Got High in Macau

Day 2 in Macau, woke up early to, hopefully, finish all the sights as listed in my IT.  When we got out of the hotel, it rained.  :( OMG, puhleez.

 

Though raining, we walked to the Historic Centre of Macau, the Senado Square, which includes the oldest western architectural heritage on Chinese soil.  When we got there, it stopped raining, an answered prayer.  :)

 

I love Senado Square with its pastel-colored classic East-meets-West buildings.  The Square is like a living testimony of the eastern and western cultures.

 

Climbing up the slope alongside the Holy House of Mercy, we reached the Cathedral Square where the Cathedral is located, went inside the Cathedral for some prayers (mostly for good weather and safe travels :))  Going back down, we passed by the Lou Kau Mansion, a typical Chinese courtyard house.

  Then we proceeded to the St. Dominic’s Square to take a picture outside of the yellow-colored St. Dominic’ Church, as the church was closed.  Then, ascending the mosaic streets, we reached the Company of Jesus Square, the foot of the Ruins of St. Paul, and to be able to reach the magnificent façade, we had to climb a flight of steps.

 

At the back of the church, there was something like a museum where we saw the relics of the Japanese and Vietnamese martyrs, the remains of the former Church of the Mother of God, and paintings and liturgical objects from churches of the city.

 

Behind the church front were the Na Tcha Temple and a section of the Old City Walls, a remnant of the Portuguese-style defensive walls. 

 

On the walk back down the hill, we stopped at several small shops selling souvenirs and antiques and tasted Macau’s delicacy, cured pork.

 

Further down hill, we passed along St.

Anthony’s Church, one of the oldest churches in Macau, and went inside the Camoes Square and Casa Garden.

 

We were supposed to go to the highest hill of Macau, the Guia Hill with its chapel and lighthouse, but it rained again, so we went inside some mall near the area, had our brunch, and waited till the rain stopped.

 

We boarded a bus that leads to the Barrier Gate, the border between Macau and Mainland China �" Zhuhai, China -- hoping that I would be able to take a glimpse of Mainland China.

  I did see some tall buildings from afar, although I am not sure if that is still part of Macau or its already Zhuhai, China as I am very poor with geography.

 

From there, we hopped on the free shuttle bus that leads to The Venetian, making my mom excited again as we were heading to another casino, while me already bored to the idea of casinos.

 

When we were nearing the hotel, I was shocked with its size.  It’s so huge!  When we got in, I was speechless.  The decor of the hotel was just luxurious with its countless huge crystal chandeliers and shiny marble floors �" elegance to the next level.  When we reached The Grand Canal Shoppes, I was already mute, my jaw dropped.  It was like an indoor town, with an artificial sky, with water canals, with gondolas!  At first, I did not notice that it was just an artificial sky.  I was wondering why all of a sudden I saw some clear blue bright sky while just outside, it was still raining.

  Then it hit me!  It was just some painting.  My mom thanked me as she was about to open her umbrella when she heard me comment on the artificial sky.  She nearly made a fool out of herself.

 

The Grand Canal Shoppes has 350 international shops and restaurants, and again, I controlled myself from entering the well-known shops, although most of them have SALE signs on their windows and I just received a GO sign from TitoMel.  But shopping or no shopping, I enjoyed my visit by simply watching the gondoliers on their authentic Venetian gondolas, singing opera songs.

 

So, what can I say about The Venetian?  It was a magnificent feast of the senses, truly a Venetian experience.

 

We left my mom to play some slots there while TitoMel and I went to Macau Tower, one of the world’s tallest towers.

  I did not go there to skywalk, bungee jump, sky jump, or do the other scary exhilarating adventures that they offer, not for the faint-hearted, but merely to have the highest view of Macau.  Besides, I cannot afford it (the entrance ticket alone was quite expensive) and I certainly don’t have what it takes to do such acts.

 

Anyways, when he reached the 58^th floor, the Observation Lounge, the 360-degree panoramic view was breathtaking.  The bright lights from the casinos are impressive, the neon signs changing colors and patterns every now and then, just a magnificent rainbow of vibrant colors.  I also got to see the whole of Macau cityscape.

 

BTW, on the 58^th floor, some parts of the floors are made of glass that you get to look down through the glass floors (a tingling experience), so as I walked around the floor, I was holding tightly around the bars as I was afraid that anytime the glass might break.  For me, it was a thrilling experience.  Yeah, I know, I am such a lame person.

 

So then we moved up to Floor 61, an outdoor observation deck where you can feel the wind.

 

After nearly having a seizure from all the flashing lights of rainbow colors, we decided to go back to the hostel as I have an early flight to catch the following day.  We took a cab and passed along the major casinos in Macau �" MGM Grand, Sands, Wynn, and Grand Lisboa.

 

Clearly, gambling is not the only thing to do in Macau, although one of the main reasons to visit (from my mom’s point of view). :)