Day 2 - Macau (Senado Square, Ruins of St Paul,A-Ma Temple, Maritime Museum, Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun, Venetian Casino)
Itinerary Of the Day :
6am -Wake up & get rdy
-Breakfast (Congee & Cheung Fun)
-Walk along Rua da Felicidade
7.00am "-St Augustine's Square
-St Dominic Church
-Ruins Of St Paul
-Na Tcha Temple
-Monte Fort & Macau Museum
-Senado Sq
(3-4 hours)"
11.00am "-Breakfast/Lunch at Wong Chi Kei 黄枝記
(30 mins)"
11.30am - Take bus to A-MA Temple (30 mins)
12.00am "-A-Ma Temple & Maritime Museum
(1 hour)"
1.00pm -Take bus #28B back Lisboa (20 mins)
1.20pm -Take free shuttle bus to Macau Ferry Terminal (10 mins)
1.30pm "-Purchase Macao Ferry ticket to HKG & Macau Tower tix
-Lotus Flower
(30 mins)"
2.00pm -Take bus 28A to Tai Lei Lok Kei 大利来记咖啡室 (20 mins)
2.20pm "-Queue up @ Tai Lei Lok Kei
-Lunch (1 hour)"
3.20pm -Walk to Venetian Casino (20 mins)
3.40pm "-Venetian Casino
(2 hours)"
5.40pm "-Take free shuttle to Macau Ferry Terminal
-Fisherman's Wharf
(1 hour 20 mins)"
7.00pm Take bus to Macau Tower (15 mins)
7.15pm -Macau Tower (45 mins)
8.00pm Take bus to Lisboa (15 mins)
8.15pm "-Walk to Rua da Felicidade
-Dinner at Cheung Kei
-Dessert at Yi Shun
-Senado Square
(2 hours)"
10.15pm Back to Hostel
We woke up early to get ready to start our 2nd day in Macau. I felt really excited since we planned to visit most of the famous places in Macau. We also got a taste of how cold the place can be early in the morning as it was freezing cold. It felt like I had frozen yogurt in my brain (drip drip) :{
We dressed up and went towards a famous shop selling Cheong Fun which is near to Chu Kei Noodle House at the the alley of Patio do Cotovelo (德隆新街). It's on the lefthand side when you turn into this alley.
The entrance to the Cheung Fun stall.
The lady shop owner led us here instead of sitting outside. Nice air-conditioned room. I think they just got this place to accommodate more customers.
One of the Cheung Funs we ordered. It's mixed with different sauces. The best part of this Cheung Fun is the nice dumplings. HKD17.
After our early breakfast, we walked towards the Ruins Of St Paul. We saw this signpost pointing towards the Ruin, so we followed it. Unfortunately, we walked aimlessly for about 10-15 minutes as the directions given by the signboards were quite confusing no thanks to the many winding small roads. There was even one signpost that was pointing towards a wall! Through trial and error, we managed to reach Ruins of St Paul.
Signpost near the Cheung Fun shop. We followed the direction given here to St Paul's Ruins but it was misleading and got us lost. I suggest you head to Senado Square and follow the directions from there or follow the crowd. It's easier & safer to get to St Paul's Ruin from Senado Sq.
After our early breakfast, we walked towards the Ruins Of St Paul. We saw this signpost pointing towards the Ruin, so we followed it. Unfortunately, we walked aimlessly for about 10-15 minutes as the directions given by the signboards were quite confusing no thanks to the many winding small roads. There was even one signpost that was pointing towards a wall! Through trial and error, we managed to reach Ruins of St Paul.
Signpost near the Cheung Fun shop. We followed the direction given here to St Paul's Ruins but it was misleading and got us lost. I suggest you head to Senado Square and follow the directions from there or follow the crowd. It's easier & safer to get to St Paul's Ruin from Senado Sq.
There werent that many people when we got there around 8.30am. We visited Na Tcha Temple 1st, which was just next to the Ruins. We took the opportunity to take as many photos of the Ruins as we can before it gets overcrowded with tourists.
