (7.6 sq km) and the reclaimed area of Cotai (3.5 sq km) connecting both Taipa & Coloane. Three bridges connect Taipa & Macau Peninsular. Two of them are around 2.5km long (whoa…you can do 2.4 km run there ehhs?) and the longest one “Sino-Portuguese Friendship Bridge” spans at 4.5 km long!!! This 4.5km long bridge (also known as Ponte de Amizade) starts near the airport and ends at the NATAP Reclamation area, quite near to Portas de Cerco (Border Gate to mainland China).
Well, I hardly see any taxis actually. Perhaps it’s because this airport has limited flights a day as we can see from the arrivals screen board. From the brochure estimates, a cab fare will cost MOP$53 (S$11.52) to my hotel. That’s a huge contrast to public bus costing only MOP$3.30 + MOP$3 (luggage) - total amounting to S$ 1.37! Soon, we boarded bus AP1. It’s a mini-bus which is a common sight in Hong Kong. Within Macau Peninsular, the bus fare is fixed at MOP$2.50 (S$0.54), crossover to Taipa island costs MOP$3.30, to Coloane isle costs MOP$4, while the furthest end of Coloane of Hác Sá Beach.
Opposite the airport is Parque de Taipa Grande (Taipa Grande Park) sitting on a hill, hence you can see tremendous steep cliffs facing the aeroporto. I remembered there were at least 160 passengers onboard the same flight, but the rest seems to have vanished. As bus AP1 travels along Avenida Wai Long, one can have a good view of Universidade de Macau da Ciência e da Tecnologia, which was rather deserted by then.
Taipa is mainly still under development, with numerous construction going on. One can conspicuously see the upcoming "Asia's Las Vegas" in Cotai Strip, which is a master planned development of resort casino properties on Cotai, an area of reclaimed land between the islands of Taipa and Coloane in Macau. In addition to the 10,000 guest rooms, the first phase of the Cotai Strip will offer a critical mass of business, leisure and entertainment attractions, including world class meetings and convention facilities, over 20,000 seats of live entertainment in eight separate theater venues and the most modern and exciting casinos in Asia.
Of course, the luxurious $2 billion Venetian Macau, which is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in mid-2007, will occupy 10.5 million square feet of space and will serve as the anchor of the Cotai Strip. At completion, the luxury resort will feature 3,000 suites, one million square feet of meeting and exhibition space, a 2,000 seat showroom, 850,000 square feet of retail mall space, and a 15,000 seat arena. Wow! On the façade, it seems that I have arrived too early, especially when most large-scale casinos are still under construction, but nonetheless, the current casinos itself is sufficient to fulfil me =p
Through a tunnel, bus AP1 passes through some landmarks such as the library of Taipa, Povoãçao de Cheok Ká (Cheok Ka Village). High-rise apartments dominate some scenes in Taipa, just like Hong Kong. Greenery is sparse, while soil & abandoned land are seen in some areas. Along Avenida Olympica, we caught a glimpse of Hipodrōmo de Corridas Cavalos (Macau Jockey Club). Horse-racing mainly takes place every Tuesday and Saturday or Sunday at the race-course on the Taipa Island of Macau. The race-course has an area of 450,000 square metres and 18,000 seats for gamblers, and is open only for people over 18 years of age.
In fact, the casino industry is viewed by some as harmful to society. A high crime rate is one of the biggest problems that the Macau government has to face. With the growth of the casino industry, a business called "bate-ficha" was developed and it is usually run by different triad societies. You see, the bate-ficha business is an element of triad involvement in Macau's gambling industry. Bate-ficha involves selling customers "dead chips" that cannot be exchanged for cash in the casinos, but only by triad-linked bate-ficha men, for a commission.
Triad involvement in Macau casinos makes a serious social impact on the local area. It attracts the attention of Chinese gangsters, whose deadly battles over the fortunes to be made from racketeering and extortion in the territory are a continuing problem. As different triad societies compete for controlled territory in the casinos and on the streets, disputes between societies occur from time to time. These are often settled in violent ways. Even worse, triad societies have grown so powerful in Macau that there was a trend that people tried to seek help from these societies rather than from the Police. Although the situation has improved since the 1999 handover to China, the problem is still enrooted in the local area, although it is not conspicuous.
Finally, there’s the last stop of Taipa just outside the New Century hotel, with its newly –refurbished casino, known as the Greek Mythology. Widely publicised and prevalent on the bus ads, its another “thematic-casinos” here. Above it is the University of Macau, how convenient huh! =p. An available pool of tertiary students as potential customers or more likely a recruitment place. Haha. Opposite the Greek Mythology (“xi la shen hua” in putonghua) is the Hyatt Hotel which I have been considering as one of the accomodation venues. I think it’s a disappointment, it looks old and unglamarous as compared to the others, although it has its good points such as tennis courts (rather rare in Macau).
Interestingly, at the western end of Estrada Noroeste da Taipa, there’s a series of glass monuments at a roundabout in front of Ponte de Sai Van (Sai Van Bridge) similar to the 30 St Mary Axe, also known as “The Gherkin” found in the city of London. I’d say it looks like some glass mini-cucumbers shaped structures at a range of heights with the highest probably around 30m tall. The afternoon sunrays shining through these monuments created a glittering effect altogether. Cool!
And here we go, up on the 2500m long Ponte de Sai Van to the Macau Peninsular with a Portas do Entendimento (Gate of Understanding) at the other end of the bridge. The Macau Peninsula was originally an island, but gradually a connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. A hazy image of the Macau Tower can be seen from afar. Opened on 19th Dec 2001, it is the 10th highest in the world at 338 metres. Indeed, it is an elegant construction offering magnficient panoramic views all Macau and much of the Pearl River Delta from its top deck. Its full name is Torre Panorâmica e Centro de Convenções (Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre) as it doubles as a convention centre with cinema halls included as well. While most of the towers act as transmission centre, this tower is entirely for tourism purposes with the mast solely for adventurous purposes. ^(will be described on 15 Dec 2005).
A scenic view greeted me along Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho with Lago Sai Van (Sai Van Lake) and Lago Nam Van (Nam Van Lake) situated side to side. The very first Portuguese monument I met is the Residência do Cônsul de Portugal (Residence of the Portuguese Consul). Wow, its handsome colonial façade blends into the beautiful surroundings with spectacular displays of cascading water and dancing lights & music from Lago Nam Van. The next historic building was the HQ of the Govt of the Macau SAR with a Jorge Alvares Monument nearby. These colonial architecture is heavily contrasted with the high-rise skyscrapers that looks similar to a mini-Manhattan.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the midst of the renovation season. Casinos in Macau is no longer monopolised since 2002, so most current casinos are undergoing major refurbishment to both their exterior & interior features with the arrival of Las-Vegas style of Casinos. The first casino I saw was none other than the most reputed biggest casino in Macau – Casino Lisboa. I’d say most big-size hotels have casinos in them. Lisboa has around 1000 rooms in total. It was in the late afternoon by then, thus no neon-glittering lights were not switched on yet. However, the landmark of Lisboa seems very old, like it hasn’t done any exterior finishes since the 70 or 80s. Its surroundings are currently sealed due to construction works. Opposite the Lisboa is the upcoming Las Vegas Wynn’s Casino and Entertainment Complex with its trademark glittering bronze building and a curvy roof.
