FerryEarly in the morning on Day 8, we took the cab to the ferry terminal to commute over to Macau, the last leg of our trip. Sea was less chompy today.
We sat next to a HK couple who was kind enough to recommend some excellent places to visit and food to sample.
Metro Park HotelAt the ferry terminal, all other hotels offered free feeder buses, except our hotel. KNNCCB so had to join a long taxi queue to get a cab.
To make matters worst, the driver hadn't a clue where Metro Park Hotel is located. He wants the mandarin/cantonese name. "How the fuck would I know the mandarin/cantonese name?"
Superior RoomWe finally arrived at our hotel and checked in for USD $125 per night. (superior room) Suprisingly hotel rooms in Macau are rather expensive too. (Probably due to close proximity to HK)
Initially we had the notion of staying at The Venetian but the USD $400 per night tag is too steep. Besides that, the location of Venetian is at Taipa, half hour's drive from the main island of Macau.
Nice hotel (not ours) ;o(
Lisboa CasinoOur hotel is located fairly close to the main casino strip, which includes Lisboa, MGM Grand, Sands etc etc. After freshening up, I had a quick chat with the hotel receptionist to plan our day's itinery.
Macau is the only place where we do not have a "to do" list, apart from Macau Tower.
Grand Lisboa
Big shopping complexFrom our hotel, we walked (25-30 mins) to the Senado Square area. We had our lunch at a Portuguese restaurant along the way, but more on that later.
Post Office Building
Largo Do Senado - Senado Square
See how fat I've become ;o(Senado Square was constructed in 1918 and has always been the city centre. In the past, this was where the governors inspected military troops and the police force when they took up their posts.
Nowadays, many celebrations are still held at this venue. Link.
Colourful ArchitecturesIt was a really beautiful place. With yellow, white & pink buildings, a really colourful and condusive environment to hold celebrations.
Sign Post
Santa Casa da Misericordia
St. Dominic's Church
The main altar
Confession Booth 
Holy statueBtw it's a fully functional catholic church. It felt really surreal walking through the grounds, feeling the old stones, catching a glimpse into life back then. An aura of peace and tranquility overwhelmed me.
Peering outsideThis is probably the view the church goers of the 16th century saw as they were leaving the church grounds. Probably less people, less concrete and muddy roads.
Another view of the churchMacau has a strong portuguese influence, being an ex-portuguese settlement. Every road and sign name in Macau is in Portuguese language.
Plenty of touristAfter the Senado Square, we headed towards the most famous wall in Macau. Along the way, there were a lot of retail shops offering souvenirs and local delicacies.
Rain is bad for holidaysUnfortunately for us, it started to rain. Lucky for us it ceased after a short pour. The entire HK-Macau region was doused in occassional rain. In Guongzhou, it was so bad that certain areas were flooded.
Statue of love ( I L.O.Ve You)It is called the Jesuit Square fountain, which illustrates the Portugese Sailor & the native chinese lady. They are the parents of the Macanese.
The ruins of St. Paul (Ignore my bulging waist line)
The most famous monument in Macau"If you have not taken a picture with the wall, you have not visited Macau."
It is part of St. Paul's Church of Mater Dei (Mother of God) built in the 16th century. It was destroyed by a fire in 1835. All that's left is southern stone facade and the crypts of the Jesuits monks of the Church.
The church was part of the St. Paul's College Cathedral and was upgraded to a university in 1594, the 1st western university in South East Asia.
The view from right belowThe old complex must had been huge, figuring from the size of the wall. It had been a waste to lose such an amazing architecture to a man made fault.
The back of the wallWalk through the archway and you can climb up the stairs to take pictures. We passed as "climbing stairs = exercise" and exercise during holidays are a big No No.
The metal structure seems to be fabricated to support the old wall.
The CryptBehind the wall, there is a Museum of Sacred Art & Crypt. Entrance is free so there's nothing to lose. Old artifects and relics are displayed at the museum.
(Including a painting by St. Michael Archangel 17th century, the only work from the ancient college)
The crypt holds the bones of the founder of the college, Father Alexander Valignano. It is erected at the exact same spot the ancient church once stood.
Another view of the great architecture
66 steps to the ruins
Look at the mountain people mountain see behind
One of the many local delights store
Peanut snacks
Some round cookieWe bought some souvenirs here. Wanted to buy some Portuguese Egg Tarts back but they only last 1 day and we'll be leaving Macau tomorrow early morning. :O(((((((((
Waiting for the housemate
Hotel Fortune
Rio CasinoThere are a lot of Africans in Africa. That's how many casinos there are in Macau. Everywhere you turn you'll spot a casino. It's like a asian version of Las Vegas. (Or an alternative to LV if your tree at home doesn't sprout money)
Diamond CasinoCheck out the video at night taken in the taxi after Macau Tower.
First impression of Macau, it's more suited to be a stop over destination. There's not really a lot of sights to take in and the food here isn't really that unique that it warrants a 3D2N visit.
Of course that's my view cause I don't gamble. An avid gambler will probably love Macau to bits. Few regrets of Macau trip:
- Didn't visit The Venetian. (Had an indoor canal with gondola & really exquisite decoration)
- Didn't visit Rua Do Cunha. (It's the food street of Macau with alotalotalotalot of good food)
- Didn't visit any casinos.
- Didn't jump. (More on that later)
Apart from that, we've more or less covered Macau. Final observation - Macanese are very fierce and impatient. (Worst than hongkies)
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