Macau is the fast expanding Las Vegas of the Far East with massive glitzy casinos and luxury hotels, yet the destination offers more than gambling alone. A large portion of the country’s land mass has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. The contrast between old baroque style Portuguese buildings and the mysticism of Chinese temples is awe inspiring. Add to this melee a modern cosmopolitan city with bustling shopping malls stocked with designer brands and sandy beaches with beautiful people. Macau not only offers the whole package it delivers it as well tourists are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing what to do on their holiday and conversely it appeals to wider section of travelers. Macau boasts of plenty of good restaurants that offer excellent food ranging from western to oriental. The local cuisine of Macau is also an eclectic mix of Portuguese, native Macanese cooking and traditional Chinese cuisine. A number of up market restaurants can be found throughout the island while wayside eateries are located near popular tourist attractions and market areas. Nightlife and shopping are two very vibrant aspects of the city, recent developments in the tourism sector has made Macau the place to be for entertainment in East Asia. Nightlife can range from traditional Portuguese dancing, live bands, high profile artists and discos depending on where you choose to go. The numerous bars, clubs and casinos provide ample entertainment to tourists. Shopping Macau is all about luxury, large malls and exclusive department stores have a number of luxury goods on offer. The famous Grand Canal Shoppes is a Venice inspired shopping mall that has actual canals, gondolas and reproductions of Venetian landmarks while also offering a wide array of shops.
Attractions:
Macau’s unique attractions, world heritage, and fascinating museums add an irreplaceable dimension to a vibrant coastal city renowned as one of the finest holiday getaways in the region.
Parks & Beaches:
Camoes Garden- In the 18th century this hilly, heavily wooded garden formed part of the grounds of the house which was occupied by the Chairman of the British East India Company, known as Casa Garden, which now houses an art gallery, and the Old Protestant Cemetery, filled with walkways, flowering trees, and old headstones marking the graves of merchants, missionaries, and others from foreign lands who made their home in Macau. In 1835 the British moved out and the Portuguese owner had a grotto built around a bust of Portugal's national poet, Luís de Camões.The present bronze bust was installed in 1886 when the grotto became state property. Behind the grotto, paths lead up to a wooded hill with a Chinese pavilion and stone tables and stools, where local men gather to play Chinese chess. In front of the grotto is a spacious garden, with benches shaded by banyan trees, where people bring their caged birds for an outing, do their morning tai chi exercises, or meet with friends. At the entrance of the garden is a fountain that contains a bronze sculpture entitled "Embrace", specially made to symbolize the centuries' old friendship between Portugal and China.
Lou Lim Tesc Garden-
The garden is modeled on those of Soochow, the most famous of all Chinese classical gardens. Enclosed by a high wall, it is a miniaturized landscape with narrow paths winding through groves of bamboo and flowering bushes, under moulded concrete 'mountains' to a large pond filled with golden carp and lotus flowers. There are frequent art and craft exhibitions in the pavilion, which also serves as an auditorium for recitals during the annual International Music Festival.
Hac-Sa Beach and Cheoc Van Beach-
Both Cheoc Van Beach and Hác-Sá Beach are popular with swimmers and sunbathers. The water is clean although it often appears brown because of silt from the Pearl River. Cheoc Van Beach occupies a sheltered cove on the west side of Coloane Island. At one end is a sandy swimming beach with changing facilities and a snack bar, and at the other is a free-form swimming pool. The Nautical Club, a marina where members keep various types of recreational watercraft, is near the beach. There is also a youth hostel, a pousada (inn), and two restaurants with terraces overlooking the water. Beyond Cheoc Van is Hác-Sá Beach, where the long beach, with its unique black-tinged sand ("hac sa" means "black sand") invites walking by the sea. Along the beach are a youth hostel, the Youth Centre for Water Sports, and a sports complex with an Olympic-size swimming pool, children's pool, tennis courts, and a sports field. There are also playgrounds, picnic and camping areas, and a variety of snack stands, cafes, and restaurants.
Churches:
St. Paul's-
In the heart of old city stands the great carved stone facade of St. Paul's. The surviving facade rised in 4 colonnaded tiers, and is covered with carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate carvings the early days of the church in Asia. There are statues of Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese.The ruins are regarded as the symbol of Macau and now offer visitors a new site where they can view the remains of the former Church of the Mother of God, visit a Crypt where the relics of the Martyrs of Japan and Vietnam rest, and a museum of Sacred Art where there are exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects from churches and monastries in the City.
Cathedral-
The present building stands on the site of several previous cathedrals. The original cathedral was the church of Our Lady of Hope of St. Lazarus, declared the mother church of the Macau diocese which included the religious provinces of China, Japan, Korea and other islands adjacent to China.The Cathedral has two solid towers and massive doors. Inside, its chief beauty lies in its fine stained-glass windows. Many of the major events of the church calendar focus on the Cathedral, especially at Easter when, in addition to the procession of Our Lord of the Passion, there is a solemn parade of Good Friday and special masses on Easter Sunday.
Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima-
This is Macau's newest church and serves the people of the industrial Bairro Tamagnini Barbosa in the north of the city. It stands in a quiet courtyard behind wrought-iron gates. The design is contemporary with a large square tower containing two bells. A broad staircase leads to the spacious church. Inside, the side walls are lined with stained-glass panels and the altar consists of a wooden crucifix on a red brick wall.
Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows-
This small church was built in 1966 to serve the needs of the settlement of Ka Ho, where the families of cured lepers and a few new cases live. It has a magnificent bronze crucifix over the north door. It was created and given to Ka Ho by Italian sculptor Francisco Messima. Also associated with the building of this church is the name of another Italian sculptor, Oseo Acconci.
Chapel of St. James-
This tiny chapel built in 1740 in the Barra Fort on the top of the peninsula is now an architectural part of the Portuguese inn, or pousada, which has been established on the foundations of the fort. It is a charming sanctuary with a statue of the saint and blue and white tiles depicting Our Lady of Fátima and the saintly Queen Isabel. St. James is the military protector of Macau, and legend tells that he frequently goes on patrol around the city, and, at times, his boots are found to be muddy. A soldier used to be given the duty of cleaning the boots of the statue. On one occasion the man forgot his duty it is said and received a crack on the head from the saint’s sword.
Guia Fortress-
It occupies the top of Guia Hill, the highest point in Macau. It was designed to defend Macau from attacks from the sea, but because of its position overlooking the entire city, its chief value has been as an observation post. It originally contained barracks, a water cistern, ammunition and equipment stores, the commander's house, and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guia. Today the Fort's most prominent feature is the lighthouse, built in 1865 and the oldest on the China coast. It is 91 metres high and has a light which can be seen for around 20 miles in clear weather. Near the lighthouse is the chapel which contains an image of the Virgin Mary, a few antique pictures, and vestiges of paintings that date back to the construction of the chapel in 1626. Also nearby is a post where signals are hoisted to warn of an approaching typhoon. In earlier times storm warnings were announced from the bell-tower of the chapel.
World Heritage Sites:
A-Ma Temple-
Macau's name is derived from A-Ma-Gau or Place of A-Ma and this temple dedicated to the seafarers' goddess dates from the early 16th century. It consists of prayer halls, pavilions and courtyards built into the boulder-strewn hill and connected by winding paths through moon gates and tiny gardens. At the entrance is a large rock on which is engraved a traditional sailing junk. On other boulders are carved red characters invoking the gods or repeating a prayer. Three of the four pavilions are dedicated to A-Ma and contain some fine statues of the goddess together with a model of a junk with cannons, brass vessels and chapels to Buddhist and Taoist gods. The top shrine honours Kun Iam. This temple is distinguished by beautiful tiled roofs and spectacular views from the upper gardens. The festival of A-Ma takes place on the 23rd day of the 3rd moon (April or May). Firecrackers, to scare away evil spirits, are exploded in the entrance courtyard to greet tour groups and lions dances are performed here on weekends.
Lou Kau Mansion-
The grey two-storey brick house is one of the very few xinguan-style mansions still standing in Macau, and a prime example of the mixed Chinese and Western architectural styles unique to Macau. The oyster shell windows, hanging scrolls, plaster molding and brick carvings are commonly found in the central Guangdong Province. But false ceilings, stained glass Manzhou windows and cast iron railings are Western characteristics.
Mount Fortress-
The building is regarded as the most outstanding example of Portuguese architecture in the territory. A public library is located on the first floor and its two inner chambers contain magnificent examples of the institution at Coimbra, in Portugal.
Na Tcha Temple-
This temple was built in 1888 and dedicated to Na Cha in an attempt to halt the Plague rampaging at the time. In contrast to buildings such as the Ruins of St. Paul's around it, the Na Tcha Temple is only a small structure, built with simple materials, but the use of a mixture of reality and illusion in its design manages successfully to create a sense of delicacy and exquisiteness.
Shopping:
Macau is a place where you can purchase almost anything, and have a wonderful time doing it. Luxury items are cheaper here than in other cities in the region. It is also a great treasure trove for Chinese antiques and collectibles. There are many excellent shops selling authentic antiques and fine reproductions all over Macau. You can find here ancient coins, stamps; boxes of tea and coffee from around the world and countless old Chinese Pharmacies packed with traditional medicines. These are just a few examples to illustrate how adventurous and fascinating shopping in Macau can be.
Cuisine & Dining:
Macau is famous for its cuisine and for the quality of the food served by the restaurants and hotels. It is hard to find a city with such a concentration of restaurants offering so many different cuisines to suit so many tastes at all kinds of budget. Over the centuries Macau has developed a unique cuisine that combines elements of Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and even Malay cooking known as Macanese cuisine, which can be found anywhere.
Austria flaunts its heritage in exuberant fashion. Vienna’s bombastic Habsburg palaces and Salzburg’s baroque splendour are worthy, but dig deeper and you’ll unearth Stone Age settlements, Roman archaeological sites at Carnuntum and medieval festivals. In the country where Mozart composed and Strauss taught the world to twirl, you won’t need to search hard for culture – it waltzes right up to you.