Ahh, as the bus twists and turns into the complex matrix of small streets, more casino-hotel started to appear. They all looked better than what I’ve seen on the net. The myriad of bridges with steep gradients and complex road systems gave me the impression that land is quite limited here. From the NAPE reclaimed area of the southern Macau Peninsular, I realized many roads perpendicular to the Alameda Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção are named after countries. Examples are as such – Rua de Berlin, Rua de Roma, Rua de Londres, Rua de Madrid, et cetera.
The central area of NAPE is a huge garden, providing a green oasis between the city centre and the Outer Harbour wterfront, in which stands the Estátua de Kun Iam (Statue of Kun Iam or the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy as we know). More sculptures of bold contemporary designs are found scattered along the lawns and paths of Jardim das Artes (Arts Garden) that runs along Avenida da Amizade. At the intersection of both gardens is also known as the UNESCO Centre of Macau.
The bus sped through Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen with a glimpse of the Cultural Centre and the new Sands Casino – a landmark that can be seen afar. The future Fisherman’s Wharf integrated resort can be seen almost completed. I was unfamiliar with the roads of Macau at that time, by the time I spotted the hotel, I knew it was too late to alight. The bus stops are usually far-apart, thus the next stop was the Terminal Maritimo (Macau Ferry Terminal). That was when I found out how nearby my hotel was in terms of distance to the Ferry Terminal. A huge city reservatório (reservoir) was situated opposite the terminal with a Grand Prix Control Tower between them. But where were the tracks? No wonder, I realized the normal roads will be converted to racing tracks as they were sharp bends, loops and long stretches of straight road suitable for kart-racing. Indeed, it has a spectacular view. This also explains why the elevated reservoir edges are covered with steps as it doubles as grandstand as well. Interesting!
Helicopters can be seen landing on the helipad of the Terminal Maritimo originating from Hong Kong. These services are not just for the rich & famous, as long as one is willing to fork about MOP$1400-1500 (S$ 304 - 326) for a 16 minute journey to HK; a huge contrast to just MOP$142 (S$30.87) for a 55min deluxe ferry trip or even a cheaper 4.5hour bus ride via Mainland China.
Fortunately, most hotels in Macau, including those of other islands have regular free shuttle bus originating from the Ferry Terminal. Just imagine, about 15-20 buses all crammed up at the bus bay awaiting for their customers, or more like, casino patronizers at their hotel. We must have probably missed the bus as it is nowhere in sight. Shuttle buses like Sands Casino were usually more frequent than any other buses, fetching a full load most of the time, filled with gamblers. What I’m amazed was that most drivers actually sit patiently in their mini-buses to wait for passengers, instead of coming out to have a puff. Bigger casino companies such as the Greek Mythology tend to have regular services to Taipa Island where it is situated. All drivers are cloaked in a orange Nike Ace jacket with a huge Greek Mythology logo behind. These drivers tend to have companions to chat, unlike the others. Poor chaps. Hohoho.
After a while, a red bus pulled over. Ahh, finally, the Casa Real Hotel (or more likely to be Emperor’s Castle if translated from Mandrin) shuttle bus has arrived. Well, it was more comfy inside rather than the windy & chilly area outside. Not long after, a cacausian boarded and the bus departed. Actually, it’s a 5min walking distance and we might have probably check-in into the rooms, but nonetheless, why not utilise the service without any risks of getting lost? Haha. :p
Gosh, another hotel with part of the casino & its exterior façade undergoing renovation… Thank goodness the lobby is already refurbished. My first impression was that its interior design looks similar to the famous Russian underground metro stations due to the curvy ceilings & european-styled pillars. Chandeliers decked the lobby and lavish plush chairs in a corner. Service was excellent, though their English is abit way-off. Got a high-floor room 1701.
Indeed, just like what the counter staff said, it was indeed a room within a room. For the first time, I had an additional private mini-room with my own personal TV, and all the necessary stuff. Cool. The floor area was sure much bigger than most rooms I’ve come across, even the toilet was sure spacious. It has satellite TV, providing many foreign channels from TV5 (France), NHK (Japan) to those international ones like ESPN. Soon after, we left the hotel for some sightseeing.
The first attraction was the “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom”; just as HK have a gilded sculpture of its national flower at the HK exhibition & convention centre, this is the Macau’s version to mark the handover ceremony on 20 Dec 1999. From the complex, one could see the Tourism Activities Centre, which houses 2 musuems. The Wine musuem (one & only in Asia) illustrates the history of wine from ancient times and the cultivation of grapes & original Portuguese wine presses. Interestingly, it has a cellar containing wine over 100 years old and about 750 bottles of Portuguese wine. The entrance fee (MOP$15; S$ 3.26) includes wine tasting.
Located next to the Wine Musuem is a Grand Prix Musuem. Ahh, unique musuems indeed! It showcases the exhibits of racecars & motorbikes which raced and won the Guia circuit representing the history of one of the most exciting world exhibits.
Across Avenida do Amizade, the glittering granduer Las Vegas Sands Casino was clearly visible. It is sure huge and it has an outdoor LED panel with excellent pixellated pictures. *Sands will be further elaborated on 15 Dec 2005. Beside it is none other than the 5* Mandrin Oriental with a small extension of Oriental Casino in between them. Haha, I wondered who will visit Oriental Casino when the mega-glitzy casino is just directly next to it. Not only that, a huge neon-lited exterior façade beautify the nearby Waldo casino. Initially I thought it was some ‘ulu-ulu’ hotel-casino. Lol! It was some 3* hotel but a 4* exterior deco. The lobby doesn’t seem pleasant to me, not that kind of poshy and glitzy like the others. Well, it is one of the earliest hotel-casino in Macau.
Along the same road in front of the earlier-mentioned Jardim des Artes (Arts Garden) is houses the red-colored World Trade Centre building with a bold architectural design and a huge pointy “WTO” wordings on the roof. Following that, some narrow high-rise dilapidated residential units are concentrated nearby.
Just about a few metres or so, we found that the area near the Lision Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau S.A.R. was sealed off with a couple of police van & buses nearby. Whats going on??? We had to divert our route towards Avenida do Dr Rodrigo Rodrigues. As one could observed, so far many routes in Macau Peninsular are named afted some famous people, especially doctors ehhs! Soon after, more police & security guards started to appear guarding all the small lanes & streets, including outside banks (tho’ they were closed on a Sunday) & small-based casinos.
Here we are, at the cental historic heart where the Hotel Lisboa & Casino sits. This extravagantly designed building featuring a melange of architecture is not only a luxury hotel but also a complex of resturants offering a wise variety of haute coutre from all over the world, shops (many specialising in jewellery, Oriental antiques and various collectibles) and of course, the most frentic casino in Macau.
Hotel Lisboa is one of the major terminals for many bus services in Macau, hence it is easy to navigate once you see the word “Lisboa and Pu Jing written in trad-chinese characters). The yet-to-be completed Grand Lisboa casino sits opposite it, offering more choices for the punters in years to come.
