Text
and photos by Army Alcayaga-Granada
Published in the Manila Bulletin May 10, 2012
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| Ruins at St.Paul |
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| Guia Lighthouse |
Bright Nights
Fresh from the Cebu Pacific flight,
my two friends and I were giddy with excitement. My son
who worked at the Four Seasons Hotel picked us up at the airport.
We were thrilled to see tourist busses paraded for our
picking, compliments of The Venetian, The Galaxy, The
Sands, The Crown, The Four Seasons and The City of Dreams. Hotel hopping was an addicting experience. Other freebies
in the casinos were bottled water, juices, maps and travel brochures from the
concierge. Some of these places were nearby, giving us the chance to stroll
from hotel to hotel.
We were ushered into
the extravagance of the Venetian Hotel
and Casino. Several frescoes on the ceilings depicted Italian scenes. The dazzling
chandeliers mesmerized us. Delighted and unabashed, we aimed our cameras at
just about everything we came in contact with.
Horror of horrors, a uniformed official sporting
beret and red tassels literally ruined my chance to capture the shameful waste
in that gambling arena. We were politely but firmly asked to erase the photos
we took in the casino area.
From out of nowhere there appeared masked medieval
characters that regaled us with a spectacle only imagined in an Edgar Allan Poe
tale. They paraded and danced with sheer debauchery; minstrels, jugglers, fire
eaters and sorcerers. The scene was reminiscent of the “Mask of the Red Death”.
One of the performers looked like Vincent Price, it gave me goose bumps.
The Venetian experience will not be
complete without riding the gondola on a stretch of a manmade canal. The
gondola ride is 118MOP (642PHP).
Parched and famished, we tried the
Chinese noodles which is 40MOP (240PHP) a bowl in the Venetian food court and
cafes.
We walked at night time for it was
scorching hot at noon. Some hotels were nearby, giving us a chance to meander
the Macau avenues and feel the thrill of just walking into any hotel without
qualms because we were welcome.
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| Macau Tower |
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| Great View from the Macau Tower |
Market Scene
The iconic Ruins of St. Paul is a popular
destination and nearby is the Mount Fortress where one can see the Macau
horizon, a place so well assimilated one can spot a cathedral side by side a
Chinese temple. The Macau museum houses an extensive collection of treasures
that can make Jack Sparrow and his band of pirates make another sequel.
We stopped on Rua de Cunha to satisfy our
craving for Macanese food. We ate at a nondescript restaurant but the food was
heaven. We ordered beef brisket that melted in the mouth. The dumpling I tasted was dipped in tamarind
sauce that reminded me of the Indian samosas. The dumpling was 8MOP (40PHP) for
3pieces. Milk tea was 19MOP (103PHP). It’s better to find a grocery store where
you can buy water and other drinks for a lot less.
What struck me in Senado Square was the charm
of the mosaic images on tiled pathways. There were sketches of gypsy women,
galleons, religious icons, and more. The
famed piazza is the Mecca of tourists much like Rizal Park and Intramuros in
Manila. Senado Square is at the center of historic public buildings. Portuguese
influence on architecture is unmistakable in this Chinese port that jutted off
from mainland China. There you can try the bicycle or the rickshaw. Many wanted
rickshaw photos. I preferred the tried and tested strolling where I can hobnob
with other tourists around Senado Square, tasting the dried meat jerky, cookies
and champoy Chinese stores give away for free. Yummy!
There were a lot of trinkets and
souvenirs. I bought a small bust of Bodhisattva, the solemn Buddha .Souvenir
shopping in San Malo felt like being transported to Avenida Rizal in the 70’s
with it small shoe stores and other specialty shops. If you want mall ambience,
go to The Venetian. There you can find original Pradas and Louis Vuittons.
The Soul of Macau
I do believe that if we care for the
soul of people in any place or country, we should create some small nooks and
spaces where one can be alone, in company of butterflies and flowers.
I brought a book by Isabel Allende. I
really meant to read the last chapters of the book in Macau. So my last two
days, I went to a place I called ‘secret garden’ (actually the courtyard in
Leal Senado) and refreshed my senses. The soul of Macau lies in its gardens,
the Camoes, the Guia Fortress, Lilau square, small pockets of nature to soothe
the spirit.
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| Ruins at St.Paul |
Dreamy Day at the Macau Tower
Macau Tower shot up high and mighty,
lording it over the waters of Sai Van Lake and the waterfront. Before hitting
the elevators, we got entrance tickets (adults/ 120MOP View only/ or 150MOP
with snacks) for a view at the top. This ticket included a snack at the Cafe on
4 of mini bagel sandwich, tuna salad, and two pixie cakes. We took our sweet
time enjoying food and mood watching the boats coming to and from Hongkong. You can stay at the
top until night time. If you go there at 5pm, you can be dazzled by the sunset,
and who knows by a full moon at night time. Awesome!
After the much needed breather, my two friends
and I rode the transparent lift to the top which gave us a sneak preview of the
outdoor scene.
We stepped into a glass enclosure of
360 degrees of jaw dropping splendour. The sky descended and we were
metaphorically in heaven. One’s spirit is at once uplifted. There were glass
floors on which we posed dramatically as if falling from the tower. Tourists crowded
us but the atmosphere was gay and the excitement unbearable.
While we did our Vogue poses, screams
would ring out as skyjumpers and bungyjumpers fall like birds from the top.
There was all we could do to stop one friend from bungy jumping.
The tower was almost surrounded by
water. God and man built this astounding scenery. There was sunset at the west,
and mist at the east, buildings rising like sentinels guarding the secret of
the dragons.
As I gazed into the landscape, I can
almost hear Isabel Allende’s voice...
“Barrabas
came to us by sea...”
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| Food Avenue at the Venetian |
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| The Venetian |
