Nate’s Guide to Macau
Introduction
About Macau
History
Getting There
Currency
Transportation in Macau
Communication
Essential Phrases
Restaurants
Attractions
Museums
Parks
Lodging
Medical
Note: This is a little out of date
Introduction
Let me begin by saying that Jet Lag is not fun if you want to fit in the schedules of others. William Gibson wrote in his novel Pattern Recognition that Jet Lag is a result of the human dichotomy, mankind is not supposed to travel as fast has he does and when he does, his soul dangles on behind like a kite being reeled in.
If I were going to make my own explanation, I would say that no matter how adventurous, at some level, we are rooted in a idea called home. The mind drags the unwilling body, about an hour a day, to a new place, all the while sulking–refusing to do trivial tasks like digest food or sleep.
The more accepted reason is simply that we are breaking out of the patterns of our sleep schedules and reorientation is Mah fahn (trouble). Regardless, jet lag is a tough master whose will can be refused at one’s own peril. I’m writing this at 4:13 AM having tossed and turned for the last hour trying to get to sleep. My clock still reads PM from the last place I had my computer connected to the Internet 3 days ago. Durham. The ironic thing is that as big as China is, it only has one time zone in the name of unity and so Tibet sees the sun rise, albeit much higher than we do, at noon. In all seriousness it’s not quite that bad. Insomnia can sometimes lead to my most productive moments. Thus I give you Nate’s guide to Macau.
About Macau
Macau is many things as the worlds most densely populated city. It has many bakeries, many restaurants, many casinos and many problems. Once you get past that surface, you’ll find the results of a cultural train wreck. The Portuguese tried somewhat less successfully than the British to create a port in the east and while they maintain influence in food, architecture, EU membership for pre-1999 Macau citizens and Salida (Exit) over the doors, the Chinese being the more efficient people have triumphed over more important matters like prices, language and public toilets. It is a cross class marriage of third world prices and travel arrangements with western sensibilities. Macau is a walking city, take the time to tramp down the streets, for their narrow avenues hold many fascinating sights and smells, when an entire country worth of resources region is shoehorned into a city there are bound to be some odd juxtapositions, the fun is finding them. If nothing else Macau is random.
Macau consists of what where originally 3 islands, Macau, Taipa and Coloane. However, in an ambitious feat of engineering, this was turned into - island and - peninsula connected to Mainland. Macau is where the vast majority of people live, and totals only about 4.5 square miles. The village of Taipa is - mix of quite streets and shops as well as the site of the airport terminal and go kart track. This leaves Colane as the site of outdoor recreation, beaches, and hiking.
In 1999 Macau was handed back over to the Chinese government and became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. As part of the 1 country 2 systems program Macau retains a high degree of autonomy, including greater economic and religious freedom.
One can visit Macau by one of three ways, walk, boat or fly. Macau has its own airport that it’s immediately obvious on any larger map of Macau because it shows up as a runway in the sea. Prices can quite reasonable, all though you may be better off Flying into Hong Kong and taking the Jetfoil. If you have deep pockets there is also a Helicopter that flies back and forth. The remaining legal way of getting to Macau is by taking a short walk, if by some reason you happen to be coming from Mainland, Zhuhai is just north of Macau and in the last 20 years has gone from rice patties to a city of 800,000.
The local currency is Pataca’s (MOP) Issued by the national bank of Macau, although most businesses will accept Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) at a 1 to 1 exchange. The disadvantage of this is that HK are worth slightly more than Pataca’s so your money can go a little farther in Pataca’s. Pataca’s aren’t traded internationally so all currency exchange’s are first exchanged into Hong Kong Dollars and then into Pataca’s. The exchange rate is based on the Hong Kong Dollar which is pegged to US dollar (USD). At the time of writing this is an advantage for US traveler since our dollar is weak internationally so in Macau we have greater purchasing power. comparatively.
Transportation in Macau
The preferred mode of transportation in Macau is by scooter and they are everywhere. One can rent a vehicle although I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re comfortable driving on the left side of the road and INSANE. Better to take Taxis or Buses although everything in Macau is within walking distance if you have the time.
Communication
Cell phone communication in Macau, indeed most of Asia and the world is via GSM. The practical ramification of this is that an unlocked tri-band GSM phone will work simply by purchasing a prepaid SIM card and exchanging it with your existing one. When you get back change it back and you’re all good. The catch is that in the US, providers like AT&T, Cingular, or T-Mobile tend to lock their phones to their service so it isn’t a trivial exercise. On the bright side any - band phone bought in HK or Macau should work with any provider anywhere in the world.
