Macao
Ferry to Macao
John booked our ferry tickets to Macao a couple days ago. The ferry dock is only a few minutes from our hotel. We arrive thirty minutes in advance. We have to show our passports because like Hong Kong, Macao has been a Special Administrative Region of China since 1999. It used to be under Portuguese rule.
I bring anti-nausea pills with me for the one hour jetboat trip. The pills are the kind that make you very drowsy so I don’t want to take them. I notice that they have barf bags at each seat. Oh dear. Fortunately the ride is very smooth.
To The Grand Lisboa
As soon as we get through passport control in Macao we are set upon by a guy selling a hop-on hop-off tour but John has a plan.
Many of the casinos have a free shuttle bus from the ferry terminal to their cadino. We take the free shuttle to The Grand Lisboa Casino. The area is filled with casinos so basically it’s a Chinese Las Vegas with a touch of Portugal. John stayed at the older sister hotel, the Lisboa, 47 years. He came as a teenager to Hong Kong to visit his aunt & uncle and did a day trip to Macao. We go in to check out the casino. It’s like casinos all over the world; in my opinion, a depressing place filled with blank faced customers handing over their money.
Tin Hau Temple
We don’t stay long and once outside, John goes on the Uber app and we get a taxi to the Tin Hau Temple located on top of the Coloane mountain top. We go up and up and up the steep hillside.
The temple is quite beautiful with its Cantonese architecture. There are people worshiping in the temples. The smell of incense is heavy in the air and decorations for the upcoming lunar new year are all around.
It is quiet and peaceful here. I can hear the birds.
Statue of Mazu the Sea Goddess
We climb further up the steep mountain (355 steps but who’s counting), to the large statue of the Chinese Sea Goddess, Mazu.
There are tons of beautiful butterflies on a nearby bush and the views over Macao are fabulous. It’s like we’re looking down from a million miles away; a goddesses viewpoint.
The Long Walk Down
We walk back down to the temple where John attempts to obtain an Uber on his app. After fifteen minutes, no Uber driver wants to come up the mountain to fetch us. The parking lot is over half empty. I ask some men who do not speak much English how to get down from the mountain. They indicate some shuttle buses and say they might go down in a half hour or so. They seem unsure. A cab driver comes by and I ask if he can take us to our next stop. He says he is waiting for people who are at the temple. He says it’s about a half hour walk down the steep mountain.
John and I start walking down. John is way ahead of me. “What are you doing on your phone?” He calls back.
“I’m checking ChatGPT to see if hitchhiking is legal in Macao”, I reply.
“We aren’t even going uphill. I don’t want to walk the Camino with you if you keep complaining all the time.”
“I won’t be walking with you any ways,” I inform him, “You walk too fast”.
“Well no one’s going to want to walk with you if you’re complaining.”
“I’ll use the time for self-reflection.”
“Yeah, reflecting on why you are walking 800 km when you can’t walk a couple kms downhill without complaining.” He quips.
The taxi driver and his customers drive past. He waves merrily. We walk the rest of the way in silence. It takes forty minutes and I’m hungry, hot and sweaty by the time we get to the bottom.
Taipa Old Town
John is finally able to get an Uber driver to take us to Taipa Old Town. This is a cultural and heritage area. This area has a lot of Portuguese colonial buildings in beautiful colours, murals, Portuguese tiles, cool restaurants and shops.
We barely are into the area and I choose a Chinese version of Western diners that looks kind of cool. I am starving. John chooses noodles and pork but I choose something described as “chicken steak, spicy sardine egg bun”. I figure it’s a local dish, I’ll be adventuresome. When it arrives it’s a breaded, fried, greasy concoction that I can only gag 
down a few mouthfuls and the grease sits at the bottom of my stomach. They serve this with glasses of hot water. John enjoys his meal.
The area is charming but packed with tourists. There are lots of bakeries with Portuguese Pastels de Nada (egg custard tarts). We stop at a very popular matcha tea ice cream shop. I need something to get the greasy taste out of my mouth. The ice cream is delicious.
A Ma Temple
We next hail a cab and go to A-Ma Temple. The historical temple complex is very interesting with lots of worshippers and lots of steps. It’s the location where the Portuguese first landed in Macao. Once again there are many candles and incense sticks burning as well as offerings.
Senado Square
When done, we go back to the street and try to hail an Uber on the app. No response. We decide it will be quicker to walk the 1.6 km to Senado Square. We go through neighborhoods, up and down hills, along roads until we finally reach the Square.
The Square is beautiful with its mix of Renaissance Portuguese architecture and Chinese influence. It is decorated for Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse.
St Dominic’s Church
Nearby is the beautiful St Dominic’s Church which is a 16th century UNESCO World Heritage site. Once in the church, I get the giggles when I see some tourists doing ridiculous poses such as peace signs and angelic hand gestures with the altar in the background. They seem so out of place in this beautiful building.
The Ruins of St Paul
The most dramatic and striking site in the area are the Ruins of St Paul Cathedral. The church was destroyed by a fire in 1835 with only the facade remaining. The original cathedral was completed in 1640. Today the facade glows golden in the late afternoon sun. The steps in front of it are decorated for Lunar New Year.
There is a lovely metal statue of a young male and female at the bottom of the steps.
Monte Fort
John and I climb up to explore the ruins before going up to the nearby Monte Fort (built by the Portuguese between 1617 and 1626). I am delighted that numerous escalators take us to the top. The walls of the fort are lined with cannons and offer amazing views of the city below.
Back at the Casino
soon it is time to make our way back to the ferry terminal. We return to the Grand Lisboa Casino. You need to have tickets to get onto the shuttle bus back to ferry terminal. The tickets are still free but you have to walk through the casino to get them. John and I decide that since we are using their shuttle we should do some gambling. We spend the equivalent of $3.50 CAD on a slot machine which takes about two minutes. We collect our shuttle tickets and catch our bus.
Back to Hong Kong
Our jet boat back to Hong Kong departs at 7:00pm and the trip is nice & smooth.
