First and foremost, I need to thank Jetstar Asia and Macau Government Tourist Office for making this trip possible, with the many coveniences catered for me and my dad during the planning, as well as the execution part of it.
When I received a call from Jetstar Asia on an 08 Jan evening, it took me a while before I was convinced I REALLY earned an opportunity to carry out my planned Macau itinerary shortly before Lunar New Year! I was delirious! It was like a pre-CNY present, for my dad particularly...
So, I had about 3 weeks to further my research on the route and how to maximise the given S$30 allowance ceiling per person for the five agenda I drafted. For a start, I wrote to Macau Government Tourist Office in Singapore, and they were kind enough to send me printed informations on Macau, including a detailed map, at no cost at all! For anyone who would be keen to visit Macau, regardless whether influenced by my blog or not, Macau Government Tourist Office provides vast information about this little ex-colony and it certainly helps to approach them for necessary and latest information to make your stay more fulfilled and memorable. They are located at 371, Beach Road #12-06 Keypoint, Singapore 199597 Tel: (65) 6292 5383 Fax: (65) 6292 5882 Email: mgto@pacleisure.com
In addition, I read up more books I could find on Macau, to make sure 'no stones were left unturned' (LOL!) prior to my visit, and many thanks to Mook and Rough Guide, they indeed made my trip more adventurous! They provided an adequate insight on Macau rather than some other bigger names in travel guides who would rather spend more effort writing on its more established 'neighbour' -- Hong Kong, and only catered a small and forgetable amount on this otherwise brilliant gourmet and entertainment city. To be honest, I don't earn a single dime from them, but they did a brilliant job, and rightfully deserve certain amount of credit if (hopefully) someone find my humble article helpful on their subsequent trip to Macau.
When I first visited Macau in 1994, it was still a Portuguese colony and most residents actually understood more Portuguese (and Cantonese, naturally) rather than English. And in fact, to date, the street names of Macau are still printed in both Portuguese and Mandarin that prompted me more favour writing this blog in Mandarin to preserve some essence and locality and, at the same time, making this blog more lively. However, the organiser of this contest would prefer the blog to be written in English, and by right I shall duly obliged. But, I would like to stress that NONE (zilch!!) of those English guide books (Rough Guide included) can write better review in exploring Macau than those Mandarin one (such as Mook) did. I feel that I would be doing a little disservice to this vibrant city particularly for visitors who intended to explore Macau beyond the Casinos, and as such, when I feel I have to, I shall elaborate a wee bit in Mandarin, to aid understanding. For eg, food.. there would be nobody communicating in English over food menu, ingredients, in those little local eateries, and any English translation are rare (if not personal), might be misleading, and would only create more confusion. Another fine eg is St Paul's... Strike any cord anybody? Try saying Sao Paulo, and one immediately relates to Brazil! I shall elaborate more details in my blog proper.. for the meantime, let's ROCK!!
Agenda
I would have drafted a rush, but entertaining trip should I NOT bringing my dad along. I reckoned that could be a bit too tough for a 70-year-old, and as such, I settled for something more relaxed... food pilgrimage!!
Many knows Macau for its Portuguese Egg Tart, and Pork Chop Bun.. but what else??
And so, I came out with the five following agenda after some careful research and tough consideration.. Save for Lord Stow's and Cafe Tai Lei Loy Kei's Pork Chop bun (which are the compulsory anyway), the others are actually quite conveniently located :P
• Savour Burmese cuisine （雅馨緬甸餐廳）
• Explore the root of Portuguese Egg Tarts （安德魯餅店 ＆ 瑪嘉烈蛋撻）
• Must Try!! Pork Chop Bun from Café Tai Lei Loi Kei （大利來記咖啡室）
• Tim Fatt Shark Fin soup （添發碗仔翅美食）
• Dessert at Leitaria | Son （義順牛奶公司）
Macau Embracing... 02 Feb 2010 (Tue)
Our flight touched down Macau's International Airport on a stale cold morning 90 mins after midnight. Our transit trip to Hotel Royal, where we were accommodating, was not without some minor adventures of its own, the fog was so thick that our driver, Mr Wong, had to drive cautiously and even then, could not prevent him from almost missing a turn along the highway. We even witnessed an accident involving a car drove into road block! After all the transit and settling, it's almost 3am when we finally rest for the night, and I bet we were already one of the earliest pair of contestants retiring that day.
However, being dedicated as I am... let me do a star jump to start off my itinerary for the day!! =P
OKOK, don't throw your smelly socks on me!! muahaha!
The Adventures begin...
We were hardly night owls, and our psychological alarm rang at 7.30am whether we like it or not. Still feeling the midnight hangover, but could not turn back to bed, we decided to go for an early breakfast. It was already bright daylight, now then I saw the hotel room window offering a briiliant view of Jardim de Vasco da Gama beneath and a nice cityscape beyond. Oh, wait a minute, any idea what's Jardim de Vasco da Gama?? Jardim means Garden in English. See what I meant?? The best way to write about Macau is in Mandarin or Portuguese, if I translate it myself, try telling a taxi driver 'Vasco da Gama Garden', and he might just scratch his head until his dandruff falls like snow flakes! LOL!! ^_^
When I drafted this itinerary, I had no idea which hotel we would be putting at (that is, should we win...), so most of my transport arrangement were based on HK Ferry Terminal or Avenida Almeida Ribeiro (otherwise known as 新馬路 or 殷皇子大馬路, Macau's city center), and I factored in the transportation cost in my itinerary as well. However, had I knew it would be Hotel Royal we would be staying, I might have planned it with more flexibility. You see, my itinerary is all about food, and Hotel Royal provides free breakfast (nevermind how tasteless it may be), as well as free ferry services regularly to some entertainment spots, by that, I meant Casinos in general.
