Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 22, 2006 0:29:58 GMT -5
There's Magic In Old Macau
By Bob Kimmins
The Nation
Publication Date : 2006-03-22
I failed to see the fun in watching my family empty our bankbook in the shopping emporiums of Hong Kong. So while my wife and daughter ran their fingers through cloth and tried on shoes, I took the turbojet boat to Macau.
Macau was established as a Portuguese trading colony in 1557 and by the 18th century, had become one of the world’s richest cities. China formally recognised Portuguese sovereignty there in 1887, but shortly afterwards, a silting harbour and growing Hong Kong reduced the settlement’s trade and reputation to one of smuggling and gambling dens.
Violent confrontations ensued over the control of gambling profits between mafia gangs, or triads, before Macau was handed back to China in 1999, while retaining internal autonomy.
Today, this peninsula of just over 20sq.km is an intriguing mix of cultural elegance and upmarket casinos. To get there from Hong Kong, take the boat – or fly in by helicopter if you can swing it.
Hydrofoils leave Sheung Wan Harbour every 15 minutes and the round-trip journey of one hour each way costs HK$300 (Bt1,500).
Sit on the right going out, left coming back, and watch picturesque islands float past before a backdrop of China’s mountainous landscape.
Disembarking at Macau ferry port, I had four hours to see as much as possible, and while staring out at a road that vanished into high-rise buildings, I had no idea where to start.
People looking dazed and confused at terminal concourses are easy prey for the tour guide and it wasn’t long before I was approached.
Colonial curiosities
With a plastic card dangling from his neck, Chinese Jimmy identified himself as a government guide, and he rapidly convinced me that I wouldn’t see much in the time I had to spare – without him.
But HK$750 for a two-hour tour seemed a bit steep to me, and after opening my wallet to prove lack of funds I managed to secure the trip at “half price”.
Downtown Macau has a European air about it, with its cobblestone streets narrowly winding between tall balconied buildings, and I marvelled at the contrasting style of the Chinese Library on Rue de Santa Clara.
A stroll through the park took us up to the ramparts of the 17th-century Monte Fort, with its barracks, cisterns, cannons and storehouses, and panoramic photo opportunities of Macau and the Chinese town of Zhuhai, spread along the bank beyond the Pearl River.
All that’s left of the Church of St Paul stands close to the fort. The original church was constructed of wood in 1602, with a carved stone frontage added 20 years later. A fire in 1835 destroyed the main building leaving just the facade and its wide stone steps leading down to the town.
Back on the road, we passed the government headquarters on Avenida Praia Grande, with its two-storey Portuguese mansion – formerly Government Palace – and dropped in at the Buddhist Hong Kung Temple on Rua das Estalagens.
The 17th-century Penha Church stands atop the Colina da Penha, from which we overlooked the Chief Executive's Palace, other colonial residences, the modern Macau Tower, and man-made lakes.
So much to see
Jimmy dropped me off to wander alone around the Largo do Senado. This large tiled square is surrounded by attractive shopfronts frequently punctuated by stunning examples of colonial architecture.
The impressive 18th-century Leal Senado Building is painted white with beige/brown window frames, and three French windows on the upper floor open onto a balcony with iron railings.
There’s the brilliant white Santa Casa da Misericordia and further down, the 400-year-old St Dominic’s Church, with its cream-coloured walls, white stucco mouldings and green-shuttered windows.
Off the main plaza there are side roads to explore and small narrow lanes lined with pretty mews cottages, and at the top of a hill I found the mother church of Macau.
The cathedral originates from 1850, but was nearly destroyed by a typhoon 24 years later. Completely rebuilt in the 1930s, this World Heritage site has two solid towers, massive doors and beautiful stained glass windows.
Suddenly, my four hours were up and I had only discovered but a fraction of Macau.
In all, there are nearly 200 restaurants, 15 casinos, 12 museums, four forts, a barracks, Roman Coliseum, theme park and many examples of Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese architecture, 16 parks and gardens, as many churches and seven other places of worship including the 2,000-year-old Tai Soi Temple.
So I have every excuse to return to Macau and catch up on the sights that I missed, stroll through the parks and eat Portuguese food. And if Nong and Mim are shopping in Hong Kong, I’ll pop into Sands Casino to try and win back the money they spend.