The confusing route we took to St Paul's Ruin led us here. After walking for 10-20 mins we had to walk uphill. Sigh. Anyway you can see Na Cha temple at the top end of this road.
Na Cha Temple dedicated to the worship of the deity Na Tcha.Na Tcha . Enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Ruin of St Paul
Started to get crowded with other tourists around 8.50am
Behind the wall
Took the starcase up and took this from one of St Paul's windows
After 1 hour at the Ruins, we decided to make our journey towards the Monte Fort & Macau Museum which were a short walk away. We went all the way to the top of the hill and took nice photos of Macau City.
Time was short and we decided not to go inside Macau Museum which is located at the top of Monte Fort. So we walked down all the way towards Senado Square. Along the way, we visited Lou Kau Mansion (Casa De Lou Kau). At Senado Square we checked out the famous churches there like St Dominic Church. That was also the first time i have ever been in a Catholic Church. I may not be a Christian but I cant help to be awed by the grandeur of being in a huge church. I just can't imagine how it'd feel like to be in a Church in Europe.
The road from St Paul's Ruin towards Senado Square
Lou Kau Mansion
Inside the mansion
Left:Art of St Dominic Church painted on the floor. Right: The real St Dominic Church
We got kind of hungry as it was close to 11am and so we decided to head to Margaret's Nata restaurant, famous for their freshly baked egg tarts. Looking for Margaret's nata was easy is it's just located very near to Auguster's Lodge. Anyway suffice to say they live up to their reputation as the freshly baked egg tarts were quite delicious.
We walked back to Senado Square to take a mini-bus no 10 to A-MA Temple. It was quite a short ride really as it took no longer than 10 minutes to reach there from Senado Square. By the time we reached there it just after 11.30am. Nothing much to say about A-MA temple as it was just a temple to worship the goddess of seafarers and fishermen Matsu. But it's quite a historical place as the name Macau originated from A-MA temple. Long ago Portuguese sailors landed at the coast just outside the temple and asked the name of the place, the natives replied "媽閣". The Portuguese then named the peninsula "Macao".
We were quite exhausted after half a day walking and we decided to take a rest. L suggested that we visit Maritime Museum which is located just next to A-Ma Temple. I agreed but Henry didnt want to join us. So L and I entered the Maritime Museum. The museum follows the typical museum layouts of a European style. The exhibits explore major themes in the history of the maritime industry in Macau, China and Portugal. We also learned that the Maritime Museum was built on the site where the first group of Portuguese explorers landed on Macau in 1553.
We took a bus back to Senado Square. We decided to visit St Augustine's Square. We asked the locals for direction but it seems that they had no idea where it is. We didnt have the Chinese name of the place so that could be the reason. We decided to ask a police officer and he was kind enough to direct us to the place. Unfortunately the road we took to was St Augustine's Square was uphill and I walked till i couldnt feel my legs anymore :)
St Augustine Church
St Augustine's Square
After St Augustine's Square, we walked back to Senado Square and boarded Bus no 28A to Macau's most famous pork chop bun at Taipa area for lunch. We told the bus driver we wanted to stop at Tai Lei 大利, Tam Zai 氹仔(Chinese for TaiPa). The driver told us we reached Taipa but as it turned out there are a few stops in Taipa. We got out of the bus and found out it was 1 stop early. So we walked about 3-5 mins to the famous restaurant.
Finally we reached Tai Lei Lok Kei 大利来记咖啡室, which alot of people claim serves the best pork chop bun in Macau. Normally they only have the special pork chop bun only after 3pm. We reached the place about 2.30am and already saw a long queue. I asked one of the staffs and they have already started serving the special pork chop bun. I looked for a table while the others queued up. I ordered Iced Milk tea while waiting. It was quite nice thought i had abit of stomach upset since i'm actually lactose intolerant :)
Café Tai Lei Loi Kei (大利来记咖啡室)
Look at the crowd! I was lucky that i managed to get a place to sit while my friends queued up for the porkchop buns.