So, I had to quickly wake up my sleepy mind to come out contigency plan, so that I could have some time to digest between meals and optimise the traveling time as well as expenses.
Hotel Royal provides ferry service to The Venetian at 11am, so I had ample time before I made use of that service to Taipa, from where I need only pay a cheaper bus fare to Coloane, where Lord Stow's bakery situated. I knew exactly where I wanted the required star jump to be taken as soon as I found out about our accommodation from Jetstar's correspondence.
On the back of Hotel Royal, lies Fortaleza da Guia. This is the 3rd most famous landmark of Macau after Ruins of St Paul and Largo do Senado. The fortress was built in 1622 and is the highest point in Macau, with views of the entire Macau Peninsula. Apart from guiding vessels around, it also serves to inform the locals about strength of any approaching cyclone. During morning or evening, it's also a popular place for joggers or martial art experts (Tai-chi lah! But not the office version.. haha!!)
A view from the top, ain't it breath-taking?
OK, so this is one location I'm gonna perform a star jump. Let's get started!
Oh.. Oh... I was so frustrated.. Dad's finger simply refused to co-operate. The photos taken were either shaken, or the timing's not right. It's always before my jump or I had already landed. "Hey! Come on dad, I ain't Michael Jordan nor Boeing 747, you simply can't expect me to hang in the air huh! I tell you what, you know, it's already my 9th jump, and I'm fast exhausting, either you make the next one, or I gonna make you jump!"
Guess what my dad did??
He promptly switched to multi-exposure mode and here it goes~
After Guia, there's still time before departing for The Venetian, I knew on opposite side of the road where our hotel is located, there's a chapel by the name Igreja Sao Lazaro (Igreja is Portuguese for Church), surrounding it are some very tasteful European buildings and mosaic road, it'll do another very fine spot for a star jump!
How's that? A typical Portuguese touch with arrays of nostalgic lamps. This used to be an area where the Portuguese settlement stayed before Macau returned to Mainland rules. Look at those mosaic flooring and the cars on it, can you ever recall seeing any other such road elsewhere? Some local said it was laid by labours from Portugal, but definitely not mainland labours.
Ignoring the high rise architecture in the far background, one would probably wonder whether he landed in old fashioned Europe! And this is one reason why I love Macau.. The rich European heritage within are simply in exuberance! Nowhere else in Asia can you experience this thick atmosphere.
So... I ought to do a star jump here... let me find a less crowded street~ hehehe...
And the name of the street?? Calcada da Igreja de Sao Lazaro
OK, as I mentioned earlier, Macau only input Mandarin and Portuguese street names on the map. Those who understand Chinese will no doubt find this name interesting, while those who don't, it's just another street name to them. So I shall elaborate a little about it in Mandarin here ^.^是不是澳門交通事務局疏忽了？居然把“教堂”變成“瘋堂”？這對教會可是天大的不敬呀？！
原來，望德聖母堂(Igreja de Sao Lazaro)第一任主教卡内羅在附近設立了痲瘋病院，因此當時華人稱呼這兒“瘋堂”。望德聖母堂自1576年起，是澳門地區的主教座堂，也由於毗鄰痲瘋病院，後來另在議事堂前地(Largo do Senado)建立新主教座堂。今時今日，痲瘋病院已不復存在，但是街名卻保留了這段歷史。
Well, alright, perhaps I'll just explain a little bit here.. The Portuguese street name Calcada simply means pavement in English. The whole street name has no special meaning, merely Pavement of St Lazarus church, however, its native (Chinese) name referred back a history when the church was first built, it served partly as a benefit for the lepers. Hence, as I mentioned, I believe no English writer could have written a better Macau exploration than a Chinese would.
OK, time to get back to hotel, get changed, and ready for my next challenge... the S$30 Jetstar Light Challenge! :)
K, but before I start, *S$30 converted to about MOP 170. So for two of us, we have a cap of about MOP 340. I shall illustrate the breakdown of the expenses as I go along ~
* S$1 = HK$5.51 ; HK$1 = MOP 1.029
==> S$1 = MOP 5.66979
==> S$30 = MOP 170
I was really grateful that I made the decision of pre-booking 2 seats on the shuttle service provided by Hotel Royal to The Venetian as soon as I finished my breakfast earlier today. For, the shuttle service was so popular that late comers were not guaranteed a seat and might have to make alternative arrangement. Anyway, it took us 20 mins to reach The Venetian, and upon arrival, we were instantly awed by the grand outlook. For the record, The Venetian Macau is modeled after its sister resort in Las Vegas and has an area of 980,000 square meter. It is currently the largest single structure hotel in Asia and 4th in the World. Opened in 2007, The Venetian has 3000 suites, 149,000 square meter retail space, and 51,000 square meter casino area (largest in the World). Needless to say, it alone took up plenty of my memory stick space! Snap on!!
The Bubble - Dragon's Treasure
Situated on the other side of Taipa's Cotai strip, City of Dreams comprises 4 main towers, namely Hard Rock Hotel, Crown Towers, Grand Hyatt and a 47-storey luxury apartment. But the main attraction is The Bubble, a dome-shaped theatre showcasing Dragon's Treasure, a spetacular visual experience that cost NOTHING! Visitors need only to collect entry pass and join the queue! The show starts from 12pm at 30 mins interval, lasting a mere 10 mins. After watching, me & dad mutually agreed this has got to be the highlight of our trip!
