Macau (or, a Sino-Portuguese Thanksgiving)
For the long T’giving weekend, with Fra’s folks in tow, the gang hopped a high-speed ferry to spend a couple nights across the Pearl River Delta in Macau.
We’d visited Macau twice before, but decided to stay in a new part of town this time, far away from the casinos and busy roads. Our hotel is located on the southern tip of Taipa in an area called Coloane, which was formerly its own island prior to a reclamation project that joined it to its neighbor (as part of the development of the Vegas-like Cotai Strip on the northern end). But at this end, it’s still very quiet, with unpopulated beaches, hiking trails, and small fishing villages that retain a touch of old-European charm.
With an extra day off, Fra and family headed over ahead of Adam, and after settling in at the hotel, headed to Macau’s old city center for exploration.
After a long day of walking, checking out temples, seeing some old ruins, and peeking down picturesque (and some not so much) side streets, everyone picked up Adam and ventured back south for a little R&R before bed.
Buffet breakfast and morning yoga complete, we grabbed a short taxi ride to nearby Seac Pai Van Park, a small but well-kept and very pretty public park that sports flamingos, monkeys, a pond for swans and ducks, and its main attraction, a pair of pandas.
The park recently welcomed 2 new pandas to their roster, but they’re still too tiny to put on display, so we settled for these adorable photos above and having a gander at their mama.
We then headed on foot further round the southern end of Coloane, on our way eastwards to Coloane Village, where we had Thanksgiving lunch reservations.
Below, a quick pose at Macau’s prison/police training HQ, and then on to the village.
It was clear when our stroll had reached its destination, as we soon found ourselves circling a small European roundabout (with park in the middle) and on to an area of narrow stone streets, small piazzas, a lovely church, and low buildings fronted by arched porticos.
It was lovely to explore this little slice of town, an area where time seems to slow down; however, the sea blew a cold wind through the many alleyways, and we opted to pop into our restaurant earlier than our reservation. Most people had recommended a popular Coloane landmark called Fernando’s, but we instead dined at a different Portuguese spot, which turned out great. In fact, the group dining near us had come from Portugal and make a point to eat there each time they visit, so I felt vindicated in my decision.
Above, Mario enjoys(?) his very first egg tart, from the originators of the custardy treat, Lord Stow’s.
Coloane: a place for lovers.. and pirates!
In the evening, we headed north to the casino strip to catch a fantastic show called House of the Dancing Water, a breathtaking stunt and dance show best described as Cirque Du Soleil on water. Friends had highly recommended it and, indeed, it did not disappoint (no photos of the performance, alas, as cameras were strictly prohibited).
On Day 3, we ventured back to the Cotai Strip, to give Mario and Stella a little taste of the artificial grandiosity of the Venetian, Paris and other mega-structures built to serve the gambling hordes that flood in from mainland China and beyond.
They got a kick out of the indoor canals, but as expected, tired of the scene pretty quickly. Adam and the girls stuck around a bit longer to explore the newest casino - Studio City, inspired by the glitz of old Hollywood and the grime of Batman’s Gotham City...
... and we even stumbled upon a few glimpses of home. How bizarre to stand in the middle of a Chinese casino and glance up at a train station departure board ticking off times for Metro-North rail lines!
So long, Macau, and happy turkey day!