After 20 minutes of waiting, finally we got the chance to chow down on the pork chop bun. I didnt quite like the bun as it was kind of hard. But the pork chop bun in-between was fantastic and succulent :) Really well worth the wait.
The most famous pork chop bun in Macau
The bus stop opposite Café Tai Lei Loi Kei
After lunch, we walked about 15 minutes to reach Venetian. Thanks to the cooling weather during that time, we didnt have a problem walking there.
We didnt gamble at Venetian. Basically just walked, took photos and went to check out the canal street and looked at the singing gondola. Quite a beautiful and big place and makes our Genting Highlands pale in comparison.
We spent about 2 hours in Venetian before we took the free shuttle bus to Macau Ferry Terminal. We walked to Fisherman's Wharf which is like 5 minutes walk away from the Terminal. The place was kind of deserted and dull. They call it the biggest free theme park in Macau but there's nothing much to do here.
Entrance to Fisherman Wharf
Map of Fisherman's Wharf. Very huge place.
Colosseum? I wonder if anything takes place here or just for show.
After taking a few photos, we crossed to road towards Macau's Golden Bauhinia park which is an emblem that shows that Macau is part of China (sign of territorial power?). This park is just next to Sands Macau golden building. Unfortunately i didn't go in as it was late and we wanted to goto Macau Tower next.
We took a bus back to Lisboa. From Lisboa,we looked for the place to take bus and we saw a bus stop opposite Lisboa Hotel (or was it Casino?). We boarded a bus to Macau Tower.
We reach Macau Tower at about 6.45pm. We bought the tickets and took the lift all the way to the 80th floor. The lift quickly shot up and it had a transparent window so you can see the outside and how fast it was going. At the observatory deck we could see entire Macau with a panoramic view from the top. I can say Macau City looked breathtaking at night with all the lights up. It looked like a mini Las Vegas.
There were also glass floor areas where you can stand on top of it and it feels like you are standing on midair as you see through the transparent glass floor. We also noticed a few people who were preparing for either skywalk or bungee jump at night.
Dr M!
But something unfortunate happened when i was at Macau Tower. I passed my camera to L to take a photo of me and the camera accidentally dropped on the floor! Oh how my heart sank when it fell. AFter it fell, the camera just stopped functioning and wouldnt take any photo. There goes my dream of actually filming my roller coaster ride at Ocean park in Hong Kong...... oh well....
We decided it was already late and wanted to head back to Senado Square to take our dinner as we were starting to get very hungry. We look at the bus route maps as we didnt know which bus number to take. And so i boarded one as we thought it was headed to Senado Square. The bus stopped at A-Ma temple and the bus driver told us that was the last stop! Luckily the bus driver tried to help us and he tried to arrange for nother bus. It was so cold at night and my stomach already started to make noise. After 20 minutes, that same bus driver asked us to board a different bus and he stopped us at Senado Square. Whew!
We took our dinner at Cheung Kei for their famous "dry tossed noodles with shrimp roe (虾子捞面)” and Deep Fried Mace Balls. It's located along Rua da Felicidade. The noodles i heard are hand-made and they really tasted really good. The Fried Mace Balls were also nice and crunchy, unlike anything i've ever eaten before.
Cheung Kei Noodle House 家麵記祥
dry tossed noodles with shrimp roe (虾子捞面)
Deep Fried Mace Balls. On top is the sauce for the maceballs. Dont know what kinda sauce but not bad.
After our dinner, we walked onwards along Rua da Felicidade. This famous food street has not only plenty of restaurants (like Cheung Kei) but also shops selling local delicacies. We went to Pastelaria Koi Kei, one of the famous bakery shops in Macau. We bought their almond cookies, egg rolls, peanut candies, freshly baked egg rolls and other local delicacy at Koi Kei.
