Macau (Nov '11)

Traveled to Macau from 11 Nov (Fri) to 13 Nov (Sun) over the weekend. Macau (澳門) is a Special Administrative region of the People's Republic of China. The territory is highly urbanized where two-thirds of the total land area is built on land reclaimed from the sea. This was my first-time visiting Macau.


Leisure trip at a glance

Country / Region: People's Republic of China (Macau Special Administrative Region)
Period: 11 Nov to 13 Nov 2011
Flight timings:
11 Nov: 3K 575, SIN–MFM, ETD 1345 ETA 1725
13 Nov: 3K 576, MFM–SIN, ETD 1805 ETA 2145
Air tickets: Return tickets at SGD 260.95 (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodation:
Ole London Hotel (11 Nov to 13 Nov)
Currency exchange rate: MOP 100 = SGD 16.50 (Nov '11 period)

There is no time difference between Singapore and Macau as both are in GMT+8 time zone. Total damage was about SGD 550 including flight tickets, airport taxes, transport, food & hotel, and excluding personal expenses.

Day One

Took a taxi and waited for the other three friends at airport. After that we had an early lunch at Terminal 1 after immigration clearance.

Macau International Airport

Macau International Airport is located at the easter end of Taipa island on a strip of reclaimed land. The IATA code for this airport is MFM.

Glad that the flight arrived at the airport on time (left photo below). After immigration clearance, we then decided to take a cab to our hotel. Taxi queue was long (right photo below), and after much waiting we finally got onto our cab and reached the hotel at around 6.30 pm. Cost of the cab from airport to hotel was MOP 80.
Ole London Hotel

Ole London Hotel is located along Praça de Ponte e Horta in the Macau City (left photo below), and it is just 5-minute walk away from Senado Square. Room was clean and well-maintained (right photo below).


Booked this hotel online for two Twin Standard rooms for 2 nights without breakfast which cost a total of MOP 3,730. So, after conversion, it was SGD 154.23 per person for the hotel.

Rua da Felicidade (福隆新街)

Rua da Felicidade, or Happiness Street in English, is famous for its well-preserved buildings. During the 19th century, this street was known for being the city's red-light district populated with brothels, teahouses and opium shops. With the support from local government, the street was revamped where the shop fronts are painted deep red in color. Now it has become a major tourist attraction filled with bakeries, eateries and other shops geared for tourism (left photo below).

Decided to have dinner at Dragon Mama Cuisine (火龍媽媽) at this street (right photo below).
Ordered a cheese & butter shrimp (left photo below), oyster cake (right photo below), fried rice (bottom left photo) and a seafood soup (bottom right photo). Total cost was MOP 232. Taste was good and reasonably priced especially in a tourist attraction.
Exploring historic center at night

After dinner we decided to explore the historic center of Macau by foot. Started off from Senado Square and ended at the ruins of St. Paul's (photos below). Buildings were charming at night with the façade lightings.

We then walked back to hotel for a good rest.


Day Two

We started our exploration of the historic center again in the morning at 8 am.

Historic Centre of Macau (澳門歷史城區)

The Historic Centre of Macau is a collection of over twenty locations that witness the unique assimilation and co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau which was a former Portuguese colony. It represents the architectural legacies of the Macau's cultural heritage, including monuments such as urban squares, streetscapes, churches and temples.

The unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese architecture in the city's historic center led to its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.

Senado Square (議事亭前地)

The Senado Square is an elongated triangular shaped paved town square of 3,700-square meters (left photo below). Many large events in Macau were hosted on this square, which include festival celebrations, flea markets and performances.

Leal Senado Building (民政總署大樓)

Leal Senado Building was the seat of Portuguese Macau's government comprises of Legislative Assembly of Macau and Municipal Council of Macau (right photo below). It is located at one end of the Senado Square and currently houses Macau's Municipal Affairs Bureau.
Holy House of Mercy (仁慈堂大樓)

Holy House of Mercy is a historic building in Senado Square (left photo below). It was a medical clinic and several other social welfare structures in early Macau.

St. Dominic's Church (板樟堂)

St. Dominic's Church is a late 16th century Baroque-style church (right photo below). The Treasure of Sacred Art Museum was established and located inside the church's bell tower when the church underwent renovation in 1997.
Ruins of Saint Paul's (大三巴牌坊)

Ruins of Saint Paul's are the ruins of a 17th century Catholic religious complex that originally included St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul. The ruins now consist of the southern stone façade where it stands on a small hill with 68 stone steps leading up to it (left photo below).

