Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
including, on a clear day, a glimpse of
Lantau Island far to the east. Buses #2, #9,
#17, #19 and #22 stop near the cable car.
Several blocks away, along Avenida do
Coronel Mesquita, look for the round
stone table inside the grounds of the
four-hundred-year-old
Kun Iam Temple
(daily 10am-6pm; buses #12, #17, #18,
#23); it is here that the first treaty of
trade and friendship was signed between
the US and China in 1844. he Goddess
of Mercy herself stands in the incense-
scented main hall.
The Barra District
he southwestern side of the Macau
peninsula is known as the
Barra district
.
Situated underneath Barra Hill
overlooking the Inner Harbour, the
celebrated
A-Ma Temple
(daily 7am-6pm;
free) may be six hundred years old in
some sections. Dedicated to the goddess
A-Ma, whose identity blurs from Queen
of Heaven into Goddess of the Sea (who
is also known as Tin Hau), the temple is
an attractive jumble of altars among the
rocks, greenery and coils of incense.
Immediately across the road from the
A-Ma Temple, on the seafront, stands the
Maritime Museum
(daily except Tues
10am-5.30pm; MOP$10), a well-
presented collection covering old explorers,
seafaring techniques, equipment, models
and dragon boats. Buses #1, #2, #5, #7 and
#10A swing by here, among others.
If you walk up Calçada de Barra from
behind the A-Ma Temple, you'll reach the
fortress-like
Moorish barracks
, built to
accommodate two hundred Muslim
policemen from Goa and inspired by
Moorish architecture. Turn left at leafy
Lilau Square, just before the barracks,
and duck into the
Mandarin's House
(10
Travessa de Antonio da Silva; hurs-Tues
10am-5.30pm; free). his elegant and
surprisingly tranquil nineteenth-century
abode - once the home of Chinese
wordsmith Zheng Guanying - is the
largest private residence in Macau. Access
the courtyards via the circular moon gate
and admire the elegant simplicity and
symmetry of its many rooms.
Outer Harbour
Built on reclaimed land south of the
Terminal Maritimo,
Fisherman's Wharf
is
a rather bewildering array of amusements,
shops and restaurants that includes a fake
volcano, a Roman amphitheatre and a
fortress housing a war-gaming centre. To
the south of the wharf on reclaimed land
stands the silver spaceship-like structure
of the
Macau Science Centre &
Planetarium
(Fri-Wed 10am-6pm; daily
in July & Aug; MOP$25 exhibitions
only or MOP$65 including a 3D show;
W
msc.org.mo), packed with five floors
of kaleidoscopic interactive displays,
including, on the second floor, a
Meteorology Gallery where typhoons
and tornadoes are simulated.
Across the street stands the
Macau
Cultural Centre
(Tues-Sun 9am-7pm;
W
3
ccm.gov.mo), the city's prime venue for
theatre and opera. Inside you'll also find
the excellent
Macau Museum of Art
(Tues-Sun 10am-6.30pm; MOP$5;
W
mam.gov.mo), its five stories filled with
the likes of Ming- and Qing-dynasty
painting, ceramics from Shiwan,
calligraphy from Guangdong and
exhibitions of contemporary photography
and Macanese art.
To the west of the Cultural Centre,
the 20m-high bronze statue of
Kun Iam
,
the Goddess of Mercy, emerges from a
7m-high lotus in the Outer Harbour. he
seafront area in front of the statue, along
Avenida Dr Sun Yat-Sen (accessible by
bus #3A, #8, #10A and #12, has become
Macau's main entertainment area,
the NAPE
, with its array of bars and
restaurants open until the small hours.
Macau Tower
he futuristic spike rising 338m at the
southern end of the peninsula is the
Macau Tower
(
W
macautower.com.mo),
which offers impressive views out to sea
and over China. It's also the site of the
world's highest bungee jump (233m),
operated by A.J. Hackett (from
MOP$2688;
T
8988 8656,
W
ajhackett
.com) - jumpers free fall at an
eye-wateringly fast 200km per hour. hey
also offer an exhilarating sky walk (from
MOP$688) around the outside of the
tower, tower climb (MOP$1888) and
night-time bungee and night walk for
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