As I was about to leave the Lisboa complex, several police motorbikes & cars pulled over. Avenida de Lisboa was inevitably closed due to a protest march. Ah, so this explains it. A huge group amonting to 100 plus mainlander Chinese took up the streets with colorful banners and boards of all sorts, criticising the law and the unfairness. I was told that it is about a protest to seek a relaxation of the law so as to allow mainlander chinese kids to come to Macau as citizens. I’m not too sure what it meant, but it is common tfor people to have mistress in mainland China you know…Well, it was a peaceful march, and since it was held next to a tourist complex, many whipped out their cameras for a shot. Haha. That includes me as well; I should say that’s the first protest march I’ve ever seen in my life. A joker Causasian was imitating the actions of the protesters lifting his arms while his friend took a video clip of his actions.
Perpendicular and further up of Avenida de Lisboa is the famous Avenida Almeida Ribeiro. Generally, it is known by its Chinese name “San Ma Lo”, which has long been Macau’s main street. It links the Praia Grande to the inner harbour and is always bustling with activity. The roads are always jammed with all sorts of vehicles. Most of the buildings date from the early 20th century and many faithfully maintain the decorated facades on the upper floors, while at street level contain shops selling gold & jewellery, pharmaceutical supples, clothes and foodstuffs. There are also several banks and the new Pawnshop Musuem housed in a beautifully restored 19th century Chinese Pawnshop, with its fortress-like tower that was needed to store valuables. Pawnshops dominate many shops in Macau, with a huge sign “ya” in chinese characters to represent its presence.
And finally! We’ve arrived the Senado Square, a primere attraction of Macau, which was coincidentally featured in the current Ch8’s 9pm drama series of Love Concierge. What is unique is the wave-patterned stone mosiac created especially by experts from Portugual, which extends all the way deep into to St. Pauls. In fact, such stone mosiac is prevalent in most pedestrian streets in the whole historic centre of Macau, giving you the impression of stepping foot back into the 19th century with those cobbled streets.
The Square, which has been a civic hub for centuries, is now fully pedestrianised and contains an elegant fountain (currently covered by a huge Xmas tree deco), trees, benches, up-scale café and space for public events. At one end of the square is the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (formerly the loyal Senate), and opposite is the Holy House of Mercy, dating from the 16th century, with another 19th century Post Office, looking similar to our Fullerton.
Since it was a Sunday, it was indeed a sight to see so many Filipino women (probably maids) sitting around just like our Lucky Plaza Complex awaiting for their friends. Occassionally, I did see some Indian workers here and there. Ah, that’s rare! So as to say, Macau’s Historic Centre represents the largest concentration of urban historical buildings in China, and is indeed a sprawling treasure trove of piazzas, quaint streets and beautifully preserved religious buildings.
“Only in Macau is Old Europe a step away from a stall selling caramelised egg-tarts and siew mai” as quoted from the SQ SilverKris magazine Dec 05 issue. Well, I found out that the reason why Portuguese egg tarts are partially-blackened on the top due to the addition of caramel on top of it, which turns black after roasting in the oven. Hahaha, so actually it is no different from the others tho’ its defintely crispier than what we eat in S’pore.
Here, back at Senado Square, the pastel-painted buildings, covered with exuberant decorations and carvings; the sinuous swirling hand-laid cobblestones underfoot, and the stunning facades all conspired to create a setting with a Southern European and slight Asian feel. High-class restaurants and shops dominate the front portion of the Square with a MacDonalds chain right ahead together with Starbucks, a 3-storey Bossini, Giordano, et cetera. It was indeed like HK, but with a European feeling.
At the far end of the square stands St. Dominic’s church, a marvellous example of baroque architecture built by the Dominican friars in the 17th century. It is famous for its magnificent altar, decorated wooden ceiling and treasury of statues and other sacred art, much of which is displayed in a museum occupying the old belfry. It was Macau’s prosperity during the Portuguese stewardship meaning that there was abudance of cash to pay for the best materials and workmanship. Veiled Chinese women knelt in prayer at well-worn pews, fingers thumbing their rosaries, their whispered prayers amplified in the echoing space towering over them.
Following up on the cobbled streets, more fashion & cosmetics shops can be seen such as Sasa, H20+ and a Haägen Dazs outlet at the junction. Interestingly, the Macau tourism dept has setted up computers along tourist sites allowing you to find out more about the tourist spots and a map, all which can be downloadable onto your mobile phone/PDA via infrared(which wasn’t functioning when I used -__-“”). The presence of those hippy stores start to diminsh, while antique furnitures and Macau’s pasteries & bakeries start to appear soon after.
These pasteries shop sell a huge varieties of those Macau’s biscuits, almond cookies (a free “live” demo of how it is made is available), seaweed crisps, dried goods, and of course bak kwa. Whenever one see such shops, you’ll not missed the bak kwa which is always displayed at the front of the shops. What is unique about theirs is that their bak kwa is displayed NEATLY in stacks, not like all messed up back in our homeland and they have a huge variety of flavors, ranging from all sorts of portions from beef, pork, piglet, chicken, mutton, etc. It is about MOP$48-58 per kati I think. Persuasive in marketing, the vendors will hold out an average A4 sized bak kwa with their tongs, one to handle the bak kwa, the other to rip out a generous piece for you to sample. And they’ll shout for your attention once tourists pass by the street. Actually, hardly anyone buys the bak kwa, so far I haven’t seen anyone yet, so they tend to hold hmm…perhaps a few days old bak kwa? Not only that, the bak kwa in their tongs were held in the open-air for so long, collecting all the minuscule dusts and dirt. Yucks! How about those sitting on display? They aren’t covered either, although it may seem tempting to buy, excluding those flavours that may send goosebumps down to your spines.
Ahead of these cobbled streets is the famous The Ruins of St. Paul’s. In other words, it is the front façade of the church which is recognised as Macau’s icon in all tourist books. The façade is like an altar piece reached by going up the imposing flight of stairs. The façade invites the faithful to meditate on the great truths of Christainity, preparing them to pray and celebrate the Eucharisty inside the church.
It is divided into 4 horizontal sections, topped with a pediment, and 9 vertical divisions which contain symbols that tell a story. Basically, the façade can be divided into 2 major sections: a rectangle corresponding to the two lower rows in which references to the apostolic and missionary work of the Society of Jesus. The other triangular section is dominated by a rep. of the Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary, who intercedes on Man’s behalf to God. Reading from the bottom to the top, we can see references over the doorways to the Society of Jesus and the patron of the College, follwed by a potrayal of the 4 Jesuit saints. Immediately above, the Assumption of the Virgin Immaculate is surrounded by typical Marian symbols, many of which are inteprested with oriental characteristics. Finally, the uppermost row is dedicated to Jesus, Son of God, surrounded by symbols of His Redeeming Passion. The triangular pediment evokes God the Father and also potrays the dove of the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person in the Holy Trinity, surrounded by the Sun, Moon and the stars.
The church dates back to A.D. 1563. To cut it short, The College of the Society of Jesus was established in 1565 as a religious institution and later elevated to a status of a college soon after, making it the first Western College in Asia. Next to the church stood a small chapel which was rebuilt several times after being destroyed by fire. Destroyed again by fire in 1601, a new church was soon built after that. Unfortuately, in 1835, a blaze started in the kitchen destroyed both the college and the church, but amazingly leaving the front façade. Fine panelling and gildedwoodwork were reported to have adorned the interior, but it is now all gone. The site is now an archeological musuem site, with a crypt and a large collection of sacred art in the old sacristy area.
