Less than a month before our Korea trip and I’m getting the jitters. Glenn specifically told me not to make any itinerary and leave everything to him. I knew he wanted to do one of his little surprises so I said yes. That was months ago, when it was supposed to be just the two of us. But our little getaway has turned into a family vacation and the OC in me is dying to know every little detail. Just to make sure that we get to iron out all the details before we leave. That’s what I told him but he just laughed and remains unconvinced. I will try harder to reign myself and let him take charge. Haist! This give and take part of the relationship is hard when it comes to travel.
Since I find myself with nothing to do I’ll take a trip down memory lane to one of my first out of the country trips. Last November 2009, Aimee, her sister and I had a hectic day visit to Macau, the Vegas of the East. We left Manila a day late than our scheduled flight because a typhoon cancelled all flights. We flew to Hongkong on November 1 and after spending a day in HK Disneyland, we craved for some quiet and culture. Taking the ferry to Macau was the best antidote to the hustle and bustle of HK. Armed with the map that we got at the HK International Airport we were ready for a walking tour of the city.
We left our hostel located in the Mong Kok area at around 8am and took the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui station. From there we walked until we reached the China ferry terminal. A ferry leaves for Macau every 30 minutes and the trip takes 60-70 minutes. Check First Ferry’s website for details.
An important habit that Aimee has picked up from her travels abroad is to always look for a free map at the airport. It is always helpful especially if you want to roam around the city without a tour guide. So after getting a free copy of a map of Macau from their tourism office at the ferry terminal (and mistaken for Indonesian tourists by fellow Filipinos) we hailed a cab for Guia Hill. We planned to follow the walking tour to the letter but we got lost in the city’s delightful ruas. Fortunately, we did get to visit at least half of the places listed and the ultimate reason for the Macau excursion – St. Paul’s Ruins.
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| Guia Chapel & lighthouse |
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| Macau skyline |
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| Old building maintained by UNESCO |
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| Receiving hall of Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Memorial House |
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| Macau's rua |
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| UNESCO Heritage site: St. Paul's Ruins |
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| St. Dominic's Church |
Macau walking tour directions
Starting point: Guia hill
A. Guia fort & lighthouse
B. Our Lady of Guia church
* turn right to Estrada do Engenhero Trigo
C. Guia cable car
D. Flora garden
* cross Avenida de Sidonia Pais, walk 2 blocks
E. Memorial house of Dr. Sun Yat Sen
* turn right to Estrada Loureiro
F. Lou Lim Leoc garden
* return a few paces to Avenida de Conselheiro de Almeida & turn right
G. Calcada de S. Lazaro
*branch right to Rua Pedro Nolasco da Silva to Rua de S. Domingo
leading to Largo Senado
H. Plaza Cultural
*pass Rua Dr. Soares & branch left on Calcada Tronco Velho
I. Largo S. Agostinho ( wave-patterned pavements )
* to the left
J. St. Augustine's church
*to the right
K. Sir Robert Ho Tung library & Chapel of St. Joseph Seminary
L. Dom Pedro v theatre
*go to Rua central , go right to Rua S. Lourencia
M. St. Lawrence church
*go back to Rua central & go to Travessa Padre Naraso to the Rua de
Praia Grande
N. Headquarters of Macau SAR
*turn right to stroll along the Praia
O. Macau tower ( Lunch )
*go to A-Ma temple
P. A-Ma temple
* cross Largo de Pagode de Barra to Pier no. 2
Q. Maritime Museum
* go to Leal Senado
R. St. Domini's church
*to the right of the church is Pua de S. Domingos, take it to Rua de
Palha & turn left to Rua de S. Paulo
S. St. Paul's ruins
*cross the road to Monte Fort
T. Museum of Macau
*go back down the staircase & turn right to Rua de S. Antonio at the
end of the road is
U. St. Anthony's church & Camoes garden
*leave across Camoes garden square by Rua de Botelho & turn left onto
Rua de Faitioes to Rua Tercena then turn into Rua dos Mercadores
V. San Ma Lo
W. Cybernetic fountain
Starting point: Guia hill
A. Guia fort & lighthouse
B. Our Lady of Guia church
* turn right to Estrada do Engenhero Trigo
C. Guia cable car
D. Flora garden
* cross Avenida de Sidonia Pais, walk 2 blocks
E. Memorial house of Dr. Sun Yat Sen
* turn right to Estrada Loureiro
F. Lou Lim Leoc garden
* return a few paces to Avenida de Conselheiro de Almeida & turn right
G. Calcada de S. Lazaro
*branch right to Rua Pedro Nolasco da Silva to Rua de S. Domingo
leading to Largo Senado
H. Plaza Cultural
*pass Rua Dr. Soares & branch left on Calcada Tronco Velho
I. Largo S. Agostinho ( wave-patterned pavements )
* to the left
J. St. Augustine's church
*to the right
K. Sir Robert Ho Tung library & Chapel of St. Joseph Seminary
L. Dom Pedro v theatre
*go to Rua central , go right to Rua S. Lourencia
M. St. Lawrence church
*go back to Rua central & go to Travessa Padre Naraso to the Rua de
Praia Grande
N. Headquarters of Macau SAR
*turn right to stroll along the Praia
O. Macau tower ( Lunch )
*go to A-Ma temple
P. A-Ma temple
* cross Largo de Pagode de Barra to Pier no. 2
Q. Maritime Museum
* go to Leal Senado
R. St. Domini's church
*to the right of the church is Pua de S. Domingos, take it to Rua de
Palha & turn left to Rua de S. Paulo
S. St. Paul's ruins
*cross the road to Monte Fort
T. Museum of Macau
*go back down the staircase & turn right to Rua de S. Antonio at the
end of the road is
U. St. Anthony's church & Camoes garden
*leave across Camoes garden square by Rua de Botelho & turn left onto
Rua de Faitioes to Rua Tercena then turn into Rua dos Mercadores
V. San Ma Lo
W. Cybernetic fountain
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