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Sunday, October 10, 2010

MACAU 澳门 ~ Part I

Macau is located at the southwest of Hong Kong and in Guangdong province, on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta. The Historic Centre of Macau was marked as a World Heritage Site in 2005. It was my first time visiting Macau and I was excited to explore the place ~ I only knew that Macau was previously a Portuguese Colony so I hope to learn about their culture and see the beautiful attractions in Macau.Cute Emoticons

We set off early morning to Macau taking First Ferry from China Ferry Terminal @ Tsim Sha Tsui, HK. Besides First Ferry, there are other ferry service companies such as TurboJET, Cotai Strip CotaiJet and Macao Dragon.



Here we set off from China Ferry Terminal.
Opposite view is West Kowloon, HK where you can see the International Commerce Centre (ICC Tower) 環球貿易廣場



Our ferry passed by the Victoria Harbor.
We were lucky as the weather was good.Love Emoticons


Wooo ~ a sky full of fluffy clouds. Love Emoticons



Hmm, I'm not sure if this bridge leads to Shenzhen. Animated Emoticons


We reached Macau Ferry Terminal on time. Animated Emoticons


Photo taken of SANDs Macau once I alighted from our ferry.

One of the attraction at The Fisherman's Wharf theme park is the nightly explosion of 40-metre tall Volcano.Evil Emoticons


Our 1st destination was to visit Senado Square and we hop onto a bus just outside the Macau Ferry Terminal. We enjoyed the bus ride and got to catch a glimpse of the nice spots in Macau.


Here is the Lotus Square 金蓮花廣場 ~ The sculpture, made of gilded bronze and weights 6.5 tons, is 6 meters high and the diameter of the flower is 3.6 meters at maximum. The major part is composed of a stem, petals and pistil, with a total of 16 components. The base of the flower consists of 23 pieces of red granite.

The lotus flower, which is in full bloom, symbolizes the everlasting prosperity of Macau. There are three layers of red granite at the base, which are in the shape of lotus leaves, signifying the Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island and Coloane Island.



A fast bumpy bus ride and I was lucky to snap a photo of Macau Tower 澳門旅遊塔.



While waiting to cross the road to Senado Square, the Post Office Building ~Correios de Macau (Posts of Macao) 澳門郵政 is just diagonally opposite us. It was founded in 1 March 1884 and a separate entity from China Post and sub-member of the Universal Postal Union.

The Senado Square 議事亭前地 ~ a popular tourist attraction.Monkey Emoticons
Senado Square has been Macau's urban centre for centuries, and is still the most popular venue for public events and celebrations today.



The Senado Square in Portuguese ~ Largo do Senado



It was the mid-autumn festival week so there were many lotus lantern decorations at the square.Cute Emoticons




Holy House of Mercy 仁慈堂大樓 ~ Santa Casa da Misericórdia

It was established by the first Bishop of Macau in 1569, this institution was modelled after one of the most prominent and oldest charitable organizations in Portugal, and was responsible for founding in Macau the first western-style medical clinic and several other social welfare structures that still function to this day.



St. Augustine's Church ~ First established by Spanish Augustinians in 1591, this church maintains the tradition of organizing one of the most popular processions through the city, the Easter Procession, involving thousands of devotees.



Many tourists were taking photos outside St. Augustine's Church.



The architectural design of the buildings and churches in Macau are beautiful.Cute Emoticons



Taking a nice stroll along the streets ~ very 1960s look, right? Cute Emoticons
This is very different from the city.



Macau's famous pork burger.Emoticons As we had a heavy breakfast Emoticons so we did not try it.



There are many cafes/stalls selling pork burgers.Emoticons
This is one of the famous stall which featured on my travel guidebook.



The exterior of the housings were old which I think they should need to repaint.Emoticons



Wow! These were some of the toys which I played during my childhood days. Emoticons



Happy time Emoticonsas I got to try the almond cookies (hot from oven) and other tasty snacks near the Ruins of St. Paul's.


There are so many shops where you buy Macanese snacks for your friends and relatives.Emoticons



The Ruins of St. Paul's 大三巴牌坊 ~ Ruínas de São Paulo refers to the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, destroyed by fire in 1835, and the ruins of St. Paul's College, which stood adjacent to the Church.


We did not walk up to the pillar. Too tired and lazy ~ Emoticons



Today, the ruins are one of Macau's most famous landmarks. In 2005, the Ruins of St. Paul's were officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ~ Historic Centre of Macau.



This building is also located near the Ruins of St. Paul's andEmoticons I could not recall the name. Perhaps you can tell me if you know it. Thanks!

The Leal Senado Building 民政總署大樓 ~ Loyal Senate. It was originally built in 1784, this was Macau's first municipal chamber, a function it maintains to the present. The name "Leal Senado" ("Loyal Senate") derives from the title "City of Our Name of God Macau.


After the handover of Macau to China in 1999, it became the HQ of the Institute of Civic & Municipal Affairs ~ Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos e Municipais.



Oh I spotted Grand Lisboa Hotel 新葡京.



Note: I got the information from Wikipedia & MGTO.