I tried as hard as possible to capture the essence of the show, but it's tough to keep a stable hand in the air, and knowing this to be something like a omni show, the task is especially phenomenon. So, I'm calling out to those visiting Macau, if you are somewhat impressed by my video here, you'd definitely be mesmerised by the real thing! And should you find this nothing more than normal, my sincere apologise, I can only say my video had failed to depict the absolute experience that perhaps you can only physically inhale with a personal visit there. Fear not, it takes you not a penny for a trip there so long as your hotel provides free shuttle service to one of the big entertainment spots or HK Ferry Terminal (which I shall elaborate later), all it takes is only a little of your time ^.^
OK, before I proceed to my next itinerary, I wish to reiterate that I had not spent a single dime yet, and I'm gonna start the calculator running by making our first spending on a bus trip to Lord Stow's, Coloane.
Along Cotai Strip between The Venetian and City of Dreams, we found a tiny bus stop. Most of the buses there go to Coloane city center. We boarded bus 25 and paid MOP 3.60 each. The trip took about 10 mins.
So our kitty: Spent MOP 7.20 : Balance MOP 332.80
Agenda 1 - The Root of Portuguese Egg Tart (Episode One)
Andrew Stow was borned English and married a local wife, Margaret Wong. Despite the bakery being named Lord Stow's, Andrew actually was not conferred the title, it was during his stint working in Macau's Hyatt Alfonso Restaurant, when one of his ex-colleagues started calling him 'Lord'. Apparently he was so pleased, he name his bakery Lord Stow's.
During one trip to Portugal, he got aquainted with a local pastry, Pasteis de Nata. Without any means to lay his hand on the recipe, he made good use of his Pharmaceutical knowledge to re-invent the egg tarts with some English touch after numerous experiments. What happened subsequently was history, the world embraced his new invention delightfully!
As for Margaret's, she only started a rival franchise after their divorce.
Me and dad bought one egg tart each, we are still very filled after the not-so-fantastic breakfast @ hotel. a bit of oversight I knew, but I suppose that left more budget for our subsequent adventure later on ^.^
Lord Stow's Cheesecakes look delicious too, the thick layer of cheese are encapsulated with sweetness of blueberry, chocolate, tiramisu, chestnut, as well as plain flavour. If I'm not so full, I might be tempted to try some as well! I promise myself just like Arnold Schwarzenegger did in Terminator, one day, "I'll be back"! LOL!
The egg tart cost MOP 7 each. But for purchases of 6 in a box, they are charging a discounted price of MOP 40.
Hence, as our credit stands...Spent: MOP 21.20 Balance: MOP 318.80
ummm.. I have so far, yet to comment on the taste of Lord Stow's egg tart... I shall reserve this later after I patronise Margaret's. I'll taste them 'side-by-side' to determine which is better ~
Directly opposite, one can see a close proximity of China's Zhuhai. My apologies, my camera failed to capture the actually closer distance between Coloane and Zhuhai that my naked eyes had witnessed. The Strait is so narrow that I bet Mas Selamet probably won't require a improvised floating device to swim across :x
Dad wasn't convince China can be that near, he asked an old resident in the nearby vicinity in typical Singapore Mandarin. And the local cannot understand what he was saying! LOL!Dad, it's not that you can't speak Cantonese, but if you wanna ask an old folk in Mandarin, can you kindly swim across the Sea and ask another local over there? This is still Macau, most native (especially the older generation) speak Cantonese, not even Portuguese~ haha!
Turning left, walking along this nostalgic lane, will lead to another of Macau's famous landmark, Igreja de Sao Francisco Xavier (or in english, Church of St Francis). Korean serial fans should find this familiar, as it was the shooting site of some very prominent drama such as Goong.. Princess Hour and the latest Korean installment of Flowers over Boys (Or otherwise known as Meteor Garden)! Oh, and I can remember seeing the leading actor and actress savouring the fame Macau egg tarts in the serial too! No prize guessing where they bought it from ~~
Prior to reaching Igreja de Sao Francisco Xavier, what welcomed us was this little statue standing outside an open air restaurant right in front of church square. Note the initial N.T. printed on its chest, what comes to mind? Well, if you ask me, I guess it's either a gift from Hong Kong's New Territory, which was rather unlikely, or the owner of the restaurant was set to make some Taiwanese money ~ ^.^ ~ Although the spec and moustache look more like a Japanese to me... hahaha!
Alright, here it is! Igreja de Sao Francisco Xavier, a Baroque chapel built in 1928 to enshrine a relic bone of the saint. Frankly speaking, the church doesn't appeal to me that much comparing to many in other parts of Macau. I suppose it's because of its seclusive location which attracts lots of convenience for film shooting, and now fast becoming a pilgrimage location for die-hard Korean serial fans.
For those who didn't watch Boys over Flowers... the picture on the right is not the lead actor Lee Min-ho, it's yours truly holding a notebook of the movie.. hehehe.. So, please don't ask me for autograph =P If not, I'm gonna charge $5, the same rate as Henry Thia charging a Malaysian fans while he & his wife were holidaying in JB ^________^OK, let's get to 'work' and perform a star jump right here.. Dad, you gotta get it right, and NO MULTI-EXPOSURE this time!
haiz... not as ideal as I want.. but after 5 jump, and probably some 20th jump today, I won't wanna do another one :(
We walked further, and noticed this little building a couple of minutes down the road. It read Biblioteca, which means library in Portuguese. I'm a keen reader, and this building was kinda cute as a library~ so I was rather tempted to take a look inside!