>>to be continued, be back for updates :)
Day 01 – 11 Dec 2005 (Sunday) <br>
Route Outline: Singapore(Changi) > Taipa (Macau) > Macau Peninsular.
*Relevant pix of Macau trip will be placed on Flickr (yet to be loaded), so that it’ll not lag the uploading time of this webpage
Hmm…Looks like I didn’t had a proper sleep this morning..slept at 0100hrs…now I’m forced to be awake at 0520h. Though my flight wasn’t so early, the initial plan was to take public transport throughout….and I mean…throughout the whole journey. Haha. The plan…right from the beginning…was ruined. It was drizzling…wth!..of all days…it has to rain that morning! -__-“. My dad insisted to take the cab, however it was silly to take a cab coz we have plenty..loads of xs time…well..well…come on…the emphasis is on public transport. Well, I gave in. There it goes…the cab fare cost $13.10…these days the cab fares seems to be increasing for no reason…every year, it never fails to increase even though it’s the same route, same period of time.
We arrived Changi Airport T1 at 0645h!!!! OmG!!! I rattled & rattled…whats the use of turning up so early…its like 45 mins earlier than the check-in time & I doubt the counter opens that early anyway. Bah…
Whoa…looks like there’s a lot early birds like me…theres the long queue of passengers bound to HK & of curz the usual snake queue of Indian Airlines to Chennai. That has left me pondering…why izzit that everytime I pass by…there’s always bound to be a few Indians purchasing those electronic keyboards? =o And they don’t buy one, but several…21” TVs are common as their cargo, but elec. keyboard..hmm…that’s puzzling!
Had breakfast at T2 BK…oh yeah…no provided meals onboard Tiger Airways (TR). Returned back to T1 at 0735h. Oooo…there was already a queue formed at Row 4. It’s a great thing now TR flight tix are now computerized, not like previously, the name, flight number was all hand-written. Immigration seems to be more stringent than ever. Hmm…I was told by the SIR officer that its time to change my passport photo…she was right, the officer at the airport kept on comparing my face & the passport photo. Okok…that’s old photo. Humph…that’s the start of all the troubles. 10 immigration checks for the following few more days.
Holy cow, I saw an abandoned passport & an attached TR air tix to Macau as well on the floor of the toilet. Nopez…it isn’t mine manz….phew…but hmm…it was in the middle of the walkway of the toilet. The owner muz have dropped it & that guy’s on the same flight. I muz have met the guy since I spotted it only when im exiting the loo. Well, another guy’s leg is nearer to the passport, he picked it after a few glances at each other and that non living thing. I hope he did the right thing…tho’ he might not be on the same flight. Gosh…how terrible it is to lost a passport u know. I might as well emphasis that S’pore passport is one of the most highly valued passport of numerous countries in the black market. Juz imagine how many countries we don’t require visas with our passports...cool…we are indeed lucky souls. Kk, enough of passports.
Apparently, as a budget flight, the gate was situated far-far away, beyond your sights from the other end…all the way at the end of the Gate Cs. Gate C19 to be precise. It takes about 10 mins juz to walk there alone. A small queue already formed at 0835h…well, that’s kinda rare for international flights (except for those transit ones). That same gate is shared with C24, C25 as well, & one of them is already in the process of building the 3rd aerobridge to accommodate the future A380 jumbojet in 2006 J
Entering the plane is by intervals. Children & their companions plus elderly or any disabled are allowed to board first, followed by the rest, also in intervals to prevent jamming. It is only a ONE aisle A320-200, 3-3 seat configuration, 3 lavatory, 180 seats. However, it’s a brand-new plane. Everyone was amazingly punctual.
Pilot’s announcement was monotonous, like as if he just woke up...seriously, either he seems drunk or what…his voice don’t seem pleasing to my journey. Air stewardess were whoa…prettier than any other stewardess I’ve ever seen. Ehhs. Not bad. Hmm…no cushions provided on the airplane seat. There’s inflight magazine – Tigertales. It is also available online and I must give them 9*/10* for their contents. Its superb, so far it has surpassed most of my expectations. Its really excellent, the enlightening stories, the introduction of each cities it flies. Well done. Oops, there’s no air sickness bag for the giddy peeps out there. =O
Surprisingly, there were quite a couple of kids tagging along. I suppose they are hitching on a cheaper trip to HK I believe. Hahaha, after all, HK Disneyland is open and I must say that its claimed that they are losing $$$ by some newspaper....HK Disneyland is even paying the travel agents thrice now for the commission to promote that attraction…well, its small, its overcrowded, the culture of the peeps is duh, the quality isn’t there, the price isn’t worth. I don’t mean to denunciate HK Disneyland, but for the every cent worth, its betta to be at Tokyo Disneyland, the experience there is much fulfilling.
For the 1st time in my life, I got such a front seat…yesh….I got seat 9A. Free seating on Tiger Airways. Too bad, Valuair & Jetstar have allocated seats for you. I’ll like to quote this phrase which was announced, “Smoking is a no-no onboard”. Hahaha. I like this informal tone.
Another first – the plane departed off the gate ahead of schedule
0932h – Flight TR 802 left Gate C19, via the future T3 (whoa, its gonna be completed J & our beloved world’s first open-roof airport)
0940h – Flight TR 802 departed from S’pore Changi T1. It was still drizzling, raindrops drifted across the windows with the flow from vertical to horizontal when the plane increased in speed. I simply loved such weathers, take-offs are the most thrilling part of the journey. =p
0950h – Only 4 crews onboard the plane, started to distribute Macau immigration forms & taking orders for the “hot” meal for the day. Its “hot”, coz u must inform them beforehand so that they can reheat & serve you. And its “hot” coz the “hot food” is limited and it disappears before you change your decision. The air-stewardess announced, “Hot meal of the day – Nasi Lemak + Lor Mai Kai at S$8 only”, while holding a sample of the food going row by row enquiring, while the other took orders & carried a netted cash pouch to store the cash.
The old grannies behind were simply confused, they looked like some lost souls in the air muttering some dialect that were alien to me; all I know is that the stewardess replied in putonghua “This one saltier, this one less salty, so which one do you prefer?” Well, the crew is sooo much friendlier, not like some airline crew give you that heck-care-you are-just-some-inferior-econ-class “Uuu!!! Fiss or cheeken” or “arlo…Ca-fee orh tee?”…and yesh, bad pronunciation. But not Tiger Airways. I enjoyed the aroma diffusing to my area…oooo….it smells tasty, but I had my meal already and eight bucks is erm abit expensive don’t you think. The crew said, “wait for 15-20 mins, we need to reheat the “hot” food”. So it was like, “ok row 10A, 10B, that’ll be $16 then, shi liu kuai…ahh….shi liu..shi liu…one-six…ahh…singaporrrre dollllarss”…in a friendly tone.
