We were debating whether to go to Macau; sis and I felt it'd be far too crowded and too much of a hassle to go there to see a bunch of casinos and jostle with gamblers whereas gran wanted to see it while she still could and mom had promised her colleagues a truckload of Macau goodies. We swang from a tentative 'yes' to a 'no' to a 'yes' again in the end because it was something that needed to be done and to prove a point - whether it was worth it.
So on Sunday, we got up to an early start and made our way to the Central area for dim sum breakfast at a loud, bustling 'Lin Heung Teahouse' - not far from Yung Kee restaurant on Wellington Street. We managed to find space at a table among 5 locals who were reading the papers and sipping hot black chinese tea (served from a bigger cup to a smaller one). Sis' colleague had recommended it as an authentic local joint and true enough, we found it charming and the food delicious and cheap.
There was no menu but the pushcarts where you could point to the bamboo baskets of goodies and the aunties would just bring them to your table. Besides the usual suspects like 'siew mai', 'har gao' and 'char sao bao', we also lapped up the steamed chicken feet (mom and gran), steamed pork liver (hmmm me) and glorious 'chee cheong fan' slathered in soya sauce. We were seriously addicted to this.
Satiated, we made our way to the HK-Macau ferry terminal to board the 10.40am Turbo Jet (HK$150/ S$30) which was comfortable, save for the stanky gambler next to us who was reeking of beer. An hour later, we found an insanely crowded customs and had to fought the loud mainland Chinese tourists who were trying to cut our queue. Once out, we grabbed a map off the tourist counter and hopped into a cab (HK$20) to 'Xin Ma Lu' aka
Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in the historic centre.
Here, Portugese was the
de facto lingua because Macau had been a Portugese colony since the 16th century. Administered by Portugal only until the handover in 1999 lately, it was the oldest European colony in China. Before coming, I had read news report and saw travel shows on its glitzy casinos (including the new Venetian) so I was kinda expecting a gambling mecca short on charms but surprisingly my sis and I found the historic town quaint and cosy much like those in Spain (I haven't been to Portugal lah).
In fact the historic centre which housed 28 historic monuments and 8 public squares, was deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Our first stop was at the famous postcard-perfect landmark, Senado Square, with its swirly-patterned mosaiced piazza, fontana and colourful surrounding architecture. Mom was anxious to buy the local "lao po" (granny) biscuits so we walked around aimlessly for half an hour in the freakin' heat.
We also spotted the butter-yellow facade of St Dominic's Church amidst the small lanes of shops and cosy cafes. There were two old drinking fountains that led us to a quaint piazza which somehow reminded me of Valencia and Figueres. Lost, we backed up to the crowded Senado Square again before finally locating a busy gourmet shop that had all kinds of Macau specialties including Portuguese-style egg tarts, bbq sweet meats, crispy pork skin and biscuits.
I wasn't a big fan of egg tarts but hey, I had to try it now since it originated from here. It was better than I recalled; a moist, thick fragrant centre with a nice flaky crust. After we loaded up on the goodies, we then made our way to the backlane stalls along the
Rua dos Mercadores and bought clothes (S$2 each!) for our baby cousins. There was so much character with every corner that sis and I were planning our next trip to explore more of Macau.
With no clue as to where to eat, we wandered around untill we were satisfied with the menu at Quinella cafe that offered Macau dishes such as its signature pork chop rice with a light curry sauce, B-4 pork bun and noodles in fish soup. They had pork chop with everything such as spaghetti (in a bizarre ketchupy sauce), baked rice and in salads. Smoking was allowed in the air-conditioned eatery so you could imagine our eyes tearing as the customers lit up at the next table!
Before we knew it, it was almost 3pm. Time flies when you're having fun! Gran had wanted to check out the casinos but we had reserved seats on the 4.30pm ferry so our last stop was at the Ruins of the Church of St Paul. To get there, we fought through the crowds along Rua de S. Paulo who were enticed by the shopkeepers touting their delicious snacks. As a result, Mom bought more almond biscuits and granny biscuits!
By the time we got to the foot of St Paul's, we were weighted down by so many bags of food. Sis and I climbed up the stairway and what's left of the imposing facade for a view of Macau's old quarters.
Ruinas de Igreja São Paulo was apparently a Jesuit church built in the 17th century by Japanese refugees who fled anti-Christian persecution in Nagasaki. In 1835, a fire destroyed all except the facade, mosaiced floor and stairway.
From up there, we could spot gran among the crowds thro' our lens and we also witnessed the beautiful late afternoon sunrays shining dramatically through the thick fleece of clouds. Macau was wonderfully tranquil from that spot and we agreed it far exceeded our expectations. Sadly we didn't have enough time to explore the rest of it but at least we came, saw and were convinced to return again - all in due time.