This building was built in 1911, a very typical Portuguese architecture. It was previously a public school but had been transformed into a library since 1983. Inside the library, there are only 4 rows of books, and, somewhat to my delight, one whole row of Japanese manga (but too bad, I don't have time to read right here right now). Most of the books inside are Mandarin, and the library is still sufficiently spacious enough to accommodate a few tables for reading! Turning into Coloane village, we came across an interesting signboard, zoom in and take a look~:
Doesn't make any sense in English?? In Mandarin, the sign read Fat and Plump Village. So does it mean in the olden days there were plenty of obese resident staying around here? I wasn't able to catch hold of any resident nearby to enquire ^.^
Well, I have little time left and had to leave for Rua de Cunha, where Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei are situated nearby, but before I signed off, I'll just leave a note of getting to Coloane, in particular Lord Stow's
Getting to Coloane:
Bus service 15, 21A, 25, 26, 26A gets to Coloane, alight at Coloane City Center upon seeing the turnabout below, and Lord Stow's Bakery can be found at the right corner of the photo.
1 Rua da Tassara, Coloane Town Square
Tel: +853 28882534
Daily 7am – 6pm
(路环市中心挞沙街1 号地下)
Agenda 2 - Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun
Getting from Coloane to Rua de Cunha was easy, Rua de Cunha is the heartbeat of Taipa, and it made economical sense for buses to ply within, nevermind if that meant a merry-go-round. So happened to us, when we happily took bus 26 (bus fare @ MOP 5), which went one BIG round via Macau International Airport (in fact, the bus went past airport twice!! >.<), Taipa temporary ferry terminal, before dropping us off outside Macau stadium, from where it was only a short walk to Rua de Cunha.
There's a local saying, live in Macau Peninsular, but eat in Taipa. By that, I suppose it meant Rua de Cunha of Taipa. Within the last few years, Taipa had undergone a major facelift and I almost cannot recognise Cotai Strip, but it was still the same old Rua de Cunha I knew~ On the left of my picture above, is one of Macau's most famous Portuguese restaurant, Cozinha Pinocchio. Yes, I know Pinocchio is an Italian fable, but I have virtually no idea why a Portuguese restaurant adopting an Italian icon.
Rua de Cunha is mere a narrow and relatively short street comprises many signature shops, including bakeries, restaurants, desserts and many more. Apart from Cozinha Pinocchio, there's another Portuguese restaurant named Galo, both of which are high on the recommendation list.
Pardon me, I'll have to revert to Mandarin right here, as there are no official translation as far as some of these delicaies are concern, and it makes no sense for me to create a translation that only myself can apprehend =P
I meant, there's no point providing a relatively unfamiliar English translation here, but should anyone decided to buy, the retailer won't understand what you are talking about. Anyway, these are not part of my agenda, and I merely wrote about what I saw ^.^
晃記餅家主要製作老婆餅、核桃酥、雞仔餅爲主，其實這些新加坡也不難找到，品質與口味無甚特出，在當地輕嚐淺止尚可，至於有無必要千里迢迢帶囘囯，就讓諸君自慮吧！
莫義記以售賣大菜糕聞名，説穿了，也就是我們本地人所謂的菜燕（Agar-Agar）。不過莫義記口味多樣化，兼售賣雪糕，在夏天冰冰涼涼的，吃下蠻爽口的。不過現在接近冬末...所以小貓兩三只~ =P
Walk till the end of Rua de Cunha, make a right turn and follow the narrow road to a small roundabout, you'll find Cafe Tai Lei Loy Kei （大利來記）, the famous cafe for their Pork Chop bun, right at the corner, immediately after Museu da Historia da Taipa e Coloane （路氹歷史舘）. Should you lost your way, just follow where the crowd is, you simply won't miss it!I didn't think of writing on this museum of Coloane and Taipa's history initially, but I thought, if you are too early for the Pork Chop bun, this make a convenient place to kill some time prior to the start of the Pork Chop bun sale.
This 2-storey building was originally a public administration building from 1920s with a neo-classical Roman architecture. It houses some miniatures of Macau's significant heritage, as well as remains of the previous building's stone architecture and ditches found during archaeological excavation work between 2004 and 2005.
It charges admission price of MOP 5 per adult, but free admission on Tuesday.
My advice is that, if you didn't drop by on a Tuesday, forget it~ LOL!
It's about 2.40pm when we reach Museu da Historia da Taipa e Coloane, a queue had already formed in front of Cafe Tai Lei Loy Kei next door. And I was wondering whether there were some 'kia-su' Singaporean spearheading the queue 20 mins before the Prok Chop bun officially on sale~ Gosh, no! They started selling early!
We queued for about 20 mins before getting a Pork Chop bun each (@MOP 16). Crap, much as I would like to have more, my tummy's still filled with the hotel breakfast, and this was only our 2nd stop >.<
Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei sells a limited amount of Pork Chop Bun each day, about 500 on weekdays and 800 on holidays. Despite opening for business from 6am - 6.15pm, the Pork Chop Bun only available from 3pm, and usually finished within an hour.
