The "old city" section of Macau is located on Macau "proper" (not on the islands of Taipa, Coloane, or Cotai; see the Macau page for the general info on the region). There are very few of the very old buildings left, if indeed they ever existed, other than Fortaleza do Monte and some other military structures. A small part of the Portuguese sector is maintained nearby.
The streets in the Old City are very narrow. Even so, these streets - through some odd combination of skill on the part of drivers and luck on the part of pedestrians - manages to accommodate public buses, cars, and the innumerable squads of motorcycles that everlastingly patrol the streets during the daylight hours. Please see the photos below for a clearer explanation, since, as one ancient Chinese scholar once said "one picture is worth ten thousand words" (or did the aforementioned scholar say that? Mr. Barnard didn't cite his source back in 1927). If it's true, I've written a book on just this one page of the blog!
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| Ruins of St. Paul college. All that's left is one face of this Catholic Church and the sixty-six steps leading up to it. It's located on the hill near the fort. |
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| Canon in the Fortaleza do Monte (fort on the "mountain"... actually, a hill). This is located near the church shown above |
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| Hmmm. Quite interesting. This cannon appears to be pointing directly at the Lisboa, a swanky casino that is filled with decorations, furniture, and hangings that all glitter and glisten. Almost a dead shot, I'd say! |
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| View of China Mainland from the Fortaleza do Monte. I counted at least thirteen tower cranes in the background (perhaps not as easily seen in the compressed-picture)... and this for a residential area! |
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| This is not an alley. This is a typical street in the heart of the "Old City". It's usually quite busy, but this shot was taken during the first day of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Day festival and everything (well, almost everything) was closed! |
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| The marketplace. This shot is actually just about thirty steps down from the Cathedral facade from the earlier picture. The Lisboa can be seen in the upper-left of the picture. Here is a great place for shopping for tasty morsels (to eat), furniture, or, to some degree, clothing. It's quite busy and popular, as can be easily seen! |
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| View down a side street in the Marketplace |
Downtown Macao
Yes, this is just a continuation of the trip from above!
Downtown Macao.
MGM Hotel as seen across the straight from Taipa. The zoom on this camera is excellent... I had the choice of either using the full optical zoom for slightly better resolution or settle for this shot and see the entire building. Obviously, I used the latter choice. The moisture in the air is very evident from these photos.
3D Theatre by the waterfront in downtown Macao.
View of the Macao Sky Tower. A destination for many tourists, this tower houses a movie theater, restaurants, small shops, and, oh yes, a bungee jump from the 730ft above ground mark. Not scary enough for you? Whew, you must be tough indeed. Well then, if you shell out MOP 1000 you can go on the sky walk! Around the main area protrudes something that resembles the old spokes on a wheel. And the wheel is a 1.8m wide platform... no railings, of course, no supports. Just the overhead rail that accommodates a carabiner. And, you are able to walk out on the spoke to the 1.8m wide platform and go for a round the sky tower walk with great views of Macao.
The third bridge - furthest East of the three bridges that connect Taipa and Macao. The middle bridge (not shown) is only used by taxis and buses.
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