Established in 1580 and was almost perished completely under the third fire in 1835 where only the main façade and its foundations remains. Since then, it is known as St. Paul's Ruins, from which the term "Sam Po" (三巴) is recognized in Chinese, while the façade of the old church itself is known as "Pai Fang" (牌坊) in Chinese as it resembles a commemorative traditional Chinese arch.

Restored by the Macanese government, the façade is now buttressed with concrete and steel in a way which preserves the aesthetic integrity of the façade. There is a steel stairway that allowed visitors to climb up to the top of the façade from its rear (right photo below).
The façade was intricately carved between 1620 and 1627 by Japanese Christians in exile from their homeland. The carvings include Jesuit images with Oriental themes such as the dragon and stone lions at the sides of third and fourth tiers (left photo below). Another interesting carving is the Blessed Virgin Mary stepping on a seven-headed hydra (right photo below), with the Chinese inscription "聖母踏龍頭" (Holy Mother tramples the heads of the dragon).


Na Tcha Temple (哪吒廟)

The Na Tcha Temple is located near the ruins of St. Paul's (left photo below). It was constructed in the 24th year of Guangxu reign in 1898, and is dedicated to the worship of the popular Deity Na Tcha (哪吒) or Sam Tai Tsz (三太子).

Fortaleza do Monte (大砲台)

Fortaleza do Monte, or Mount Fortress in English, is a fort built between 1617 and 1626 on a 52-meters tall Mount Hill located east of the ruins of St. Paul's. The fort occupies an area of around 8,000-square meters. Thirty-two muzzle-loading cannons were placed around the fort's walls, and the two corners of the southeastern fort wall have small watchtowers (right photo below).
Old Town of Macau

The Old Town of Macau can be seen from the Mount Fortress (photos below).
Hidden below a backdrop of skyscrapers, the quiet residential area brings out the authentic Chinese neighborhood feel (photos below).
Rua de Sao Paulo

Rua de Sao Paulo is a popular "Food Street" located between Rua da Palha and Largo da Companhia de Jesus. The street is lined with Macanese specialty snack shops, dessert and other food shops. Famous bakeries such as Koi Kei Bakery (鉅記餅家) and Choi Heung Yuen Bakery (咀香園餅家) are located along this street (photos below).
Visitors can sample free foods or make purchases of various cookies and snacks in nice packaging (left photo below) and try the famous Portuguese style egg tarts (right photo below).
Best Congee in Macau

It is said to be the top place in Macau to get the best congee! Located in front of Nuwa temple, at 116 Rua das Estalagens, this anonymous tiny food place only serves congee in the morning from 0630 till 1230 hours (photos below). The congee is made from fresh ingredients traditionally.
Ordered a plate of steamed vermicelli roll (left photo below) and a bowl of pig's offal congee (right photo below). Total cost was MOP 45. Taste of vermicelli roll was average but the taste of the creamy smooth porridge was good.
Tea Plus (大聖豬扒包)

Tea Plus is located between Senado Square and the ruins of St. Paul's (left photo below). The store advertises through its bright banners, so it's hard not to miss it among the busy streets. It sells Portuguese egg tarts, along with drinks and other kinds of food, like pork chop buns.

Bought two pork chop buns ((豬扒包) to try which cost MOP 15 each (right photo below). The pork chop was rather tough and taste was average.
Seng Kei Porridge Store (盛记白粥)

We saw this Seng Kei Porridge Store at de canja (黑沙環店) while walking back to Senado Square (left photo below). What caught our attention was the layered pastry at its shop window which seemed to be tasty (right photo below).
Thus we walked into the store and ordered four bowls of mango bean curd (芒果豆腐花) at total of MOP 35.50 (left photo below) and a plate of 'zhaliang' (炸两) at MOP 13 (right photo below). 'Zhaliang' is a Cantonese dim sum made by tightly wrapping rice noodle roll around fried dough. Taste of 'zhaliang' was average but the bean curd was refreshing.
Restaurante Platao (九如坊)

The Restaurante Platao is located at the Senado Square (left photo below). It was recommended by our colleague, thus decided to have our lunch there. Ordered a smoothie (right photo below), serradura cake (bottom left photo) and Portuguese duck rice (bottom right photo). Total cost for this lunch was MOP 319.

Serradura, also known as sawdust pudding, is a popular Portuguese dessert in both Portugal and Macau. Taste for the Portuguese duck rice was good and authentic as the one I had in Lisbon.
We then took public bus to A-Ma temple. Fare for riding public bus in Macau is fixed at MOP 4.20 per person for one bus trip.

