Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cover fishing, seaborne trade and sea transport, and there is an aquarium. The museum also
offers boat tours aboard a fishing junk.
The museum is almost on the spot where the Portuguese first landed. When they came
ashore they found the A-Ma Temple (properly called Ma Kok Temple; daily dawn-dusk),
dedicated to the favourite goddess of fishermen, who is also known as Tin Hau. The area
was called A-Ma Gau (Bay of A-Ma), which is the source of Macau's name. The ornate,
picturesque temple dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and is the oldest building in
Macau.
The strategically located Barra Fortress once defended the southern tip of the penin-
sula. Although not completed until 1627, it was instrumental in defending Macau's inner
harbour against the 1622 attack by the Dutch. Used only once, the fort's cannons were ex-
changed for rice to feed World War II refugees. Part of the fortress is now a hotel, the Pou-
sada de Sao Tiago, which contains the original chapel of Sao Tiago (St James), a saint
much revered in the area.
The northernmost point in Macau is the frontier between two contrasting worlds. The
Barrier Gate (Portas do Cerco), built more than a century ago, marks the boundary
between the MSAR and the People's Republic of China.
Casinos
Macau is famous for gambling and the new wave of Las Vegas-style casinos has added
some pizzazz to its main revenue earner. The first of these newcomers was Sands Macau
( www.sandsmacao.com ) , with 277 gaming tables and 405 slot machines. Others, like the
Venetian , Galaxy Casino and the Greek Mythology casino, complete with Roman centuri-
ons, offer plenty of spectacle. Kitsch old favourite Lisboa ( www.hotellisboa.com ) remains
popular, but is dwarfed by the enormous Wynn Macau , MGM Macau and Grand Lisboa .
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