Rua da Felicidade
Pastelaria Koi Kei
Feeling so tired after a long day, we decided to head back to Augusters Lodge. Another long day tomorrow since we had to wake up very early to board the ferry to Hong Kong at 7.30am :)
Started to get crowded with other tourists around 8.50am
Behind the wall
Took the starcase up and took this from one of St Paul's windows
After 1 hour at the Ruins, we decided to make our journey towards the Monte Fort & Macau Museum which were a short walk away. We went all the way to the top of the hill and took nice photos of Macau City.
Time was short and we decided not to go inside Macau Museum which is located at the top of Monte Fort. So we walked down all the way towards Senado Square. Along the way, we visited Lou Kau Mansion (Casa De Lou Kau). At Senado Square we checked out the famous churches there like St Dominic Church. That was also the first time i have ever been in a Catholic Church. I may not be a Christian but I cant help to be awed by the grandeur of being in a huge church. I just can't imagine how it'd feel like to be in a Church in Europe.
The road from St Paul's Ruin towards Senado Square
Lou Kau Mansion
Inside the mansion
Left:Art of St Dominic Church painted on the floor. Right: The real St Dominic Church
We got kind of hungry as it was close to 11am and so we decided to head to Margaret's Nata restaurant, famous for their freshly baked egg tarts. Looking for Margaret's nata was easy is it's just located very near to Auguster's Lodge. Anyway suffice to say they live up to their reputation as the freshly baked egg tarts were quite delicious.
We walked back to Senado Square to take a mini-bus no 10 to A-MA Temple. It was quite a short ride really as it took no longer than 10 minutes to reach there from Senado Square. By the time we reached there it just after 11.30am. Nothing much to say about A-MA temple as it was just a temple to worship the goddess of seafarers and fishermen Matsu. But it's quite a historical place as the name Macau originated from A-MA temple. Long ago Portuguese sailors landed at the coast just outside the temple and asked the name of the place, the natives replied "媽閣". The Portuguese then named the peninsula "Macao".
We were quite exhausted after half a day walking and we decided to take a rest. L suggested that we visit Maritime Museum which is located just next to A-Ma Temple. I agreed but Henry didnt want to join us. So L and I entered the Maritime Museum. The museum follows the typical museum layouts of a European style. The exhibits explore major themes in the history of the maritime industry in Macau, China and Portugal. We also learned that the Maritime Museum was built on the site where the first group of Portuguese explorers landed on Macau in 1553.
We took a bus back to Senado Square. We decided to visit St Augustine's Square. We asked the locals for direction but it seems that they had no idea where it is. We didnt have the Chinese name of the place so that could be the reason. We decided to ask a police officer and he was kind enough to direct us to the place. Unfortunately the road we took to was St Augustine's Square was uphill and I walked till i couldnt feel my legs anymore :)
St Augustine Church
St Augustine's Square
After St Augustine's Square, we walked back to Senado Square and boarded Bus no 28A to Macau's most famous pork chop bun at Taipa area for lunch. We told the bus driver we wanted to stop at Tai Lei 大利, Tam Zai 氹仔(Chinese for TaiPa). The driver told us we reached Taipa but as it turned out there are a few stops in Taipa. We got out of the bus and found out it was 1 stop early. So we walked about 3-5 mins to the famous restaurant.
Finally we reached Tai Lei Lok Kei 大利来记咖啡室, which alot of people claim serves the best pork chop bun in Macau. Normally they only have the special pork chop bun only after 3pm. We reached the place about 2.30am and already saw a long queue. I asked one of the staffs and they have already started serving the special pork chop bun. I looked for a table while the others queued up. I ordered Iced Milk tea while waiting. It was quite nice thought i had abit of stomach upset since i'm actually lactose intolerant :)
Café Tai Lei Loi Kei (大利来记咖啡室)
Look at the crowd! I was lucky that i managed to get a place to sit while my friends queued up for the porkchop buns.
