Macau Adventura Part 1

May 9, 2012 (Wednesday)

I'm off to Macau! This is my first ever SOLO TRIP outside the Philippines, so I'm very excited. Thankfully, my 3:15pm flight to Manila wasn't delayed. I arrived in Manila NAIA Airport at 4:30pm and then I was to fly to Macau at 7:30pm. Our plane was on time, but it took a few minutes before we could fly off, so the whole flight was delayed and I arrived in Macau at approximately 10:30pm instead of 9:30. My cousin arranged for my accommodations in Macau, so someone from there was waiting for me at the airport to take me to the house. I exchanged some of my Hong Kong dollars to Macau Pataca at the airport and then we boarded Bus 26 to take us back to the city.

Macau International Airport

We stopped by a grocery store to buy some Milk Tea and some chips and water. Our room was on the 5th floor and there was no elevator or escalator so I had to lug my baggage up to 5 flights of stairs. We arrived at the boarding house at half past 11 and after a few hi's and hello's, I proceeded to my bed and slept. Good thing the room had airconditioning, so even though the bed wasn't that comfortable, at least I was able to sleep well. I've got a full day of touring the next day.

May 10, 2012 (Thursday)

With a map in hand, I went out to explore the city at around 9am. My plan was to visit the Historic Centre of Macau. Thirty sites which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. I'm pretty bad when it comes to directions, so it was a real challenge for me to navigate the city using only a map and to make it even harder, the people around are not so good in English. I followed the road straight to Camoes Garden. I saw a McDonald's on the way so I decided to grab some breakfast first. I got myself an Egg and Sausage McMuffin and an Iced Tea. 

Egg and Sausage McMuffin

After filling my stomach with food, I resumed my walk and found myself on my first stop, Camoes Garden. The sun was starting to get hot as I pulled out my tripod and started taking pictures. I attempted to explore the garden but it turned out to be fruitless since I didn't know my way around and I had no map of the garden. I just walked aimlessly trying to explore the place. After about an hour of aimless walking, I decided to leave and go on to my next stop. 

Next stop was St. Anthony's Church which is just right across the street from Camoes Garden. I tried to go in but a lady told me I couldn't bring my tripod in and I couldn't enter wearing shorts. Too bad, but anyway, I got some pictures. Then I went to Casa Garden and Protestant's Cemetary. They were just located beside Camoes Garden, right next to each other. There weren't many particularly interesting things there, so after a quick look and some photographs, I left.

Casa Garden

Protestant Cemetery

St. Anthony's Church

Next on my list was the Na Tcha Temple and Section of the Old City Walls. They were located beside each other and also a few steps away is the world renowned Ruins Of St. Paul. I spent quite a while in this site. There were a LOT of people there! It was scorching HOT out but people didn't seem to mind. I took a lot of pictures myself, and it was a while since I finally had enough. Next to the Ruins of St. Paul was the Macau Museum and the Mount Fortress. I didn't go inside the Museum but I did climb up Mount Fortress. The view on top was excellent! I really enjoyed taking pictures up there, the breeze was welcoming despite the sun and I got an awesome view of the Macau skyline. I bought some Macau souvenirs before I descended the long steps of St. Paul Ruins.

Mount Fortress

I was supposed to have lunch but since I wasn't feeling hungry, I just bought some Dairy Queen Blizzard ice cream. There were rows and rows of shops located in the street just below the Ruins of St. Paul. Rua Sao Paulo I guess was the name of the street. I bought 3 T-shirts there.

I was just walking around when I finally emerged in Senado Square. Seeing the patterned cobblestones in the square was a treat. I've seen the place in photos, but it was great to finally stand on it. I also saw the "Holy House of Mercy" on the square itself and "Leal Senado Building" right across the street. A few steps from the main square, I found St. Dominic's Church. I took a peek inside and I went on to see Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple (Kuan Tai Temple). 

Holy House Of Mercy

Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple

St. Dominic's Church

Senado Square

I had a hard time finding the Cathedral and Lou Kau Mansion, but after asking directions I finally found them. It was challenging asking for directions in Macau, as very few people understand English. Anyway, I dropped by a nearby 7-Eleven and bought a huge hotdog because I realized I didn't have lunch yet. I sat by St. Dominic's Square to eat the hotdog. I was all sweaty and tired, but my tour wasn't done yet.

After I finished my food, I walked all the way to Rio de Felicidade looking for some cheap T-shirts. But sadly, I didn't find any. So I went to see St. Augustine's Church, Dom Pedro V. Theatre, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, and St. Joseph's Seminary and Church. All of which are located very near each other. I didn't really enter these places because first of all, I can't enter a church wearing shorts, and second of all, some of these places are closed.

Just down the street, I found St. Lawrence Church. Then I walked all the way to Lilau Square and Mandarin House. It wasn't really fascinating or anything, the Mandarin House was even closed, so I couldn't get in. I was feeling really tired at that point but I wanted to see A-Ma temple, so I hopped on a bus to go there. When I got there, the temple was closed as well! What the?! So I went all the way there for nothing. Well, except for a few snapshots.

Dom Pedro V. Theatre

A-Ma Temple

Lilau Square

I was contemplating whether to go to Macau Tower or go to Canidrome to catch the dog race. I opted to go to the Canidrome. The problem was, I didn't know how to get there. I probably stayed in my spot for a few minutes trying to figure out the right way. I debated with myself whether I should cross the street, or stay where I was. Haha. Finally, I decided to cross the street and went to the nearest bus stop. Thankfully, I am familiar with the way buses work now, having lived in Singapore. I remember back then I had absolutely NO clue how buses in these places worked. Anyway, so I saw that Bus 1 had the Canidrome on its route, so after I double checked with a high school local, I hopped on Bus 1. I was starting to get the hang of this particular mode of transportation. A bus ride within the Macau Peninsula is just 3.20 Patacas.

Canidrome

I arrived at the Canidrome at around 7:30pm. I found a guard there who was from Nepal, and we talked for a bit. He told me there was an entrance fee of 10 MOP to see the race. I didn't want to pay 50 pesos to watch a dog race so I decided to go home instead. Anyway, I was pretty beat. The Canidrome is just near the place where we're staying so I just walked all the way home. I met another Filipino on the way who walked with me for a bit. I bought a Fried Chicken for dinner then I finally went home and called it a day. All in all, a very exhausting day in Macau, but I had fun!