Neih hou [ma] - greeting literally you good [?]
Sia sau gan haih bin do ah? - Where is the restroom?
Joi gin - good bye
Jouh sahn - good morning
Mah fahn - troublesome, seems like a fairly common expression
Food in Macau is some of the best you’ll find for the price. At the risk of drawing ire, I’ll make an observation that as a whole, I think food in Macau is better than the food in Hong Kong. The only reason I can figure out for this is that Macau has Portuguese influence to Hong Kong’s British and the Portuguese are simply better cooks. If you don’t believe me, fine, it’s only an opinion. Since this at point is not a real book I don.t have contact info for most of these places. Places I thought about it on this trip I collected it. If you want to fund me for more complete information well then by all means go ahead.
Cafe Soborosa - aka The Catholic as known by some because the owner was catholic and the god shelf had a print of the last supper instead of the typical gods, It is now under new management but cheap and still good. - Rua das Hortas No.3, R/C, A3 : 516868
The bamboo place - Their lemon chicken and chicken with cashews is excellent. They are located up the street from the main CTM and characterized by a bamboo motif on the window.
E.S.Kimos - Zhen Zhu Naih Cha or bubble tea is a must. This is something you might not like the first time but is quite good. Naih Cha or Milk tea is something that is fairly common in Asia and tastes a little like Chai but the Zhen Zhu is is is actually some form of tapioca that comes at the bottom of your glass and makes life quite interesting. There are several E. S. Kimos in Macau, but the newest and largest is in the bottom of Sun Yick Fa Yuhn. The set meals are a good value.
McDonalds - Ok before you get all high and mighty about the fact that I put something this western in let me point out that it is a bastion of familiarity and more importantly western toilets. On top of that, McDonalds in China has food that you can’t find else where and the quality seems to be much better than in the states. As far as I’m concerned the best sandwich McDonalds has ever made is the McCrispy chicken fillet but I tried to find it in the States and failed. Not that I spend that much time at McDonalds here or anything. Mickey D’s is said to put a franchise anywhere there is a group of people 50,000 people to support it and as a result of basic math, Macau has 9.
La Comedie - a random coffee shop by the Cultural Center that has most importantly half price deserts after 9.
Fernando’s - By Hak Sa, or the black sand beach, it’s Coluane’s finest. Maybe Macau’s finest, certainly one of the most famous and at ~$100MOP a plate some of the best chicken you’ll ever eat.
Fruitarian - located in Mong Ha. It’s a great place to get caught up on your fruit and vegetable deficiency from haven eaten at so many restaurants. Order Seui mat touh louh for strawberry, peach and tapioca heaven.
Italian food - Little Italy in Macau consists of two restaurants, one flavored by grand prix paraphernalia near the finish of the Grand Prix course and the other across the street from the KFC by E.S.Kimos. They are both on the expensive side as Macau goes but have excellent food.
Margaret’s cafe nada - Is a great little cafe searving pita sandwiches and more notably fresh from the oven Dahn Tat or egg custards. It’s been a standing argument over who makes the better one, Margaret’s or her ex husband’s cafe on Coloane, try them both and let me know, I couldn’t decide.
1 Pataca place - it’s actually called Pastelaria Hou Wan Loi but it was dubbed 1 Pataca place for the 1 pataca bo loh bauh or pineapple bun by Josh Smucker. - 27-A Rampa dos Cavaleiros.
Dim Sum - is a must, get where you can.
Waffle place - Not that they really advertise their waffles, you might have to dig a bit to find this one but if you can, it’s worth it, fresh waffles with peanut butter, condensed milk and confectionary sugar.
Macau Tower - An attraction in it’s own right, there are two restaurants at the top. 360 is a revolving buffet that is the most notable restaurant in Macau, if only for it’s height, most everyone will tell you to visit it if you come to Macau. The food is pretty good if a little on the pricy side. 933-339 for reservations.
The training restaurant - on top of the Mong Ha hill, I’m told this restaurant is 5 star quality but inexpensive because it is run staffed by students.
Attractions
A-ma temple - across from the maritime museum, this is the oldest and most fascinating of Macau’s temples if you want to visit a temple, visit this one.
Protestant Cemetery - Non-Catholics weren’t allowed to be buried in the catholic cemetery so they had their own, the protestant cemetery is the burial site of Robert Morrison, a man of many firsts, including missionary to China, translating the bible into Chinese and Chinese English dictionary.