A-Ma Temple (媽閣廟)

A-Ma Temple is a temple to the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu. Built in 1488, this temple is one of the oldest in Macau (photos below).

🛫 Travel Trivia
It is believed that the name "Macao" was derived from the name of A-Ma Temple. When the Portuguese sailors landed in the 16th century at the coast just outside the temple and asked the name of the place, the locals replied "媽閣" ('Maa-gok' in Cantonese). The Portuguese then named the peninsula as "Macao".

We then took public bus to the Macau Tower.

Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center (澳門旅遊塔會展娛樂中心)

Probably tired from the walking and afternoon heat, we decided to have a tea-break at the Singing Bean Coffee (left photo below) located in the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center. Each of us got a drink (right photo below), and shared a pudding (bottom left photo) and a cheese cake (bottom right photo). Total cost of this satisfying tea-break was MOP 201.30. It was relaxing having a break inside this café.

We then took a stroll outside to Sai Van Lake Square in the evening. First building we saw was the Macau Tower (left photo below). Measuring at 338-meters in height, the Macau Tower was completed in 2001. Another structure we saw was the Sai Van Bridge (right photo below). Measuring at 2.2-km, the bridge connects the Taipa Island and Macau Peninsula.


The 11th Macau Food Festival (第十一屆澳門美食節)

It was the second day of the 11th Macau Food Festival during our visit (photos below). The period of this festival occurred from 11 to 27 November at Sai Van Lake Square (西湾湖广场).
Bought some snacks from the various stalls (photos below). Total for these light bites was MOP 100. As we had a heavy lunch, these snacks were just adequate as our dinner.
We took cab to the Venetian Macao hotel which cost MOP 41.

The Venetian Macao (澳門威尼斯人)

The Venetian Macao is a hotel and casino resort and it is modeled after its sister casino resort 'The Venetian Las Vegas' (left photo below). We also walked to Hard Rock Café (right photo below), just located opposite the Venetian Macao, to get its merchandise.

✍ Update:
Hard Rock Hotel Macau is permanently closed on 05 Jul 2017 and its Hard Rock Café Macau is also closed on 28 Jan 2019.

The Venetian Macao is the second-largest casino in the world and largest single structure hotel in Asia. It even has its own miniature version of the San Luca canal with sky-painted ceilings inside the hotel (photos below). Luxury stores and Michelin-starred restaurants can be found along this artificially created canal.
There is also authentic gondola ride available to visitors (left photo below). Another attraction in this hotel is its spacious and airy main lobby with the feel of grand palace room or a highly decorative Italian chapel (right photo below).
Finally, we took a cab back to hotel which cost MOP 60.


Day Three

After checked out from the hotel, we walked to the Senado Square for our breakfast.

Breakfast at a Fast-Food Restaurant

Decided to have it in a fast-food restaurant at Senado Square (left photo below). Ordered a 'Sausage N'Egg Twisty Pasta' set for about MOP 17 (right photo below). This is special as the meal is available only in Hong Kong and Macau.
After breakfast, we split into two groups where two of my friends took ferry to Hong Kong while me and another friend continued to explore Macau. We then took bus to the Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal.

Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal (外港客運碼頭)

The Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal is a ferry terminal located at Porto Exterior (left photo below). It provides ferry services to Hong Kong. The terminal building is a two-storey structure with arrivals on the lower level while its departure on its upper level. We then deposited our luggage in the locker storage at this terminal building (right photo below). This allowed us to travel light.
Macau Fisherman's Wharf (澳門漁人碼頭)

The Macau Fisherman's Wharf is an integrated waterfront hotel, convention, dining, retail and entertainment complex near to the outer harbor ferry terminal. The complex includes over 70 stores and restaurants in buildings built in style of different world seaports and coastal towns (photos below).
Lunch at Fast-Food Restaurant

Decided to have lunch in the Sands Macao Casino (left photo below). After some searching, we finally opted to patronize this fast-food restaurant and I ordered a two-piece chicken meal (right photo below).
There was not much to explore near the Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal. Therefore we took bus from the terminal to the airport.

Macau International Airport

After gotten our air tickets, I felt hungry again and thus ordered a bowl of beef balls noodles at MOP 40 (left photo below). The soup was tasteless but the beef balls were slightly better in taste and texture. Lesson learnt was not to have any meal in this airport as it was pricey.

Waited for about an hour in the Departure Hall before the flight allowed us to board (right photo below).
To my surprise, the seat assigned to me was rather wide with ample leg space (left photo below). The flight was not fully occupied with only about 50% occupancy from my observation (right photo below).
With this, it ended my weekend trip to Macau.