They claimed they can only produce thus much per day so as to ensure quality and freshness are strictly adhered. Pork chop were marinated overnite in special gravy made with secret recipe, fried, and subsequently roasted before crimping them inbetween the charcoal-baked hand-made bun.
Don't be deceived by its ordinary outlook, pork chop was deep fried with a golden finish, and the bread was soft and tasty with a slightly crispy skin, one can even smell a mild charcoal aroma. Upon biting, the meat was a bit hard, but yummyyyyyyy!
Amount spent: for this sector: MOP 5 for bus fare, and MOP 16 for Pork Chop Bun each
Spent: MOP 63.20 Balance: 276.80
Getting to Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei
Bus: 11, 15, 22, 28A, 30, 33, 34 (but there are many more around Rua de Cunha)
Praca de Artur Tamagnini 18, Barbosa, Taipa, Macau
Rua Direita Carlos Eugenio
(氹仔巴波沙前地18 號)
+853 28827150
6am - 6:15pm
Agenda 3 - Tim Fatt Shark fin soup
Tim Fatt sharkfin soup was somehow notorious not for their food quality, but the attitude of the staff, from many blogs and websites I came across while doing my research. Not so, if I based on my current experience. They spoke to us in an even better manner than I would have expected at some of Singapore's restaurant even though we ordered the cheapest on their menu!
So, dad and I ordered a small bowl of sharkfin soup (with chicken slice) each, and we were promptly served. The taste is not exceptional, but price is rather reasonable. But for the price range, one cannot expect plenty of sharkfin in our soup, well, at MOP 20 each, it's only maybe a dollar more than those we can get from Pasar Malam back in Singapore (but you'd better don't expect any real sharkfin inside!!).
Well, that's a prompt meal, and after that, we get across the street for our next agenda.
Bus fare: MOP 4.20; Sharkfin soup MOP 20
Spent: 111.60 Balance: 228.40
Getting there:
18 (Gr. Floor), Rua Da Felicidade, Macau
(On the other side of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro)(新馬路福隆新街18 號地下)
Daily 1pm – 12am
Buses getting there are aplenty, just ask for direction to Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro
Agenda 4 - Dessert at Leitaria | Son
Leitaria | Son is a very odd name, its Mandarin name is 義順牛奶公司and its franchise in Hong Kong are having a different name in English, Yee Shun Dairy Company. I had tried the milk pudding in Hong Kong, but I thought I find the Macau franchise selling smoother and richer pudding, cheaper too! Leitaria | son had gone through 5 generations. With their own farm in China, supplying fresh milk on a regularly basis, they are able to sell dairy product fresher and at a reasonable price.I was rather surprise to find a franchise directly opposite Hotel Royal, but anyway, let's try the one right in front of Largo do Senado here.
I ordered a Red Bean Milk Pudding (MOP 20), I thought they have a special red bean flavour, but they merely topped the milk pudding with red beans~ LOL!
Like I mentioned earlier, the milk pudding has a very smooth texture with a rich taste of milk. If not for the red beans, I could have sip it like a cup of wine and let it flow through the throat~
Dad ordered a milk pudding with ginger flavour (MOP 20), fortunately, his didn't come with a whole size ginger on top! LOL!
Ginger syrup is smoothly blended with the milk pudding, resulting in a silky and balanced, but not too hot aftertaste upon swallowing.
Both flavour are so delicious, we managed to gulp them within 10 mins and move on to the next stop!
So good, we would have liken another fill if our mind were not filled with our unfinished task... at least one more egg tart and one noodle to go...
Spent: MOP 151.60 Balance: 188.40
Getting there:
7, Largo do Senado
Tel: 853-28573638
Just get to Largo do Senado along Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, it's just right in front of the fountain, a building too prominent to miss! Or simply visit any of their franchise.
Resuming Agenda 1 - The Root of Portuguese Egg Tart (Episode Two)
Margaret's Cafe e Nata is just around the corner along Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, 5 mins walk from Largo do Senado. You won't see it from the main road, so it's advisable to ask any local upon reaching Av. D Joao IV, it's hidden inside a back alley.
The queue at Margaret's seems longer, I wasn't sure whether their quality is better than Lord Stow's or because of the simple reason of its proximity to city center. But the attitude of the staff had certainly left a lot to be desired. I cannot forget the look on the staff's face when I mentioned I was only buying 2 egg tarts. Out of sudden, the smile faded and promptly replaced by a darkened face as if cosmetic had fallen from her face all of an instant. I almost wanted to ask whether she used expired powder~ LOL! Anyway, it cost me MOP 14 for two egg tarts, and I quickly found a corner (not at her cafe of course) to try out both Lord Stow's & Margaret's egg tarts.
Spent: MOP 165.60 Balance MOP 174.40
Getting there:
| Address: | Gum Loi Building, Rua Almirante Costa Cabral |
| Address (Chinese): | 马统领围66号地下 |
| Phone: | +853 28710032 |
| Hours: | 6:30am-8pm, closed on Wednesdays |
Just walk there from Largo do Senado
Oh, I overheard a joke from some Taiwanese tourists while there. It has something to do with the Chinese address of Margaret's and hardly makes much sense if I am to translate in English. So, permit me..
瑪嘉烈蛋撻店位于南灣馬統領圍６６號地下。剛巧聽到附近的台灣女遊客說出這麽一段話∶“馬總統風頭真勁，在澳門居然也有街道為他命名！”
她們當然知道此馬非彼馬，不過今時今日，能夠被稱爲馬統領的，大概也只有馬英九～哈哈！
Lord Stow's (L) vs Margaret's (R)
It can be seen that Lord Stow's egg tart is slightly larger, with a thinner crust while Margaret's has a thicker, croissant-liked skin.
