Macau – Las Vegas of Asia. The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning this place is a huge number of casinos, hippodromes, nightclubs and other entertainment. And while Macau’s nightlife and gambling are certainly unrivaled in Asia, this city has so much more to offer. Here, in the oldest European colony in Asia, you can admire the old city walls of the 16th century, numerous Christian and Buddhist temples, narrow streets, fortresses, etc. The center of the city of Macau, also known as Macau, is the Senate Square (Largo del Senado), which is considered the most beautiful part of the city. Here is the magnificent 17th-century church of Santo Domingo, the House of Mercy of Santa Casa da Micherisirdia (16th century) and the Leal Senado complex with wonderful Moorish-style tiling. Nearby is the Public Library, where you can admire a collection of books from the 15th-16th centuries. The visiting card of the city is the church of Paulo (XVII century), once the largest Christian church in East Asia and the first Christian educational institution in the region. Unfortunately, the main building burned down in 1835, and today tourists can only admire the beautiful stone facade. It is worth visiting the miniature Chinese temple of Na Tcha, the Chinese market and the temple of Sam Kai Woi Kun, located on the site of the old merchant guild, as well as Luis Camões Park and Fundaxao Oriente Villa, where the museum of the poet is located. At the Protestant cemetery of Saint Michael, you can admire the magnificent chapels and monuments of the XVI-XVII centuries. Noteworthy are the St. Joseph Seminary Church, the neoclassical St. Lawrence Macau Church, Macau Cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace, asymmetric Church of San Antonio Macau, Hermitage-or-Our-Lady of Hope Church. Stroll through the “Christian Quarter” with its narrow streets, beautiful mansions and Lilau Square. You should definitely visit the 17th century Portuguese fortress Fortaleza do Monte, within the walls of which the Macau Museum is located, as well as the Guia fortress and the lighthouse located nearby. Lu Lim Yok Chinese Park will delight visitors with ponds, bamboo groves and pavilions where locals play mahjong. Of interest is the temple complex of Kun-Iam with its monuments in honor of 18 sages of China and the pre-colonial temple of the goddess A-Ma, the patroness of sailors, after whom the city is named. Income from gambling allows the government of Macau to finance a huge number of museums, the most interesting of which are the Macau Museum and the Maritime Museum.
National cuisine of Macau
According to directoryaah, Macau cuisine is a mixture of Chinese and Portuguese traditions with Indian and African influences. Among the dishes inspired by Portuguese cuisine, the most popular is “bacalhau”, dried cod, which is soaked and cooked in various ways. It is worth trying the fried fish “lingado macao” and “macao salt”, local thick soups based on meat, vegetables and olive oil “sopa alentejana”, potato and cabbage soup “caldo verde”, Portuguese sausages “churiko”, fried pork “porco-balichao”, chicken with potatoes, saffron and egg “galigna portuguesa”, minced meat “minche” and much more. Feijoados deserves special attention, which is made from stewed beans, pork, spicy sausages, cabbage and potatoes. Also from Portugal to Macau brought a love of wine and coffee, which are imported to Macau from different countries. Often, a large amount of spices typical of African cuisine are added to Portuguese dishes. Of these “mixed” dishes, it is worth noting “African chicken” with piri-piri peppers and “tacho” vegetables stewed with meat. Cooking methods are borrowed from Chinese cuisine: steaming, deep and quick frying, fine cutting of ingredients and their separate preparation. From Chinese dishes in Macau, you can find countless dishes based on rice with the addition of vegetables and meat, fitas noodles, shark soup, as well as a huge variety of pork dishes: steamed pork balls Cha Shui Bao, minced pork with shui-mai shrimp, etc. Also here you can find such famous Chinese dishes as Peking duck, bean curd “tofu”, fried chicken with spices. From seafood, you should pay attention to the balls of rice, greens and shrimps “ar-go”. Exotic lovers will be able to try unusual dishes of frogs, snakes and fresh fish in Macau. For dessert, candied vegetables, caramels and Portuguese desserts are often consumed here. The most popular sweet dish is the jagra de ovos egg pie and the festive folar.
Transport
The territory of Macau is small, therefore, to move around the SAR, they mainly use taxis, which are quite inexpensive here, and buses. Several dozen bus routes cover the entire territory of Macau, for 2-4 patakas you can get almost anywhere. Hong Kong and Guangzhou can be reached by small hovercraft or helicopter, and other cities in mainland China can be reached by planes departing from the local airport. You can also cross the border with China on foot through the Gongbei checkpoint. After crossing the borders, you will reach Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, from where you can take a bus to other cities.