After 20 minutes of waiting, finally we got the chance to chow down on the pork chop bun. I didnt quite like the bun as it was kind of hard. But the pork chop bun in-between was fantastic and succulent :) Really well worth the wait.
The most famous pork chop bun in Macau
The bus stop opposite Café Tai Lei Loi Kei
After lunch, we walked about 15 minutes to reach Venetian. Thanks to the cooling weather during that time, we didnt have a problem walking there.
We didnt gamble at Venetian. Basically just walked, took photos and went to check out the canal street and looked at the singing gondola. Quite a beautiful and big place and makes our Genting Highlands pale in comparison.
We spent about 2 hours in Venetian before we took the free shuttle bus to Macau Ferry Terminal. We walked to Fisherman's Wharf which is like 5 minutes walk away from the Terminal. The place was kind of deserted and dull. They call it the biggest free theme park in Macau but there's nothing much to do here.
Entrance to Fisherman Wharf
Map of Fisherman's Wharf. Very huge place.
Colosseum? I wonder if anything takes place here or just for show.
After taking a few photos, we crossed to road towards Macau's Golden Bauhinia park which is an emblem that shows that Macau is part of China (sign of territorial power?). This park is just next to Sands Macau golden building. Unfortunately i didn't go in as it was late and we wanted to goto Macau Tower next.
We took a bus back to Lisboa. From Lisboa,we looked for the place to take bus and we saw a bus stop opposite Lisboa Hotel (or was it Casino?). We boarded a bus to Macau Tower.
We reach Macau Tower at about 6.45pm. We bought the tickets and took the lift all the way to the 80th floor. The lift quickly shot up and it had a transparent window so you can see the outside and how fast it was going. At the observatory deck we could see entire Macau with a panoramic view from the top. I can say Macau City looked breathtaking at night with all the lights up. It looked like a mini Las Vegas.
There were also glass floor areas where you can stand on top of it and it feels like you are standing on midair as you see through the transparent glass floor. We also noticed a few people who were preparing for either skywalk or bungee jump at night.
Dr M!
But something unfortunate happened when i was at Macau Tower. I passed my camera to L to take a photo of me and the camera accidentally dropped on the floor! Oh how my heart sank when it fell. AFter it fell, the camera just stopped functioning and wouldnt take any photo. There goes my dream of actually filming my roller coaster ride at Ocean park in Hong Kong...... oh well....
We decided it was already late and wanted to head back to Senado Square to take our dinner as we were starting to get very hungry. We look at the bus route maps as we didnt know which bus number to take. And so i boarded one as we thought it was headed to Senado Square. The bus stopped at A-Ma temple and the bus driver told us that was the last stop! Luckily the bus driver tried to help us and he tried to arrange for nother bus. It was so cold at night and my stomach already started to make noise. After 20 minutes, that same bus driver asked us to board a different bus and he stopped us at Senado Square. Whew!
We took our dinner at Cheung Kei for their famous "dry tossed noodles with shrimp roe (虾子捞面)” and Deep Fried Mace Balls. It's located along Rua da Felicidade. The noodles i heard are hand-made and they really tasted really good. The Fried Mace Balls were also nice and crunchy, unlike anything i've ever eaten before.
Cheung Kei Noodle House 家麵記祥
dry tossed noodles with shrimp roe (虾子捞面)
Deep Fried Mace Balls. On top is the sauce for the maceballs. Dont know what kinda sauce but not bad.
After our dinner, we walked onwards along Rua da Felicidade. This famous food street has not only plenty of restaurants (like Cheung Kei) but also shops selling local delicacies. We went to Pastelaria Koi Kei, one of the famous bakery shops in Macau. We bought their almond cookies, egg rolls, peanut candies, freshly baked egg rolls and other local delicacy at Koi Kei.
Rua da Felicidade
Pastelaria Koi Kei
Feeling so tired after a long day, we decided to head back to Augusters Lodge. Another long day tomorrow since we had to wake up very early to board the ferry to Hong Kong at 7.30am :)
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