Time Travel - Episode 5

July 29, 2005
The trip I took to Macau on Friday, July 29, was very interesting and exciting. I left the apartment, in which I was staying for my vacation, around 7:00am. From there I took the subway, called the MTR, to the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island. There, I had quite an ordeal getting my ticket, going through customs, missing my ferry, waiting for the next ferry, and finally sitting down for the hour-long ferry trip and catching my breath! Whew! The trip there was quite nice, as we passed the outlying islands of Hong Kong and then those of Macau. As we approached the ferry dock in Macau, the casinos lined the waterfront, as the sign for even the “Sands” casino prominently flashed before our eyes. What a tragedy it was to see such an historical place marred by these icons of what are far too often used for manipulation, greed, and corruption! However, my sights were set on other more pleasant spots on the island, as I began my journey from the terminal and into the unknown, winding streets of Macau.

My first stop was Guia Hill with its quaint little lighthouse and chapel. I took a small cable car to the top of the hill and walked to the traditional structures. From there, I was able to see Macau spread out against the backdrop of dark rain clouds waiting to unleash their fury upon the city at any moment. I met an Austrian man up there, and I had a nice conversation with him later that morning, as I coincidentally met up with him again at another place on the island. One interesting location I had the privilege of experiencing was St. Paul’s Ruins, as you can see in the picture above. What a reflective and thought provoking experience this was as I took in the ruins of this traditional structure’s façade, appreciated the artwork displayed in the museum, and grieved over the bones on display in the crypt. It is quite intriguing to see such a strong Roman Catholic influence in this Chinese area. The rest of the day was spent experiencing various facets of life in Macau; figuring out some of the local bus system, eating lunch at the “Galo” Portuguese restaurant, visiting various old church buildings, taking in the mix of colloquial Portuguese and Chinese architecture and culture, finding my way around the narrow roads and winding streets, literally running up and down hills as I went to and from various sites while the rain storms rolled through, challenging my map reading abilities and urban navigational ingenuity as I raced to as many sights as possible before dark and led some other foreign tourists in finding their way, and meeting Chinese, Portuguese, Norwegian, Italian, English, and Filipina people resulted in quite a learning experience. The end of this most memorable day was spent trying some Portuguese food in the Tai Pa village at the “O Infante” restaurant, talking with the Filipina waitresses, and meeting a wonderful Portuguese cook. That excursion to Macau was quite an experience, as I did not arrive back at my apartment until about 1:00am. I hope I am able to return to Macau again some day and get to know some of those people I met. You never know where you’ll go or who you’ll meet, as life is always worthwhile and always an adventure.