We were debating whether to go to Macau; sis and I felt it'd be far too crowded and too much of a hassle to go there to see a bunch of casinos and jostle with gamblers whereas gran wanted to see it while she still could and mom had promised her colleagues a truckload of Macau goodies. We swang from a tentative 'yes' to a 'no' to a 'yes' again in the end because it was something that needed to be done and to prove a point - whether it was worth it. 
So on Sunday, we got up to an early start and made our way to the Central area for dim sum breakfast at a loud, bustling 'Lin Heung Teahouse' - not far from Yung Kee restaurant on Wellington Street. We managed to find space at a table among 5 locals who were reading the papers and sipping hot black chinese tea (served from a bigger cup to a smaller one). Sis' colleague had recommended it as an authentic local joint and true enough, we found it charming and the food delicious and cheap.
There was no menu but the pushcarts where you could point to the bamboo baskets of goodies and the aunties would just bring them to your table. Besides the usual suspects like 'siew mai', 'har gao' and 'char sao bao', we also lapped up the steamed chicken feet (mom and gran), steamed pork liver (hmmm me) and glorious 'chee cheong fan' slathered in soya sauce. We were seriously addicted to this. 
Satiated, we made our way to the HK-Macau ferry terminal to board the 10.40am Turbo Jet (HK$150/ S$30) which was comfortable, save for the stanky gambler next to us who was reeking of beer. An hour later, we found an insanely crowded customs and had to fought the loud mainland Chinese tourists who were trying to cut our queue. Once out, we grabbed a map off the tourist counter and hopped into a cab (HK$20) to 'Xin Ma Lu' aka Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in the historic centre. 
Here, Portugese was the de facto lingua because Macau had been a Portugese colony since the 16th century. Administered by Portugal only until the handover in 1999 lately, it was the oldest European colony in China. Before coming, I had read news report and saw travel shows on its glitzy casinos (including the new Venetian) so I was kinda expecting a gambling mecca short on charms but surprisingly my sis and I found the historic town quaint and cosy much like those in Spain (I haven't been to Portugal lah). 
In fact the historic centre which housed 28 historic monuments and 8 public squares, was deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Our first stop was at the famous postcard-perfect landmark, Senado Square, with its swirly-patterned mosaiced piazza, fontana and colourful surrounding architecture. Mom was anxious to buy the local "lao po" (granny) biscuits so we walked around aimlessly for half an hour in the freakin' heat.
We also spotted the butter-yellow facade of St Dominic's Church amidst the small lanes of shops and cosy cafes. There were two old drinking fountains that led us to a quaint piazza which somehow reminded me of Valencia and Figueres. Lost, we backed up to the crowded Senado Square again before finally locating a busy gourmet shop that had all kinds of Macau specialties including Portuguese-style egg tarts, bbq sweet meats, crispy pork skin and biscuits. 
I wasn't a big fan of egg tarts but hey, I had to try it now since it originated from here. It was better than I recalled; a moist, thick fragrant centre with a nice flaky crust. After we loaded up on the goodies, we then made our way to the backlane stalls along the Rua dos Mercadores and bought clothes (S$2 each!) for our baby cousins. There was so much character with every corner that sis and I were planning our next trip to explore more of Macau. 
With no clue as to where to eat, we wandered around untill we were satisfied with the menu at Quinella cafe that offered Macau dishes such as its signature pork chop rice with a light curry sauce, B-4 pork bun and noodles in fish soup. They had pork chop with everything such as spaghetti (in a bizarre ketchupy sauce), baked rice and in salads. Smoking was allowed in the air-conditioned eatery so you could imagine our eyes tearing as the customers lit up at the next table! 
Before we knew it, it was almost 3pm. Time flies when you're having fun! Gran had wanted to check out the casinos but we had reserved seats on the 4.30pm ferry so our last stop was at the Ruins of the Church of St Paul. To get there, we fought through the crowds along Rua de S. Paulo who were enticed by the shopkeepers touting their delicious snacks. As a result, Mom bought more almond biscuits and granny biscuits!
By the time we got to the foot of St Paul's, we were weighted down by so many bags of food. Sis and I climbed up the stairway and what's left of the imposing facade for a view of Macau's old quarters. Ruinas de Igreja São Paulo was apparently a Jesuit church built in the 17th century by Japanese refugees who fled anti-Christian persecution in Nagasaki. In 1835, a fire destroyed all except the facade, mosaiced floor and stairway. 
From up there, we could spot gran among the crowds thro' our lens and we also witnessed the beautiful late afternoon sunrays shining dramatically through the thick fleece of clouds. Macau was wonderfully tranquil from that spot and we agreed it far exceeded our expectations. Sadly we didn't have enough time to explore the rest of it but at least we came, saw and were convinced to return again - all in due time.
No comments:
Post a Comment