Dad suggested I blindfold myself so as to avoid any prejudice! LOL!
I took a first bite, and can feel a rich influx of egg from the egg tart on the left. However, when I took a bite on Margaret's, I felt something missing. Let me have a second bite to confirm...
Indeed, Lord Stow's egg tart has a very rich egg taste, which, apparently, missing in Margaret's. What Margaret's egg tart possess was only a thin aftertaste of sweetness and a delicious croissant skin.
But, I was buying egg tart, not a croissant, so I'll have to credit Lord Stow's
This was somehow confirmed later by my fellow group mates, as I witness many of them carrying Lord Stow's boxes of egg tarts, not a single one carrying Margaret's, despite Margaret's was barely 10 mins walk from our hotel.
Agenda 5 - Burmese cuisine
Ah.. One final hurdle to clear...
In the early 70s, Burma saw an exodus of Chinese population due to discrimination under then ruler, Ne Win. Many of those who seeked refuge in Macau settled around Rotunda de Carlos da Maia （三盞燈）.To make a living, some of them opened restaurants and to this day, Rotunda de Carlos da Maia had somewhat become a small Myanmar in Macau. This in a way benefitted the local, in term of gourmet, they had another option, and any taste more original, one might have to visit Burma.
I couldn't remember whether we took bus 7 or was it 18, but the trip to Rotunda de Carlos da Maia took about 30 mins and cost us MOP 3.20 each.
It wasn't easy to locate Restaurante Birmanes Aromation. It situates on the quieter stretch of Rua de Fernao Mendes Pinto across the roundabout, only a small signboard indicate its presence, and can be easily overlooked.
Made no mistake, this was not the door of the restaurant. After making through the entrance, the actual restaurant appeared right inside.
I was impressed after stepping inside the restaurant. We saw tens of pin-up, magazine write-up, and photographs of HK actors/actresses. Among them, I recognise Andy Hui, Moses Chan & Chermaine Sheh!
Anyway, the food are relatively cheap, from MOP 8 onwards.
I ordered a Cold Stirred Noodle in Burma style (緬甸撈面，MOP 16) while dad had a Stirred noodle with dry scallop sauce (瑤柱醬撈面，MOP 18).
Cold Stirred Noodle in Burma style was served with a dipping sauce. The ingredients include potato, bean sprout, onion etc. The noodle taste a little sour after dipping into what seems like mild curry gravy, very appetising.
Thick noodle was thoroughly dipped with dry scallop sauce, and sprinkled with fried onion on top. Dad said the taste, though not absolutely fantastic, was quite appeasing.
Spent: MOP 206 Balance: MOP 134
Getting there:
27-F R/C, Rua De Fernao Mendes Pinto, San Kiu, (853) 2852 8129
澳门飞能便度街27 号F 地下
Mon – Sun: 8am – 7.30pm
Bus: 7, 18 (bus fare 3.20 Patacas)
澳门飞能便度街27 号F 地下
Mon – Sun: 8am – 7.30pm
Bus: 7, 18 (bus fare 3.20 Patacas)
With this, we completed my five agenda and have a balance of MOP 134
Wow! A lot left, and we are too full for more food...
Well, this is what we did:
Took bus back to Rua da Felicidade (MOP 6.40)
Bought the following from Koi Kei Bakery: (Total: MOP 127)
黑芝麻杏仁饼 MOP 32
鲜奶核桃杏仁饼 MOP 32
蛋黄杏仁饼 MOP 32
六件庄原粒杏仁饼 MOP 17原味姜糖 MOP 14
Total: MOP 133.40
Well, I was wondering whether to make these cookies some sort of lucky draw prizes for friends and relative back home.. It's certainly not enough to distribute among all love ones! LOL!
Walk back to hotel... with a balance of MOP 0.60 ~ ^.^ ~
It's not that far really, a 15 mins casual walk
With that, we concluded our Macau Jetstar Light Challenge! Yay! <(^@^)>vv
Oh dear, this was how I look like after having > 6 meals within a day, I hope the owner at Cafe Tai Lei Loy Kei won't see me again anytime soon... <(>@<)>
I have a few things to add upon completing Jetstar Light Challenge in Macau
Transport
Transportation in Macau can be free so long as you know how to make use of free shuttle buses.
At major customs (including airport, ferry terminals), there are almost always free transport available to ferry you to major entertainment center. Some entertainment centers even have shuttle services between each other, eg: between Venetian & City of Dreams. And some hotels offer free connection to a number of locations. On many cases, these shuttle services offer better buses than public buses!
Guess Jetstar Asia is trying to use this promo to illustrate what more we can do with the saving we obtained by traveling lite. Although it's fascinating to see many of us scrambling for hand luggage spaces on board the plane.. haha! But seriously, do give the idea a thought, that by traveling lite, we could have save enough for one day's expenses ^.^
Macau Exploration ~ 03 Feb 2010 (Wed)
Phew! After a hectic Amazing Race-liked run all over Macau yesterday, I'm gonna make it leisure today...
As of yesterday, we started off with breakfast @ Vasco da Gama restaurant... but hey! does this look familiar?? (Leftover??) =.=''
After breakfast, we took hotel's shuttle service to Fisherman's Wharf.
Fisherman's Wharf attracted many glamour when it opened in 2006, however, ever since The Venetian opened its door in 2007, Fisherman's Wharf had since quiet.