By Bob Kimmins
The Nation
Publication Date : 2006-03-22
I failed to see the fun in watching my family empty our bankbook in the shopping emporiums of Hong Kong. So while my wife and daughter ran their fingers through cloth and tried on shoes, I took the turbojet boat to Macau.
Macau was established as a Portuguese trading colony in 1557 and by the 18th century, had become one of the world’s richest cities. China formally recognised Portuguese sovereignty there in 1887, but shortly afterwards, a silting harbour and growing Hong Kong reduced the settlement’s trade and reputation to one of smuggling and gambling dens.
Violent confrontations ensued over the control of gambling profits between mafia gangs, or triads, before Macau was handed back to China in 1999, while retaining internal autonomy.
Today, this peninsula of just over 20sq.km is an intriguing mix of cultural elegance and upmarket casinos. To get there from Hong Kong, take the boat – or fly in by helicopter if you can swing it.
Hydrofoils leave Sheung Wan Harbour every 15 minutes and the round-trip journey of one hour each way costs HK$300 (Bt1,500).
Sit on the right going out, left coming back, and watch picturesque islands float past before a backdrop of China’s mountainous landscape.
Disembarking at Macau ferry port, I had four hours to see as much as possible, and while staring out at a road that vanished into high-rise buildings, I had no idea where to start.
People looking dazed and confused at terminal concourses are easy prey for the tour guide and it wasn’t long before I was approached.
Colonial curiosities
With a plastic card dangling from his neck, Chinese Jimmy identified himself as a government guide, and he rapidly convinced me that I wouldn’t see much in the time I had to spare – without him.
But HK$750 for a two-hour tour seemed a bit steep to me, and after opening my wallet to prove lack of funds I managed to secure the trip at “half price”.
Downtown Macau has a European air about it, with its cobblestone streets narrowly winding between tall balconied buildings, and I marvelled at the contrasting style of the Chinese Library on Rue de Santa Clara.
A stroll through the park took us up to the ramparts of the 17th-century Monte Fort, with its barracks, cisterns, cannons and storehouses, and panoramic photo opportunities of Macau and the Chinese town of Zhuhai, spread along the bank beyond the Pearl River.
All that’s left of the Church of St Paul stands close to the fort. The original church was constructed of wood in 1602, with a carved stone frontage added 20 years later. A fire in 1835 destroyed the main building leaving just the facade and its wide stone steps leading down to the town.
Back on the road, we passed the government headquarters on Avenida Praia Grande, with its two-storey Portuguese mansion – formerly Government Palace – and dropped in at the Buddhist Hong Kung Temple on Rua das Estalagens.
The 17th-century Penha Church stands atop the Colina da Penha, from which we overlooked the Chief Executive's Palace, other colonial residences, the modern Macau Tower, and man-made lakes.
So much to see
Jimmy dropped me off to wander alone around the Largo do Senado. This large tiled square is surrounded by attractive shopfronts frequently punctuated by stunning examples of colonial architecture.
The impressive 18th-century Leal Senado Building is painted white with beige/brown window frames, and three French windows on the upper floor open onto a balcony with iron railings.
There’s the brilliant white Santa Casa da Misericordia and further down, the 400-year-old St Dominic’s Church, with its cream-coloured walls, white stucco mouldings and green-shuttered windows.
Off the main plaza there are side roads to explore and small narrow lanes lined with pretty mews cottages, and at the top of a hill I found the mother church of Macau.
The cathedral originates from 1850, but was nearly destroyed by a typhoon 24 years later. Completely rebuilt in the 1930s, this World Heritage site has two solid towers, massive doors and beautiful stained glass windows.
Suddenly, my four hours were up and I had only discovered but a fraction of Macau.
In all, there are nearly 200 restaurants, 15 casinos, 12 museums, four forts, a barracks, Roman Coliseum, theme park and many examples of Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese architecture, 16 parks and gardens, as many churches and seven other places of worship including the 2,000-year-old Tai Soi Temple.
So I have every excuse to return to Macau and catch up on the sights that I missed, stroll through the parks and eat Portuguese food. And if Nong and Mim are shopping in Hong Kong, I’ll pop into Sands Casino to try and win back the money they spend.