Ken and I popped by Macau before we explored Hong Kong and if we did not splurge on fine dining and excessive shopping, I would say that it is possible to explore the city on a show-string! Shall do a post on the expensive Portuguese restaurant next but now I shall share on how to have an inexpensive yet fun-filled day for two in Macau.
Well, Macau is a safe city, perfect for those who don’t mind walking. Before trying to embark on our adventure at Macau, we put on comfortable walking shoes and picked up a free map at the MGTO info counters at the ferry terminal or airport. We know that if we planned well, we can actually travel around Macau for free simply by hopping on and off the complimentary shuttle buses operated by all major casinos and hotels! Then again, I still prefer walking around the city. That’s still the best way to get around Macau.
Our day started with some famous Portuguese egg tarts at Margaret’s Cafe e Nata (Gum Loi Building Rua Alm. Costa Cabral, Macaubefore) before take a relaxing stroll through history at Senado Square, the heart of Macau where there’s lots of opportunity to camwhore. Hehe.
Apparently this cafe bakes the freshest, most crispy and tastiest baked Portuguese egg tarts on the island. True? You know the answer. My contented face explains everything.
Oh my the custard filling was super smooth, soft and rich in flavour. I could still recall how much I loved the burnt caramelised bits and the flaky puff! We paid MOP$1.25 for each egg tart. Breakfast was just about MOP$10.
Feeling kinda full from breakfast, we decided to use the map and walked over to Senado Square. Well, everyone must visit Senado Square because it is like a must-visit site. Check out the lovely wave-patterned mosaic of coloured cobble stones on its pavement. That place feels new. Not very comfortable. I prefer old places.
I can’t seem to find any interesting pictures of us here. Probably we didn’t really care much about the square while we were there because we were distracted by this particular shop! That shop which sells steamed milk! We did some research online and was advised to look out for Yee Shun Milk Company when we visit Senado because that particular outlet at Senado Square is the main branch. You can’t miss it. It’s exterior is pink.
We ordered a bowl of steamed milk pudding (MOP$14) and steamed egg custard (MOP$14). Yummy! If you are looking for that famous chain from Macau specialising in milk and custard based dessert, there’s no other than Yee Shun Milk Company. And it is true that the steamed milk and egg custard taste better in Macau than their branches in Hong Kong. Plus it is slightly more expensive in Hong Kong.
After satisfying the dessert cravings, we attempted to unfold history at some old churches around Senado Square. I think we covered the Cathedral Church (1622), the Church of St Anthony (1560) and Church of St Dominic (1587). Entrance to the attractions mentioned above are all free! Oh look. I played pretend and it was fun to provoke exasperated facial expressions from him.
I wanted to confess all my evil-doings at the St. Dominic’s Church. But the priest was off-duty. Probably another day then. Anyway the most awesome architecture in Macau is definitely the St. Paul Ruins.
Beautiful structure but can’t get enough of it because all that’s left was just the southern stone façade. This site once stood the largest Catholic Church in Asia at one time before it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon. Sad right? And we didn’t know that it is customary to throw coins into the top window of the ruins from the stairs, for luck. Wiki said that.
Well well, the fact that we were in the Las Vegas of Asia means we cannot escape these casinos. Have to at least step into one to get a feel of it. Since we don’t gamble, we just gawked at the gaudy/grand decorations, ordered a drink and indulge in the free, non-stop entertainment shows in the casino lounge. It was pretty boring. Oh if I’m not mistaken, the Venetian perhaps the biggest hotel in the world but Cablenazi and I did not have the chance to check the Venetian out previously when we were here. We were lazy. Just want to chill, relax, hold hands and explore the old city. Lunch was pork chop buns from a local shop we chanced upon! Not bad.
Getting lost is in a quaint place like Macau is a simple pleasure itself. I like the sight of old, crumbling architecture of the past. I like the rough stale feel of old bricks. We also chanced upon spots that were lest touristy. Such as this breezy park somewhere in Macau. Lol. We bought ice cream from a cart and people-watched. Also realised how much I enjoy his company.
No idea how we managed to walked back to a familiar lane that brought us back to the vicinity of our hostel. Then it is time for dinner! We decided to try something exotic for dinner that is unavailable in Malaysia/Singapore. Fresh Duck Blood Cake! We found it at a local roasted meat shop right opposite our hostel. Look at that bowl of protein.
Dinner was cheap. Roughly MOP30/SGD6 per person.
To end the day, we bought 2 cans of Macau beer each from 7-11 and chilled out in at a romantic garden. It was an impromptu decision! So we ended up in a random garden near Senado Square. Actually with proper planning, you can consider visiting the Camoes Grotto, a garden with ancient pagoda trees and winding paths. That’s the oldest and biggest public park in Macau!
By the way, the Macau beer is a lightly flavoured brew suitable for ladies! I’m a fan of its grassy, pungent green apple skin-like flavour. Nice!
What we missed: Museum Hopping
Often misunderstood as the oriental Las Vegas, a sin city for big-time gamblers and playboy tycoons, Macau actually offers more than just that kind of entertainment. For history buffs like me, I wanted to museum hop as there are museums that are really worth visiting in Macau! But we had no time! In fact, there were so many interesting museums that we really have a tough time short listing the ones to visit. But if time permits, the one not-to-be-missed would be the Macau Wine Museum.
Wine sampling at a museum? Perfect excuse to get high.