There must be something still worth a look, I thought.
What first came into sight was the mascot of Shanghai World EXPO. What's it doing here? I couldn't help thinking whether I landed in Shanghai instead... As it seems, it's quite out of place.. In fact, the whole theme park was rather deserted, were we too early? Or had the crowd really 'migrated' to The Venetian?Barely 3 years, and the signboard already looked ramshackled.
Ooh... The T'ang Dynasty, must have migrated from Singapore huh? It gave me such familiar feeling that I decided to do another 'star jump' in front of it =PGuess what happened next?
Gosh! I must be too excited and overdone it =.=" I hit an American chopper!!Amidst the tension between China and the US over the sales of arms to Taiwan, perhaps the Taiwan authority might wanna reconsider their arms deal with US. I have a plead to President Ma... you might wanna buy their fighter craft, bombers etc, but DON'T BUY AMERICAN CHOPPER! lol~
But I hope Obama will not be reading this though... I have no time to drink kopi with him ^.^
Taking a closer look around T'ang Dynasty, I noticed that not a single soldier, but many koi guarding the castle instead... so, that's how Soong Dynasty gained the advantage... umm, Fisherman'sWharf really taught me a precious history lesson today =P難怪當年趙匡胤兵臨城下，李后主兵敗如山倒啦~原來唐城的防衛沒有一兵一卒，全靠小河裏的錦鯉！哈哈~ 漁人碼頭還教了我一堂寶貴的歷史課 ^__________^
Wow! Beijing is really generous, they graciously shifted their Water Cube opposite Fisherman's wharf after the Olympic!!
Are they also giving away the Bird Nest too?? To Hong Kong??
But I guess the retailers are in a worse shape, despite paying rental, no customer come ~~ Not even a single cat nor dog...
Perhaps I can help, I'll leave my Vicks cough drop there... maybe some ants might patronise later 3:)
No, no, we're not at The Venetian, we're still @ Fisherman's Wharf ^^vv
The Miami sector of FW, really 'small cat 2 ~ 3 pieces' （小貓兩三隻）...O.o I asked a local after visiting Fisherman's Wharf, had we went on a wrong timing? Could it be more glamourous at night? The answer was: More or less the same.. The crowd probably had went elsewhere!
As we reached the end of FW, Rock's Hotel came into sight. It was touted as one of the 5 stars hotels in Macau, but looked more like a ghost town.. =P Definitely not in the class of The Venetian.
No wonder when I did my research, the frequency on the free shuttle services connecting Rock's hotel @ FW were so scarce and far apart. Fortunately, The Sands' just across the road, there are more regular free shuttle service connections from there.
Impressive huh? Can't blame people from saying "There is no need to pay for traveling within Macau!"
I couldn't imagine how much revenues hotels or entertainment centers need to generate in order to provide such services at frequent intervals, but I do know Macau residents pay very low taxes for decades, mainly due to the vast tax contribution from Stanley Ho in the past (But there weren't so many free shuttle buses then). The locals held him with very high regards. But recent years, his enterprise no longer monopolise Macau's gambling business, and as competition intensified, entertainment centers are coming out more ideas to retain and attract customers, particularly those from Mainland China.
Macau - China Gongbei custom, connection to Zhuhai
There is a bus terminal underground, as there's no free shuttle service getting to Red Market (It's not an entertainment center after all ^.^), we were actually making a transfer of a local bus here to get there. Otherwise, it's just about 20 mins walk from here.
K, shopping list fulfilled ~ Time for more leisure time of our own!
Any trip to Macau is not complete without a visit to the Ruins of St Paul.
And so, we took a bus to Largo do Senado from where we would walk our way there, following the precise signboard.
Wow! People mountain people sea... （人山人海）
It wasn't that congested in the past, and walking here used to be a very leisure experience... anyway, we could expect worse as we approaching the ruins.
Indeed...
Ruins of St Paul was the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built between 1602-1640. It was designed by an Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola, assisted by Japanese artisans who had fled from feudal persecution in Nagasaki. The church was the largest Catholic church in Asia at that time. In 1835, it was destroyed by a fire in a typhoon and subsequently ignored for prolonged period until restoration work was completed in 1991.
Oh, and I notice one interesting thing...
The building in the foreground, is the new Grand Lisboa, built in the early days during Stanley Ho's competition with The Sands. Let me find a cannon that point directly at it, give it some hard kick, and hopefully can win some allowance from the casino later~ hahaha!
On the other side of the fortress, the city's largest hospital came into sight. What so great about it? I heard a tour guide explaining in Mandarin, and it's sarcastically funny! Again, it makes no sense to translate into English, as it involves some Chinese idiom, let me share it with the Chinese literate~~
在澳門有兩大醫院，分別為私立鏡湖醫院與公立山頂醫院。當地人分別為它們取了個外號，“謀財”與“害命”。原因在于鏡湖醫院乃私人醫院，沒有政府的大力資助，所以收費偏高，所以叫做“謀財”。但由於效率較政府醫院相對為高，因此頗受經濟較富裕的公衆青昧。
而山頂醫院收費大衆化，但由於病人相對較多，面診時間較長，所以不是很受忙碌診者的歡迎。因此，多數病人屬於較貧窮，欠缺選擇性的長者。而往往長者會較多病痛與急症，死亡率偏高，所以得了個外號叫做“害命”。
澳門人可還真幽默，這樣的橋斷都想得出！呵呵~
(Picture from wikipedia)
Back at Largo do Senado, we caught the sight of Leal Senado Building, and decided to take a look inside. Due to some happenings in front of Largo do Senado, I wasn't able to take a decent photo of it, so I'm enclosing one from wikipedia here.
