Macau City

A junk carved into a boulder at A-Ma Temple symbolizes the deity's relationship with the sea.
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Up until December 20, 1999, when the Portuguese handed it back to China, Macau was Asia's oldest European enclave (I read in my travel book). I took a day trip with friends to this "sister" city. Both Hong Kong and Macau function at SARs, "special adminstrative regions". Even though they were handed back to China, they both have their own separate constitution and rules to follow for the next 50 years. It is very easy to travel to Macau with a Hong Kong Identity Card, no special Visa is required like it is for mainland China. It was only a one hour jetfoil ferry ride from the northern part on Hong Kong Island. The ferry was a step above the Steamship Authority, it was fast with assigned seats, and stewardesses walking down the aisles taking food orders. (At least I think they were taking food orders, I still can't speak Chinese.) Macau is famous for its gambling casinos, the "Vegas of Asia". We traveled during the day and actually had no real interest in visiting the casinos.

My friend, Jane, walking through one of the entry ways of the temple.
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None of us had every been to Macau before, so we decided it was a good idea to hire a taxi to take us around to the various sites. One stop was the A-Ma Temple, Macau's oldest temple. It is dedicated to A-Ma, Queen of the Heaven (known as Tin Hau in Hong Kong). There where many people visiting this temple that day. The temple has several different halls and courtyards that wind up stairs around boulders. There were many people burning insence and saying prayers to the gods.

Hong Kong's Sister City

Note the Portuguese words everywhere!
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The taxi took us to the Ruinas de Sao Paulo (Ruins of St. Paul). All that remains of this church is the tiered stone facade. It was built in the early 17th century by  members of the Jesuit Order. I was getting a kick out of seeing Portuguese names for everything in this city. I could actually read a word or two with my experience with Portuguese on Martha's Vineyard!

We also took a taxi to the top of Macau tower, I think it was 62 stories high. They take people out to the rim of the building for bungee-jumping! I have a heart attack just thinking about it! They also take people out in special orange suits to walk around the rim outside the building (62 stories up!). A couple was getting there training and the orange suits while we were up there, but we didn't get to see them take the walk. One of my friends wants to go back and do the walk, I think I would faint.

Macau tower in the background, 62 stories up!
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We spent a good part of the afternoon looking at furniture. One friend wanted to shop for her apartment. They have some really good buys there for both replicas and original pieces of Chinese furniture. I am pretty well set for furniture, but I did find a beautiful orginal deep red cabinet that I just had to have......and they deliver to Hong Kong for free! It was so cheap, how could I resist?!

Because of the Portuguese influence, some the architecture is almost mediteranean in appearance. We relaxed with fresh fruit drinks in Largo do Senado(Senate Square) where there are many colorful colonial style buildings and the square is covered with black and white mosiac stones laid in a wave pattern with a fountain in the middle.

The facade of the Ruinas de Sao Paulo
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Macau is easy to get to from Hong Kong and it has a very different feel. My next entry will have to be about my power shopping trip to Shenzhen, China!