Around 1000h, the beverage cum food cart came into action, two simultaneously, one in front and the other at the back, making the aisle almost impossible to cross, unless you are one bamboo, dorsal-ventrally flattened soul which can pass through. 100% of the souls attempting to cross will fail in their mission…ok 95%...and you can see their sighs or their annoyance. Hohohoho…its hilarious!!! Food is popular, so the cart goes tuu-tuu-tuu. Non-dorsal-flattened peeps have to trail behind the cart like some goats. Oh, some of these “goats” were munching on their food while waiting, so some crumbs were scattered around wherever they walked -__-“
Here’s the menu (found on the last page of TigerTales Mag)…
>>Assorted Sandwiches (ham, cheese) – S$ 5
>>Gourmet Sandwiches (tuna/chicken) – S$ 7
>>Hot meal of the day (only for flights more than 3h) – S$ 8
>>Instant noodles/soup (hot water provided obviously)
- Vegetarian/Tom Yam – S$ 3
- Korean Noodle (seafood/spicy) – S$ 4
- Cream of mushroom/chicken (no MSG) – S$ 3
>>Toblerone chocolate, camel mixed nuts, Yan Yan Dip (Choco/Strawberry), etc – S$ 2
>>Nescafe (3-in-1), Green Tea, Milo (3-in-1), Horlicks (3-in-1) – S$ 2
>>Coke, Diet Coke, 7-up, Schwepps Soda/Tonic H20, Evian Mineral H20, Orange/Apple juice – S$ 2
>>Liquor (limited range) – S$ 3 to S$ 4.50
Varieties good…slightly much better than StarCafe (Jetstar Asia’s inflight food), tho’ Jetstar’s hot meal is much tantalising than Tiger’s. Oh, one must twist and turn the air-con ducts yourself, otherwise it seems “non air-con”. No wonder, I felt kinda stuffy earlier on. There is also duty-free shopping, I doubt anyone bought anything. The passenger safety card (that tells you all the emergency procedures) is already on its 3rd issue even though the company is like 1years old plus…perhaps many peeps have the tendency to take away the card & that’s why the phrase “please do not remove from the plane” is clearly highlighted. There are seats even on the emergency exits (Row 12, 13). Passengers who take these seats must be 15years old and above, no aural, oral disabilities, must recognise the captain’s commands, must operate & help all the passengers & most importantly, open the emergency doors situated next to them within 5sec. The step-by-step picture seems to show a guy pulling the latch, throw it away, pull the door (33lbs, 15kg) and fling the door outwards. Hahahaa. That’s hilarious, the DIY procedures & the door being flung out. Haha.
Then, there was another cart selling those DIY inflated neck pillow for a comfortable ride. Blankets were available at S$2 (loan). If only the blankets were of those tiger stripes design, ooo…I’ll love it. I’ll buy it. J.
1250h – Flight TR 802 descended to a lower height, overlooking South China Sea. Preparation for landing…Small islands started to appear from the mist or perhaps...haze should be a proper word in this case.
1257h – Flight TR 802 landed on the runway of Aeroporto Internacional De Macau. Well, the full official name of the country is actually: Região Administrativa Especial deMacau da República Popular da China (Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. In English, we write it as “Macao”, in Portuguese, it is written as “Macau”. Now, I know the difference.
The runway and its taxiway itself are on a separate island connected to the airport terminal and its berth on the main island – Taipa (“Tam Chai” in Cantonese). Hence, after a magnificent view during landing, whereby the mountainous Taipa Island was visible, the plane will have to cross a long bridge across the sea to get to the airport terminal. By then, some major landmarks could be seen, such as the 338m Macau Tower on Macau Island. The weather was obviously very hazy with low visibility.
1303h – After a few minutes traveling on the bridge, TR 802 finally arrived at Gate 7A. Dang! Gate 7A does not use an aerobridge connected to the airport terminal, instead, it is away from the terminal & everyone have to use the stairs down & walk outdoors. The temperature was roughly 14c degrees. Holy cow, now then I realized how small an A320 plane was, as I’m used to travel on a larger & longer B777 plane most of the time. Oh, no buses provided, one have to walk, too bad grannies =p. Just a short sheltered walk towards the terminal & in fact it is even nearer walking distance to the immigration counters in comparison to the other gates. Hmm…so that’s smart move, no wonder it seems many airlines used Gate 7A and pay lesser, instead of those with aerobridge & have to pay more.
Macau Airport, as like what the Lonely Planet travel guide mentioned, is ultra-modern. I begged to differ, its modern only, but the metallic architecture gave it a cool appearance. Macau is a getaway to Hong Kong as well, hence there’s another exit to transfer to HK airport, with your luggage automatically transferred to the HK airport. Official languages in Macau are Portuguese & Chinese. English language is somehow rare. It is like a 3rd or 4th language, rather redundant here. However, Cantonese is the main communication tool in Macau. The one and only dialect you’ll ever need in a Cantonese region like this.
Finding your way out is a breeze, there are brochures regarding transportation & a tourism booth at the chegadas (arrivals) section. However, as this is entirely a free & ez tour, all transportation had to be settled by ourselves. After discussions, we decided to change a portion of our HK dollars to MOP$ (Macau’s currency). Just like S’pore & Brunei dollars are legal tender in S’pore, both HK dollars and Macau’s patacas can be used in Macau, although MOP$100 = HK$103 if I’m not wrong, thus it’s a big difference if one were to purchase in large amounts. Patacas = dollars, Avos = cents
The people of Macau, whether Chinese, Portuguese, or an amalgam of the two – Macanese – have always been proud of their city’s unique architecture as reflected in its temples, churches and genteel European squares. Nowadays, they even have more reason to boast – UNESCO recently bestowed World Heritage status on 12 local sites, a record by any standard. Wow! That’s a lot!
No other place on Earth so magically blends the heritage of Asia & Europe. It is a place where churches and casinos stand side by side; where religious deities of East & West forgive the vices of a week gone by; where quiet discoveries are made at every turn. Macau’s rich past is never far from view, from the shrines alongside shiny glass towers to the blue and white street signs with Portuguese names. It is a city full of contradictions that make perfect sense only when you take the time to understand them.
Just some introduction: The Macau Special Administrative Region has an area of 25.8sq km, comprised of the Macau Peninsular (8.5 sq km and connected to Mainland China), the islands of Taipa (6.2 sq km) and Coloane (7.6 sq km) and the reclaimed area of Cotai (3.5 sq km) connecting both Taipa & Coloane. Three bridges connect Taipa & Macau Peninsular. Two of them are around 2.5km long (whoa…you can do 2.4 km run there ehhs?) and the longest one “Sino-Portuguese Friendship Bridge” spans at 4.5 km long!!! This 4.5km long bridge (also known as Ponte de Amizade) starts near the airport and ends at the NATAP Reclamation area, quite near to Portas de Cerco (Border Gate to mainland China).
Well, I hardly see any taxis actually. Perhaps it’s because this airport has limited flights a day as we can see from the arrivals screen board. From the brochure estimates, a cab fare will cost MOP$53 (S$11.52) to my hotel. That’s a huge contrast to public bus costing only MOP$3.30 + MOP$3 (luggage) - total amounting to S$ 1.37! Soon, we boarded bus AP1. It’s a mini-bus which is a common sight in Hong Kong. Within Macau Peninsular, the bus fare is fixed at MOP$2.50 (S$0.54), crossover to Taipa island costs MOP$3.30, to Coloane isle costs MOP$4, while the furthest end of Coloane of Hác Sá Beach.
