What’s there to see in Macau?
2009
There’s nothing really much to see in Macau. Well, at least i didn’t get to see much except for the ruins of St Paul’s church and then walking along the alleys that led out of the ruins. That’s quite fun.
All that’s left of the ruins is a wall which had some intricate carvings. The authorities have built a couple of rooms to showcase some of the paintings and ornaments used by the priests and church people of that time. All quite nicely done.
It’s raining when we arrived there, a slight drizzle that seemed to go on forever. I’m told it’s like that at the start of spring. The cobble stones are firm, not slippery but do watch out if you’re wearing old shoes. The steps and lane that led out of the church grounds into the small alleyways full of shops are kinda steep. One woman fell and landed on her bump. Her beau next to her wasn’t fast enough to prevent her fall!
The shops lining the alleys sell clothes, traditional chinese medicine, gifts etc. Many were shops selling almond cookies and other savoury stuff. What my attention was the huge bbq pork – ba kua – they were twice the size of what’s selling in Singapore. Different types, spicy and sweet, peppery or garlic. Apart from pork, there’s venison, chicken and veal. I did have a taste but I didn’t buy cos they sure tasted of ajinomoto.
My friends snorted when I told them I was going to Macau for the “history and culture”. Well, they’re quite right or I didn’t make the effort to see more of the place. Apart from the ruins which seemed to attract hordes of Filipinos and mainland Chinese, there’s the casinos. I do suppose they’re an attraction. Macau has the largest concentration of casinos and they’re the Las Vegas type – OTT – over the top. There’s the venetion, four seasons, crowne, mgm and wynds.
Personally, venetian is just too crowded. I like Wynds, so did my friends. It’d a bit more class, not so OTT and quieter. I didn’t drop any money at the casino but if you’ve made big bundles of $$$ at the tables, then you surely can afford the Chanel bags, Tiffany rings and Rolex watches. Most of these brands could only be found in Wynds.
There;re 3 things I like about Macau. Food, food and food. The Portugese-Macau food is really good and affordable. For the four of us, each meal costs us about HK$250 -HK$300, that’s about S$50 to S$60. Plus alcohol is really cheap.
We bought wine at duty free (hey we’re on holiday) and picked up a couple bottles of Portugese wine 2006 which were about $20 each. Dry but allow it to breathe and it tasted good. Best restaurants to go to are the popular Pinnochio and Fernando, I prefer the latter. Located at the beach, about 20 minutes from the venetian, it’s got ambience and good food. Try the clams and crabs, finger licking good. If you’re in for chinese food, then the Lei Garden in Venetian is simply yummy. Very good service, I was impressed. And the quality of the food, superb. The steamed fish was done just nice, so was the garlic green veg.
Ok, so where did we stay? I didn’t like the casinos, it would be too crowded and noisy. So since I was booking the hotels, I chose the Westin Resorts which was on the beach. An older hotel, but bigger rooms, more spacious, good service. 20minutes from airport and town centre ie the venetian.
Also if you’re a gym fan like me, it’s free. In the casinos, you’ll have to pay at least HK$200 – S$40 – for use of the gym. Don’t bother with the spa. Too expensive. We found one in town called Nirvana. Doesn’t put you in nirvana, but not bad and the prices were reasonable.
Would I go back? Macau was a one-time experience. I rather wing over to Hongkong, anytime. Yes it’ll be noisier but the food is really out of this world.
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