Sunday, March 04, 2012

Magnificent Macau (December 26, 2011)

It was the day after Christmas 2011, we set foot on Macau soil for the second time. Our first visit in February 2009 was a brief half day tour so we weren't able to explore much.

Since it was officially a holiday (Boxing day), most of the ferry rides were fully booked. We managed to get 5 seats for the 11:00 am ferry then made a mad dash to the boarding gate. An hour later, we were in Macau, the immigration counters were brimming with people of different nationalities waiting in line.

But the long wait was worth it once we saw the amazing sights of Macau! First stop was the Ruins of St Paul's Cathedral.


It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site


A 17th century Portuguese Cathedral dedicated to St Paul the Apostle, it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in the 1800s


The ruins consists of the baroque stone facade of the Church and the 66 stone steps leading up to the entrance


In the crypt, there is a chapel of the bone relics of martyrs. It contains the Cross of St Paul and the bone relics of the martyrs


In the museum of Sacred Art, there are several paintings. A painting of the martyrdom of Catholics in Japan. Among them Blessed Lorenzo Ruiz, our first saint.


Then we had to squeeze our way through the crowd to get back to Senado Square.


We said a little prayer at St Dominic's Church.


Main altar of St Dominic's Church.


It was already around 2pm when we had a very late lunch at NOW Cafe.


Our meals were mostly Portuguese fare like Bacalao fried rice and beef stew.


Then a few steps away from the NOW Cafe was the Cathedral of Macau.


The Cathedral is located in Plaza de Se.


It has beautifully carved wooden Stations of the Cross.


Elaborate main altar of the Cathedral of Macau.


A long walk back to Senado Square with its numerous colorful and historical buildings.


Christmas display in front of the Post office of Macau, Senado Square


Senado Square


Senado Square


D & D @ Senado Square


Then it was time to make the rounds of the different casinos. And it deserves an entirely separate post ... so this Macau series will be continued.

8 comments:

Kayni said...

Beautiful photos of Macau. I was wondering if you guys won at the casinos.

Anonymous said...

this is interesting. i loved the ruins. i always thought of macau as a vegas type of thing but this post is really cool. and nice photos! - PM

Heart of Rachel said...

I would love to explore Macau. Those are very interesting sites. I'll keep them in mind when I get a chance to go there. Thanks for sharing.

D@phneL@ur@ said...

@Kayni My sister won at the slot machines. She was the luckiest among us. It was fun fun fun! :D

D@phneL@ur@ said...

@PM that is the beauty of Macau, there are other attractions beside the casinos. The Ruins of St Paul's was such a stunning sight to behold!

D@phneL@ur@ said...

@Rach Yes Macau is a very interesting destination with many attractions. You will surely enjoy all of them! :)

Photo Cache said...

I am really loving the St. Paul's ruins. I cannot wait to photograph it. Kelan kaya?

I cannot believe how crowded that place is. The casino post, I have to see that :)

D@phneL@ur@ said...

@Photo Cache. St Paul's Ruins is always filled with people. It is quite rare to capture a shot of it without any people 'lurking' in the background.

It is really worth a visit! :)