Opposite the airport is Parque de Taipa Grande (Taipa Grande Park) sitting on a hill, hence you can see tremendous steep cliffs facing the aeroporto. I remembered there were at least 160 passengers onboard the same flight, but the rest seems to have vanished. As bus AP1 travels along Avenida Wai Long, one can have a good view of Universidade de Macau da Ciência e da Tecnologia, which was rather deserted by then.
Taipa is mainly still under development, with numerous construction going on. One can conspicuously see the upcoming "Asia's Las Vegas" in Cotai Strip, which is a master planned development of resort casino properties on Cotai, an area of reclaimed land between the islands of Taipa and Coloane in Macau. In addition to the 10,000 guest rooms, the first phase of the Cotai Strip will offer a critical mass of business, leisure and entertainment attractions, including world class meetings and convention facilities, over 20,000 seats of live entertainment in eight separate theater venues and the most modern and exciting casinos in Asia.
Of course, the luxurious $2 billion Venetian Macau, which is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in mid-2007, will occupy 10.5 million square feet of space and will serve as the anchor of the Cotai Strip. At completion, the luxury resort will feature 3,000 suites, one million square feet of meeting and exhibition space, a 2,000 seat showroom, 850,000 square feet of retail mall space, and a 15,000 seat arena. Wow! On the façade, it seems that I have arrived too early, especially when most large-scale casinos are still under construction, but nonetheless, the current casinos itself is sufficient to fulfil me =p
Through a tunnel, bus AP1 passes through some landmarks such as the library of Taipa, Povoãçao de Cheok Ká (Cheok Ka Village). High-rise apartments dominate some scenes in Taipa, just like Hong Kong. Greenery is sparse, while soil & abandoned land are seen in some areas. Along Avenida Olympica, we caught a glimpse of Hipodrōmo de Corridas Cavalos (Macau Jockey Club). Horse-racing mainly takes place every Tuesday and Saturday or Sunday at the race-course on the Taipa Island of Macau. The race-course has an area of 450,000 square metres and 18,000 seats for gamblers, and is open only for people over 18 years of age.
In fact, the casino industry is viewed by some as harmful to society. A high crime rate is one of the biggest problems that the Macau government has to face. With the growth of the casino industry, a business called "bate-ficha" was developed and it is usually run by different triad societies. You see, the bate-ficha business is an element of triad involvement in Macau's gambling industry. Bate-ficha involves selling customers "dead chips" that cannot be exchanged for cash in the casinos, but only by triad-linked bate-ficha men, for a commission.
Triad involvement in Macau casinos makes a serious social impact on the local area. It attracts the attention of Chinese gangsters, whose deadly battles over the fortunes to be made from racketeering and extortion in the territory are a continuing problem. As different triad societies compete for controlled territory in the casinos and on the streets, disputes between societies occur from time to time. These are often settled in violent ways. Even worse, triad societies have grown so powerful in Macau that there was a trend that people tried to seek help from these societies rather than from the Police. Although the situation has improved since the 1999 handover to China, the problem is still enrooted in the local area, although it is not conspicuous.
Finally, there’s the last stop of Taipa just outside the New Century hotel, with its newly –refurbished casino, known as the Greek Mythology. Widely publicised and prevalent on the bus ads, its another “thematic-casinos” here. Above it is the University of Macau, how convenient huh! =p. An available pool of tertiary students as potential customers or more likely a recruitment place. Haha. Opposite the Greek Mythology (“xi la shen hua” in putonghua) is the Hyatt Hotel which I have been considering as one of the accomodation venues. I think it’s a disappointment, it looks old and unglamarous as compared to the others, although it has its good points such as tennis courts (rather rare in Macau).
Interestingly, at the western end of Estrada Noroeste da Taipa, there’s a series of glass monuments at a roundabout in front of Ponte de Sai Van (Sai Van Bridge) similar to the 30 St Mary Axe, also known as “The Gherkin” found in the city of London. I’d say it looks like some glass mini-cucumbers shaped structures at a range of heights with the highest probably around 30m tall. The afternoon sunrays shining through these monuments created a glittering effect altogether. Cool!
And here we go, up on the 2500m long Ponte de Sai Van to the Macau Peninsular with a Portas do Entendimento (Gate of Understanding) at the other end of the bridge. The Macau Peninsula was originally an island, but gradually a connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. A hazy image of the Macau Tower can be seen from afar. Opened on 19th Dec 2001, it is the 10th highest in the world at 338 metres. Indeed, it is an elegant construction offering magnficient panoramic views all Macau and much of the Pearl River Delta from its top deck. Its full name is Torre Panorâmica e Centro de Convenções (Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre) as it doubles as a convention centre with cinema halls included as well. While most of the towers act as transmission centre, this tower is entirely for tourism purposes with the mast solely for adventurous purposes. ^(will be described on 15 Dec 2005).
A scenic view greeted me along Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho with Lago Sai Van (Sai Van Lake) and Lago Nam Van (Nam Van Lake) situated side to side. The very first Portuguese monument I met is the Residência do Cônsul de Portugal (Residence of the Portuguese Consul). Wow, its handsome colonial façade blends into the beautiful surroundings with spectacular displays of cascading water and dancing lights & music from Lago Nam Van. The next historic building was the HQ of the Govt of the Macau SAR with a Jorge Alvares Monument nearby. These colonial architecture is heavily contrasted with the high-rise skyscrapers that looks similar to a mini-Manhattan.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the midst of the renovation season. Casinos in Macau is no longer monopolised since 2002, so most current casinos are undergoing major refurbishment to both their exterior & interior features with the arrival of Las-Vegas style of Casinos. The first casino I saw was none other than the most reputed biggest casino in Macau – Casino Lisboa. I’d say most big-size hotels have casinos in them. Lisboa has around 1000 rooms in total. It was in the late afternoon by then, thus no neon-glittering lights were not switched on yet. However, the landmark of Lisboa seems very old, like it hasn’t done any exterior finishes since the 70 or 80s. Its surroundings are currently sealed due to construction works. Opposite the Lisboa is the upcoming Las Vegas Wynn’s Casino and Entertainment Complex with its trademark glittering bronze building and a curvy roof.
Ahh, as the bus twists and turns into the complex matrix of small streets, more casino-hotel started to appear. They all looked better than what I’ve seen on the net. The myriad of bridges with steep gradients and complex road systems gave me the impression that land is quite limited here. From the NAPE reclaimed area of the southern Macau Peninsular, I realized many roads perpendicular to the Alameda Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção are named after countries. Examples are as such – Rua de Berlin, Rua de Roma, Rua de Londres, Rua de Madrid, et cetera.
The central area of NAPE is a huge garden, providing a green oasis between the city centre and the Outer Harbour wterfront, in which stands the Estátua de Kun Iam (Statue of Kun Iam or the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy as we know). More sculptures of bold contemporary designs are found scattered along the lawns and paths of Jardim das Artes (Arts Garden) that runs along Avenida da Amizade. At the intersection of both gardens is also known as the UNESCO Centre of Macau.
