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.

Visit of 3 experts from ACAP

Yesterday was the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar Calender. In the past the Chinese would celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival with a lavish feast with family members and then sip tea and enjoy mooncakes and other delicacies under the full autumn moon. Children would parade the streets with lighted lanterns of various shapes and sizes. It good to see that the tradition is still alive in these modern times.

All the famous bakeries and large hotels are selling their brands of mooncakes. Many have ventured beyond the traditional lotus and egg yolk filling to other odd combinations. Even Hotel Nikko has set up a stall at the Mid Valley MegaMall to promote their cakes.

I met up with 3 important experts from ACAP for dinner. We were so busy eating that I forgot to take photos during the meal. However as the night was still young and the moon exceptionally bright that night, we took a slow drive to Kuala Lumpur to view the Petronas Twin Towers.

Posing with old friends outside the Shah Village Hotel. The experts will be leaving for Kuching and Bintulu in Sarawak the next day to visit the new EANET monitoring sites. They will be welcomed by our colleagues in East Malaysia and local university experts.

Best value white coffee

Hi! Shall we enjoy a cup of coffee? Locals will tell you that the best white coffee can be found at the railway station in the tiny town of Kluang in Johore. However KLites don't have to worry as the owner has set up a branch in the Ikano Shopping Center. Now you can spend a morning shopping at the Curve and then enjoy Kluang white coffee in air conditioned comfort.
The shop is normally crowded with young singles and couples who need a caffeine fix and some local fare. Then there are the retirees who wish enjoy a cuppa good quality coffee but are reluctant to pay the exorbitant prices charged at Starbucks and other hip joints.
Their specialty? Strong flavorful coffee naturally. Visit the shop to check out the rest of their menu. A glass of iced coffee and a plate of nasi lemak with 2 large pieces of fried chicken costs under RM15 ($5).
One of the most popular items on the menu is the toasted bread spread with butter and kaya (creamy egg jam). Simply yummy!

Visited Oz land again

Spring is in the air. Well, at least in the Southern Hemisphere. This will be a long blog as I've lots of pictures from my recent trip to Adelaide and Melbourne to share.
Took lots of pictures of this cherry tree as it reminded me of the Sakura season in Japan. Miss the lovely spring blossoms in Niigata and friends at ADORC oops I mean ACAP

Lavender is my favourite flower. I like to keep a handful of dried flowers in my coat pocket so I can smell their fragrance whenever I take my hand out of my pocket.

Even the pine trees are in bloom on this fine Spring day. The mix of cones and yellow flowers look so pretty.

Free transport is available around the city by tram or bus. It's so convenient. The new trams in Adelaide look sleek and colourful.

We went to the Farmer's Market for breakfast and to shop for organic home-grown products. Bought organic brocolli and pears which seem to taste much sweeter than the ones bought from Chinatown market. They have organic wine too.
Spent one lazy morning pottering around the Torrens River near the University of Adelaide. The view from the riverbank is so serene.
The black swans are extremely friendly. If you are in a paddle boat in the river they will come right up to you for food.
Unfortunately this one got nothing as I forgot to bring along some bread. It appears that this very tame pelikan bird is used to posing with humans. Hope he is not expecting food too.
During the weekend we went to our favourite beach in Glenelg with my daughter and niece to eat their famous fish and chips.
From Adelaide, we had only 2 days left in Melbourne. So much to see and do but so little time. We decided to catch the free Melbourne City Tourist shuttle for a quick tour of the city before the weather set in. I need to stay at least a week to explore all the interesting places in Inner Melbourne alone.
Melbourne Visitor Centre at Federation Square. The staff were extremely helpful when I asked for help to plan my trip to Ayers Rock next year. Friends from Japan are welcome to join our group for this adventure.
The Melbourne skyline viewed from the casino would have looked even more spectacular at night but it was too cold, wet and windy for us to venture out after dark.

Innovative architecture blended well with the surroundings. A very creative mix of attractive buildings here especially the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. I especially liked this fierce looking snake creature.
The famous Crown Casino where fortunes are made and lost. Alas there was no time for me to try my luck.
I would have loved to experience the awesome view of Melbourne from the Southern Hemisphere's highest viewing platform, the Eureka Skydeck. but hubby (who is afraid of heights) declined. It's a glass cube that projects 3 meters out from the building 88 levels up.
An interesting building near the Skydeck88. Golden bees on the wall of a building. What will those designers come up with next?
The famous Flinders Street Station....probably one of the busiest transportation stations in Melbourne. I love the architecture.
And these impressive looking buildings which blended so well with the modern ones.
While waiting for the rain to stop, I took some shots of the Forum Theater.
And this wonderful old church in Southern Cross. There are many churches and older buildings in Melbourne which are well preserved. I noticed many had female figures sitting on top of the buildings. Interesting!
Even the office buildings have a majestic frontage although the interior is probably very modern.
After a long and tiring walk around the various precincts, it's time to enjoy the delicious food. There is a wide choice of Asian food along Swanston Street in particular the Chinatown area.

This is my favourite restaurant serving delicious Vietnamese beefball noodle soup. It's particularly good eaten with their chilli paste. Apparently President Clinton took 2 bowls!