Macau: historical trading port of China

I've always been fascinated by Macau (known as Ou Mun) because of its rich history as a trading port of olden China. It also happens to be a place where you can gamble away your life savings, as tragically shown in many a Hong Kong movie. So when Air Asia offered cheap flights to Macau, I jumped at the opportunity.

Today Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, similar to Hong Kong. Among the early European colonizers, the Portuguese left the greatest influence on this city. Walking from the famous Senado Square towards Mt. Fortress, I could see many buildings having a characteristic architecture assimilating both Portuguese and Chinese culture.

St. Dominic's Church founded by Spanish Dominican priests. It is a beautiful example of baroque architecture and is still being used as a place of worship.
It was an extremely hot day but I did not want to miss out on visiting the Ruins of St. Paul's - a must for all tourists. What a pity that a fire destroyed most parts of this magnificent building.
Both the Church and Mount Fortress were constructed by Jesuits. It's a great place for a panoramic view of the whole of Macau. The Macau Museum nearby is well worth visiting as the exhibits were very well displayed.

The famous Red Market which sells fresh seafood, vegetables and meats. The fish are so fresh, some of them are still alive. Apparently most of the food comes from across the border. Outside are stalls selling a variety of fruits and cheap clothing.
The Lotus Monument, another popular destination for tourists. I was told that the lotus is the seat for the Goddess Kuan Yin.
A-Ma temple, the most famous temple in Macau which also gave the city its name. I was not very impressed as the place looked rather run down.

Undoubtedly, among the greatest attractions of Macau are its casinos. While the present ones in the city are continuously upgraded, many new ones are being built with the biggest ones located in the Taipa area. At night they come alive with lights and music. Since our hotel is in the city we spent many evenings admiring the beautiful interior of the hotels.
The Wynn is relatively new. It has a beautifully decorated lobby with shops exclusively for the super rich.

The exterior of the Grand Lisboa is so impressive! The whole structure glitters like gold under the evening sun and is visible even from a great distance.
There are very expensive exhibits inside....like this ivory piece. An exquisite work of art!
Who would buy this awesome gold piece except a very, very rich multi-millionaire?
We had to take the free buses to visit the casinos which are further away from the city center. However, it isn't a problem as the buses are very regular and available day and night. This one goes to the Venetian at the Cotai Strip.
It has the biggest casino hall that I've ever seen. And the decor is super impressive. Everything is in gold....the colour of wealth.

Since Zhuhai, China is nearby, we decided to take a one-day guided tour to see this city. One of the attractions is the house where Dr. Sun Yat Sen was born. Actually the house has been torn down but we're told that the site is just behind that wall.
He had a very poor childhood before he left for Hawaii to study medicine. Imagine, they even preserved his bathtub.
We visited this beautiful statue of a fisher lady standing over the sea. There is a legend attached to this statue that is related to several other statues found all over Zhuhai. Zhuhai is also a fantastic place for shopping... if you are good at bargaining.
To make the most of our holiday we decided to spend a day in Hong Kong. It was only an hour's ride away by turbo-jet from the Macau pier. We further took the ferry to the Kowloon area for lunch.
Discovered this very popular dim sum restaurant which was already very packed at 11am. Imagine if we had arrived at lunchtime! We had to share a table with 3 other groups of diners but that's common in Hong Kong.
I wanted to do some shopping in the Mongkok area but the place was just too crowded and noisy. This street is called Ladies Street.
Macau is a great place for food. We discovered a modest restaurant near the Red Market selling the best roast pork and chicken. It is served with a huge helping of steamed rice and complimentary chinese tea. Prices are reasonable too.
Can you imagine this crowd queuing just for durian ice cream? I did not realize that durian is so popular in Macau. They should come to Malaysia for real tasty durians.
This is the queue for the best pork chop bun in Macau. It is only open from 3pm to 5pm everyday and I was told sometimes the buns are sold out within an hour.
It's just a piece of pork in a bun, no dressing. I can't understand why it's so popular.
Macau is also famous for their almond cookies. This shop Koi Kee Bakery advertised that their products are the "No. 1 Selling Souvenier in Macau".
Macau airport...voted as the best upcoming airport. It is impressive and service is very efficient. If you wish for a cheap, comfortable and hassle-free holiday fly Air Asia. We also picked the hotel from their list of hotel offers as well as the airport transfers.

Enjoy a lake cruise from a shopping mall

I went to an unusual shopping mall near Kuala Lumpur last weekend. Its called the Mines and it is built over a disused tin mining pond. It's new, huge, noisy and colourful.

A river runs through the building which leads into a huge lake beyond the shopping complex. It's quite a delightful experience dining at the little restaurants that line its banks while watching the boats cruising by.
This shopping complex has an unusually large number of Japanese shops and eating places.

For $7 you can take a boat ride down the river and cruise around the lake. During the daytime, the rides are very popular among families with young children and overseas visitors. It must be quite a romantic ride under the stars at night.

The last time I was here many years ago, the river was teaming with small catfish. How they have grown! I would be terrified to swim in the lake with such huge monsters in the water.