The bus sped through Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen with a glimpse of the Cultural Centre and the new Sands Casino – a landmark that can be seen afar. The future Fisherman’s Wharf integrated resort can be seen almost completed. I was unfamiliar with the roads of Macau at that time, by the time I spotted the hotel, I knew it was too late to alight. The bus stops are usually far-apart, thus the next stop was the Terminal Maritimo (Macau Ferry Terminal). That was when I found out how nearby my hotel was in terms of distance to the Ferry Terminal. A huge city reservatório (reservoir) was situated opposite the terminal with a Grand Prix Control Tower between them. But where were the tracks? No wonder, I realized the normal roads will be converted to racing tracks as they were sharp bends, loops and long stretches of straight road suitable for kart-racing. Indeed, it has a spectacular view. This also explains why the elevated reservoir edges are covered with steps as it doubles as grandstand as well. Interesting!
Helicopters can be seen landing on the helipad of the Terminal Maritimo originating from Hong Kong. These services are not just for the rich & famous, as long as one is willing to fork about MOP$1400-1500 (S$ 304 - 326) for a 16 minute journey to HK; a huge contrast to just MOP$142 (S$30.87) for a 55min deluxe ferry trip or even a cheaper 4.5hour bus ride via Mainland China.
Fortunately, most hotels in Macau, including those of other islands have regular free shuttle bus originating from the Ferry Terminal. Just imagine, about 15-20 buses all crammed up at the bus bay awaiting for their customers, or more like, casino patronizers at their hotel. We must have probably missed the bus as it is nowhere in sight. Shuttle buses like Sands Casino were usually more frequent than any other buses, fetching a full load most of the time, filled with gamblers. What I’m amazed was that most drivers actually sit patiently in their mini-buses to wait for passengers, instead of coming out to have a puff. Bigger casino companies such as the Greek Mythology tend to have regular services to Taipa Island where it is situated. All drivers are cloaked in a orange Nike Ace jacket with a huge Greek Mythology logo behind. These drivers tend to have companions to chat, unlike the others. Poor chaps. Hohoho.
After a while, a red bus pulled over. Ahh, finally, the Casa Real Hotel (or more likely to be Emperor’s Castle if translated from Mandrin) shuttle bus has arrived. Well, it was more comfy inside rather than the windy & chilly area outside. Not long after, a cacausian boarded and the bus departed. Actually, it’s a 5min walking distance and we might have probably check-in into the rooms, but nonetheless, why not utilise the service without any risks of getting lost? Haha. :p
Gosh, another hotel with part of the casino & its exterior façade undergoing renovation… Thank goodness the lobby is already refurbished. My first impression was that its interior design looks similar to the famous Russian underground metro stations due to the curvy ceilings & european-styled pillars. Chandeliers decked the lobby and lavish plush chairs in a corner. Service was excellent, though their English is abit way-off. Got a high-floor room 1701.
Indeed, just like what the counter staff said, it was indeed a room within a room. For the first time, I had an additional private mini-room with my own personal TV, and all the necessary stuff. Cool. The floor area was sure much bigger than most rooms I’ve come across, even the toilet was sure spacious. It has satellite TV, providing many foreign channels from TV5 (France), NHK (Japan) to those international ones like ESPN. Soon after, we left the hotel for some sightseeing.
The first attraction was the “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom”; just as HK have a gilded sculpture of its national flower at the HK exhibition & convention centre, this is the Macau’s version to mark the handover ceremony on 20 Dec 1999. From the complex, one could see the Tourism Activities Centre, which houses 2 musuems. The Wine musuem (one & only in Asia) illustrates the history of wine from ancient times and the cultivation of grapes & original Portuguese wine presses. Interestingly, it has a cellar containing wine over 100 years old and about 750 bottles of Portuguese wine. The entrance fee (MOP$15; S$ 3.26) includes wine tasting.
Located next to the Wine Musuem is a Grand Prix Musuem. Ahh, unique musuems indeed! It showcases the exhibits of racecars & motorbikes which raced and won the Guia circuit representing the history of one of the most exciting world exhibits.
Across Avenida do Amizade, the glittering granduer Las Vegas Sands Casino was clearly visible. It is sure huge and it has an outdoor LED panel with excellent pixellated pictures. *Sands will be further elaborated on 15 Dec 2005. Beside it is none other than the 5* Mandrin Oriental with a small extension of Oriental Casino in between them. Haha, I wondered who will visit Oriental Casino when the mega-glitzy casino is just directly next to it. Not only that, a huge neon-lited exterior façade beautify the nearby Waldo casino. Initially I thought it was some ‘ulu-ulu’ hotel-casino. Lol! It was some 3* hotel but a 4* exterior deco. The lobby doesn’t seem pleasant to me, not that kind of poshy and glitzy like the others. Well, it is one of the earliest hotel-casino in Macau.
Along the same road in front of the earlier-mentioned Jardim des Artes (Arts Garden) is houses the red-colored World Trade Centre building with a bold architectural design and a huge pointy “WTO” wordings on the roof. Following that, some narrow high-rise dilapidated residential units are concentrated nearby.
Just about a few metres or so, we found that the area near the Lision Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau S.A.R. was sealed off with a couple of police van & buses nearby. Whats going on??? We had to divert our route towards Avenida do Dr Rodrigo Rodrigues. As one could observed, so far many routes in Macau Peninsular are named afted some famous people, especially doctors ehhs! Soon after, more police & security guards started to appear guarding all the small lanes & streets, including outside banks (tho’ they were closed on a Sunday) & small-based casinos.
Here we are, at the cental historic heart where the Hotel Lisboa & Casino sits. This extravagantly designed building featuring a melange of architecture is not only a luxury hotel but also a complex of resturants offering a wise variety of haute coutre from all over the world, shops (many specialising in jewellery, Oriental antiques and various collectibles) and of course, the most frentic casino in Macau.
Hotel Lisboa is one of the major terminals for many bus services in Macau, hence it is easy to navigate once you see the word “Lisboa and Pu Jing written in trad-chinese characters). The yet-to-be completed Grand Lisboa casino sits opposite it, offering more choices for the punters in years to come.
As I was about to leave the Lisboa complex, several police motorbikes & cars pulled over. Avenida de Lisboa was inevitably closed due to a protest march. Ah, so this explains it. A huge group amonting to 100 plus mainlander Chinese took up the streets with colorful banners and boards of all sorts, criticising the law and the unfairness. I was told that it is about a protest to seek a relaxation of the law so as to allow mainlander chinese kids to come to Macau as citizens. I’m not too sure what it meant, but it is common tfor people to have mistress in mainland China you know…Well, it was a peaceful march, and since it was held next to a tourist complex, many whipped out their cameras for a shot. Haha. That includes me as well; I should say that’s the first protest march I’ve ever seen in my life. A joker Causasian was imitating the actions of the protesters lifting his arms while his friend took a video clip of his actions.
Perpendicular and further up of Avenida de Lisboa is the famous Avenida Almeida Ribeiro. Generally, it is known by its Chinese name “San Ma Lo”, which has long been Macau’s main street. It links the Praia Grande to the inner harbour and is always bustling with activity. The roads are always jammed with all sorts of vehicles. Most of the buildings date from the early 20th century and many faithfully maintain the decorated facades on the upper floors, while at street level contain shops selling gold & jewellery, pharmaceutical supples, clothes and foodstuffs. There are also several banks and the new Pawnshop Musuem housed in a beautifully restored 19th century Chinese Pawnshop, with its fortress-like tower that was needed to store valuables. Pawnshops dominate many shops in Macau, with a huge sign “ya” in chinese characters to represent its presence.