Ruins of Sao Paulo - The first westerners to come to Macau were catholic, and built St Pauls, most of it was destroyed when a powder magazine exploded leaving only the façe standing.
Macau Tower - you can actually climb to the top of this, although it’ll set you back a bit. The best value is to go to the buffet for lunch.
Kun Iam Statue - ecumenical center of Macau for Buddhism, Daoism, and Hinduism.
Lotus Square - The main attraction here is the Golden Lotus Blossom statue, a sign of the hand over. I’ve been told that the Macau’s symbol is the lotus because like the lotus the people of Macau grow in the muck and come out clean. To the north of the square there is a building containing gifts from every province in China from the handover ceremony.
Statue of A-ma - on Coloane, the best way to get to it requires a good hike. You can see it from most of the places on the island, so it’s not like you’re going to miss it.
Nam Van Lake Cybernetic Fountain - Macau’s equivalent of the fountain outside of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Casinos - There are a lot of them, 21 in fact, avoid them if possible, and defiantly don’t wander around them after dark. You won’t get mugged or anything but you might have some unpleasant encounters with less than savory people. The Lisboa is historically the most famous and was owned by Stanley Ho who also owned all the other casinos as well. It was said that at one point Stanley Ho personally paid 40% of Macau’s taxes, however Las Vegas Operators are moving in and building more western style casinos, the most notable being the gleaming golden wonder by the cultural center, Sands. Being a gambling town, there are many problems that come with the territory, illegal prostitution is one of the worst. At one point it was estimated there were 26,000 prostitutes in Macau and fairly open, at this point prostitution is all but underground and 500 a week are caught and deported.
The fountain area - Pan seui chi is one of the best places to go for celebrations and has most of the more touristy shops as well as an old chapel.
Museums
Macau has a surprisingly amount Museums and other cultural landmarks. I suppose this is one advantage of having 125% of your government’s budget met by casino taxes. You can definitely spend several days doing the museum thing.
Macau museum - This is a good place to get the rundown on Macau. There is a lot of history here worth seeing.
Macau Museum of Art - an excellent collection for such a small city, I’m totally in love with a few pieces with a cyber punk flair by Tanaka Masato and most of the contemporary paintings. There is a surprisingly high rotation of art exhibits. Since my last visit a year ago 80% of the exhibits have changed.
Maritime Museum - Macau traditionally had a lot of fishing industry and this Museum shows - lot about fishing and maritime life from both Chinese and Western influence. It’s quite fascinating
Grand Prix/Wine Museum - These two museums are right next each other, the Grand Prix museum showcases Grand Prix Technology and cars while the other the Wine Museum deals with the traditional industry of Macau, wine making.
Taipa Houses - The Portuguese had and early settlement on Taipa and these houses show life in Colonial glory.
Parks
One of the high lights of Macau is the parks. - Given the population density it is quite nice and important that they set aside numerous parks that people congregate in. While they don’t have a lot of grass or open space their beauty is found in the stonework and exquisite landscaping.
Mong Ha Fort - This is one of the early Forts, and also a park. It’s good for a morning walk and fun to see all the old people doing Tai Chi.
Montanha Park - This park spirals around and around up - hill. I spent more than a few mornings here eating Bo loh Bauh for breakfast.
9 turns park. Around the corner from Pui Ching. This is a traditional garden and notable for the bridge that takes 9 turns. I’m told that the reason for the turns is that evil spirits can only travel in a straight line.
Guia Hill - This is the largest park in Macau and also a good place to run. There are also some tunnels here left over from World War II that are quite fascinating. The last time I was here you pretty much needed somebody to show you where they were but I’m told that they’ve actually cleaned them up and give tours now.
Alto de Coloane Park - There are a number of trails that start in this park. It’s actually quite enjoyable to hike. It’s a reprieve from the city since you can actually feel isolated for stretchs. There is a 5 loop trail and about 10 miles of trails all together.
Lodging
I know jack about hotels but stories I’ve heard are that some of the hotels are a little seedy. The Training Hotel in Mong Ha is supposed to be a good value since it’s supposed to be 5 star quality but inexpensive because it’s run by students.
Medical
Hope Clinic - was started by U.S. and Chinese doctors and is staffed by various agencies including Doctors without Borders. This is a good place for foreigners to go for anything but serious trauma.
© 2004 Nathan R. Charles. All rights reserved.