And btw, Leal Senado means Loyal Senate in Portuguese. It was the seat of Macau's government during its colony days. The building is now the headquarter of the Institute of Civil & Municipal Affiars （民政總署）
I had never entered this building before, but as we walked past, I caught a glimpse of a beautifully decorated garden and decided to take a look~
Guess what does the cute tiger's head resemble?? Mandarins!! I don't know whether it was intentional, but I salute the creativity nevertheless =^.^=
We walked along Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro towards Travessa da Praia Grande, where there's a garment export outlet, still there after so many years! They have vast past season stocks on Armani, CK, DKNY, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nautica on sale. I got a few pieces as my personal 'plunder'~
Alright, time for dinner! I made a little discovery on this eatery - Est.de Comidas Sopa de Fita Ngan Un (銀苑麵食), just 10 mins walk across the road from our hotel, it's located along Estrada do Repouso at No 49, Ground floor.
Wanton with thin noodle (dry), MOP 18 
Shrimp dumpling with thin noodle (soup), MOP 16
Fried Mud Carp Ball, MOP 20
After breakfast, we took hotel's shuttle service to Casino Lisboa. I'm not game, merely wanna see the new Macau skyline featuring the new Grand Lisboa.Some say casino's prosperity lies a lot in its geomancy, so, what can we observe over here?
I thought it looks like several sabre closing in at the middle, slashing whoever walking into the casino..
A visit to New Yaohan was promptly followed afterwards. New Yaohan reminds me of the Japanese franchise in Plaza Singapura many decades ago. The outlet here was also once Macau's only big departmental store, but had since shifted nearer towards city center to make way for Oceanus, the water cube of Macau.
Soon, it's 3pm, we checked out from our hotel room and made our way to the airport via Jetstar's arranged transport. But Macau's airport is a rather boring place, which left me in full appreciation of the entertainment facilities Changi is offering. I've never feel bored in Changi ^.^
And btw, Leal Senado means Loyal Senate in Portuguese. It was the seat of Macau's government during its colony days. The building is now the headquarter of the Institute of Civil & Municipal Affiars （民政總署）
I had never entered this building before, but as we walked past, I caught a glimpse of a beautifully decorated garden and decided to take a look~
Look at the tigers... they are sooooo kawaii!! Beautifully decorated within blooms, paper craft and bouquets, this certainly makes a nice postcard!
Ooh, look at what's hanging on the tree!! Stuffed tiger toy ~ ^.^ ~
Across the road, over at Largo do Senado, the atmosphere of Spring has gradually arrives...
We walked along Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro towards Travessa da Praia Grande, where there's a garment export outlet, still there after so many years! They have vast past season stocks on Armani, CK, DKNY, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nautica on sale. I got a few pieces as my personal 'plunder'~
Alright, time for dinner! I made a little discovery on this eatery - Est.de Comidas Sopa de Fita Ngan Un (銀苑麵食), just 10 mins walk across the road from our hotel, it's located along Estrada do Repouso at No 49, Ground floor.
Wanton with thin noodle (dry), MOP 18 
Shrimp dumpling with thin noodle (soup), MOP 16
Fried Mud Carp Ball, MOP 20 The noodle have a chewy texture, well cooked, and evenly sauced for the dry version, while the soup has a rich sweetness of pork and seafood.
What amazed me was actually the wanton, it's very different from Singapore's version. Wrapped with pork and a whole prawn, it tastes exceptionally fresh and sweet, have a rather refreshing aftertaste, and is incredibly large! I really couldn't help asking for more!
The shrimp dumpling taste more normal in comparison.
As for the Mud Carp ball, it's fried with flour and spiced with cockle sauce, taste a little salty but appetising nevertheless.
Ooh... what a find! Their noodle really is great! I'd definitely come back for this if I have a chance!
It's probably still early after dinner, but dad & I had been a satisfied tourists for the day and decided to retired early to pack up our luggage.
Memories ~ 04 Feb 2010 (Thu)
It has been a pleasure to revisit this nostalgic ex-colony after so many years.
Our flight home won't leave before 6pm today and I reckoned we would still have ample time making more fond memories before heading home.
By now, I'm too tired to take pictures of the static breakfast menu in the hotel restaurant, and once again, breakfast had become more of formality than expectation.
After breakfast, we took hotel's shuttle service to Casino Lisboa. I'm not game, merely wanna see the new Macau skyline featuring the new Grand Lisboa.I thought it looks like several sabre closing in at the middle, slashing whoever walking into the casino..
A visit to New Yaohan was promptly followed afterwards. New Yaohan reminds me of the Japanese franchise in Plaza Singapura many decades ago. The outlet here was also once Macau's only big departmental store, but had since shifted nearer towards city center to make way for Oceanus, the water cube of Macau.Before heading home, I'd really really wanna re-visit Largo do Senado, to have another bowl of milk pudding, and to experience the shops within. I'm pretty sure these will remain in my fondest memories for a long long time, at least until I visit Macau again.
Lunch, at my insistence, we went Ngan Un again, I simply can't resist the sweet and fresh wanton I had yesterday :)......
Bye Bye Macau~ Till we meet again!
I will never forget the hospitality you offered and my fond memories here...