And finally! We’ve arrived the Senado Square, a primere attraction of Macau, which was coincidentally featured in the current Ch8’s 9pm drama series of Love Concierge. What is unique is the wave-patterned stone mosiac created especially by experts from Portugual, which extends all the way deep into to St. Pauls. In fact, such stone mosiac is prevalent in most pedestrian streets in the whole historic centre of Macau, giving you the impression of stepping foot back into the 19th century with those cobbled streets.
The Square, which has been a civic hub for centuries, is now fully pedestrianised and contains an elegant fountain (currently covered by a huge Xmas tree deco), trees, benches, up-scale café and space for public events. At one end of the square is the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (formerly the loyal Senate), and opposite is the Holy House of Mercy, dating from the 16th century, with another 19th century Post Office, looking similar to our Fullerton.
Since it was a Sunday, it was indeed a sight to see so many Filipino women (probably maids) sitting around just like our Lucky Plaza Complex awaiting for their friends. Occassionally, I did see some Indian workers here and there. Ah, that’s rare! So as to say, Macau’s Historic Centre represents the largest concentration of urban historical buildings in China, and is indeed a sprawling treasure trove of piazzas, quaint streets and beautifully preserved religious buildings.
“Only in Macau is Old Europe a step away from a stall selling caramelised egg-tarts and siew mai” as quoted from the SQ SilverKris magazine Dec 05 issue. Well, I found out that the reason why Portuguese egg tarts are partially-blackened on the top due to the addition of caramel on top of it, which turns black after roasting in the oven. Hahaha, so actually it is no different from the others tho’ its defintely crispier than what we eat in S’pore.
Here, back at Senado Square, the pastel-painted buildings, covered with exuberant decorations and carvings; the sinuous swirling hand-laid cobblestones underfoot, and the stunning facades all conspired to create a setting with a Southern European and slight Asian feel. High-class restaurants and shops dominate the front portion of the Square with a MacDonalds chain right ahead together with Starbucks, a 3-storey Bossini, Giordano, et cetera. It was indeed like HK, but with a European feeling.
At the far end of the square stands St. Dominic’s church, a marvellous example of baroque architecture built by the Dominican friars in the 17th century. It is famous for its magnificent altar, decorated wooden ceiling and treasury of statues and other sacred art, much of which is displayed in a museum occupying the old belfry. It was Macau’s prosperity during the Portuguese stewardship meaning that there was abudance of cash to pay for the best materials and workmanship. Veiled Chinese women knelt in prayer at well-worn pews, fingers thumbing their rosaries, their whispered prayers amplified in the echoing space towering over them.
Following up on the cobbled streets, more fashion & cosmetics shops can be seen such as Sasa, H20+ and a Haägen Dazs outlet at the junction. Interestingly, the Macau tourism dept has setted up computers along tourist sites allowing you to find out more about the tourist spots and a map, all which can be downloadable onto your mobile phone/PDA via infrared(which wasn’t functioning when I used -__-“”). The presence of those hippy stores start to diminsh, while antique furnitures and Macau’s pasteries & bakeries start to appear soon after.
These pasteries shop sell a huge varieties of those Macau’s biscuits, almond cookies (a free “live” demo of how it is made is available), seaweed crisps, dried goods, and of course bak kwa. Whenever one see such shops, you’ll not missed the bak kwa which is always displayed at the front of the shops. What is unique about theirs is that their bak kwa is displayed NEATLY in stacks, not like all messed up back in our homeland and they have a huge variety of flavors, ranging from all sorts of portions from beef, pork, piglet, chicken, mutton, etc. It is about MOP$48-58 per kati I think. Persuasive in marketing, the vendors will hold out an average A4 sized bak kwa with their tongs, one to handle the bak kwa, the other to rip out a generous piece for you to sample. And they’ll shout for your attention once tourists pass by the street. Actually, hardly anyone buys the bak kwa, so far I haven’t seen anyone yet, so they tend to hold hmm…perhaps a few days old bak kwa? Not only that, the bak kwa in their tongs were held in the open-air for so long, collecting all the minuscule dusts and dirt. Yucks! How about those sitting on display? They aren’t covered either, although it may seem tempting to buy, excluding those flavours that may send goosebumps down to your spines.
Ahead of these cobbled streets is the famous The Ruins of St. Paul’s. In other words, it is the front façade of the church which is recognised as Macau’s icon in all tourist books. The façade is like an altar piece reached by going up the imposing flight of stairs. The façade invites the faithful to meditate on the great truths of Christainity, preparing them to pray and celebrate the Eucharisty inside the church.
It is divided into 4 horizontal sections, topped with a pediment, and 9 vertical divisions which contain symbols that tell a story. Basically, the façade can be divided into 2 major sections: a rectangle corresponding to the two lower rows in which references to the apostolic and missionary work of the Society of Jesus. The other triangular section is dominated by a rep. of the Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary, who intercedes on Man’s behalf to God. Reading from the bottom to the top, we can see references over the doorways to the Society of Jesus and the patron of the College, follwed by a potrayal of the 4 Jesuit saints. Immediately above, the Assumption of the Virgin Immaculate is surrounded by typical Marian symbols, many of which are inteprested with oriental characteristics. Finally, the uppermost row is dedicated to Jesus, Son of God, surrounded by symbols of His Redeeming Passion. The triangular pediment evokes God the Father and also potrays the dove of the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person in the Holy Trinity, surrounded by the Sun, Moon and the stars.
The church dates back to A.D. 1563. To cut it short, The College of the Society of Jesus was established in 1565 as a religious institution and later elevated to a status of a college soon after, making it the first Western College in Asia. Next to the church stood a small chapel which was rebuilt several times after being destroyed by fire. Destroyed again by fire in 1601, a new church was soon built after that. Unfortuately, in 1835, a blaze started in the kitchen destroyed both the college and the church, but amazingly leaving the front façade. Fine panelling and gildedwoodwork were reported to have adorned the interior, but it is now all gone. The site is now an archeological musuem site, with a crypt and a large collection of sacred art in the old sacristy area.
>>to be continued, be back for updates :)
We know life's hard, truth is hard, lies are hard, they are all hard to accept when they have been
found out, and i'm rushing history homework on the Abyissian Crisis about Italy and Abyssia going into war and that the League Of Nations cannot stop this from happening, and beacuse they are formed by means to stop war and
peace-keep the countries together, they have thus failed to achieve that. I think i tend to hold a class for history instead of telling you about me, i'm basically a what subject-realted lover (humanities) and thus
I am more analytical and critical about things, and likes to study about dead people, haha. lol. it's history what can you expect and also geography, it amazes me. I really like it alot, so what have you? Again to find this answer
you need to enter into your own reality and reflect
it's amazing. amzing how people change the way of things, like how I used to hate outdoors in Band
felt it was a complete waste of time, i've acquired to like it more, i guess people change, their thereotical means and applications in life just goes on into a new direction, and see things in another perspective, i guess- it's
all in the mind. It really amazes me how these comes into action, from someone so pessimistic has changed his own view of things, and thus my friend is scoring much better, being more optimisitc and not think of his old way of suicidal
thoughts, which are pretty daunting. and thus we need to see things, in another light, another perspective and another new way, to enable us to open up our minds, and make more new things, the new way it is.