Back to Macau (2) Old days were gone

I miss the old Macau and Taipa I used to have in my childhood...

Unfortunately, all nice and familiar villagers were gone, old style restaurants were gone, newspaper stand was gone, fire station was gone, the river next to our old home was gone, the huts behind our old home were gone, the old streets we used to cycle were gone... all replaced by new tall buildings and Chinese immigrants. Even my mom cannot find her way... Taipa has changed tremendously over the years, 10 years. Both Macau and Taipa become more commercial, town building is not well planned, cluster of tall buildings here, cluster of others there. Too many casinos are grouped together in the city center, which produced constriction.

Old days were gone, memories stay.

Construction sites are everywhere. Dust is everywhere. I felt nasal obstruction, almost suffocated and eyes felt dry the whole day. After I got home my right eye was red with gum... in this morning when I got up I have ophthalmia again. When I was in Macau I see the blue sky; when I look at the photos I find grey-blue sky and buildings covered by dust, a hazy view.
One more thing made me dislike the new Macau and Taipa is the manner of the service providers. Waiters and bus drivers, who we meet a lot, are so impolite. Their manner is even worse than people in Mainland China. How can a bus driver put his legs on the steering at the bus terminal? Shame on him!

*My Momi's birth place, next to the cafe, located at Rua Horta e Sousa.

*Next to the "Ship builing asso." was the house of my grandparents, a place where I had my holidays in childhood; the tall buildings behind were once a shuttle area where needed rescue by firemen in Typhoon days...

Back to Macau (1) The Venetian Resort Hotel

My mom took Dadi and me to revisit Macau when I had a compensation leave on a recent Friday (which I planned to sleep).

Momi has been to the new opened Venetian Resort Hotel in September, when she joined primary school alumnus trip to her birth place to visit former teacher. After she came back, she could not stop praising "Venetian is so huge and grand. We have walked for three hours but could see only a little of the place." So she decided to broaden our horizon.

However, I am not amazed by the Venetian. It is not huge, instead, just a normal size shopping mall for big brands. The ceiling is only 70% like a real sky because only the rear of the sky has lights on, the middle is quite dark. You would feel it is 7:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. When you were there you do not feel the ceiling is so low but when you look at the photos you do. Though the architect tried to build a copycat Venice, it looks just not a Venice. People who have not been to Venice might be amazed by it but those who have been to Venice could find the difference.

Hmm, because that day it was crowded, momi had to walk slowly, so she thought the "plaza" was huge. The day we went was not holiday, we arrived at noon, and there were only a few people...we just spent less than an hour included the casino. On the other hand, this casino has divided into smoking and non-smoking areas. However, the smoke and strong aroma still choked me to sneeze and sensitive eyes so dry.


*Casino sight from upper floor, so OPEN.


*Painting under the ceiling is great.

*These paintings under the corridor ceiling remind me the Vatican Museum, but more glitterings.

*The Copycat Venice, the sky looked like early morning.

*If the "blue sky and white clouds" could have brighter sunshine... it would be perfect.

*Outside the Venetian, it looks more like the Saint Maco Plaza.

Ocean Spring Resort (3) Looking for dadi at hot spring

Everyone praises the hot springs at Ocean Spring Resort. According to the tour guide, there are over a hundred hot springs, with many characteristic hot springs, for example, with coffee, beer, milk, Chinese angelica, ginseng, plus Chinese and European styles. But it is a pity we only have two hours on it, in between we had to look for dadi...

We told dadi to wait for us after come out from dressing room. However, he did not come out after 20 minutes Hence, I asked three staff for help, and I forgot dadi knows no Mandarin Chinese.

The staff said he saw a man looks alike dadi at the "feet bathing area" in the dressing room. "I asked if he is Mr Huang, he replied no." the staff asked again, "Do you come alone? He said, 'I soak (his feet) alone.'" Another staff led some uncles out and asked us "Is it he?" But.. no.
After one hour of being "mad women", looking for dadi along all pools, and being stared by everyone, momi rushed to the dressing room for seeking more help. I was not reconciled and went back to the pool rear. Suddenly an old man stood there. "Oh DADI!" All staff cheered too, "My Huang is there!"

Of course, momi was angry with dadi. "Where have you been? We thought you collapsed in toilet!" As it turns out, dadi thought that feet bathing pool is a hot spring, he thought males and females have to separate like in Japan.

"A man asked me if my surname is Huang? I said no, I am Wong ma. Also, I soak there alone ah." Ai, last time we went to Tomamu Resort in Hokkaido he was so smart to try a Jacuzzi, enjoy spa and have sauna by himself. Dadi insisted we are stupid! Gosh!

As a result, we had about half an hour left, we gotta hurry up. Momi and I went to indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi, a imitate beach with cave and waterfall, several small very hot spring... dadi went to Doctor Little Fish for eating his cuticle of feet, this funny experience made him a little child cheered, "The fish bites me, it is so funny!"

Other tour group members said the characteristic hot springs are great, unfortunately we did not have chance to enjoy... we really wanted to come again, but these hotel... maybe those villas cost several thousand dollars a night would be better?

Ocean Spring Resort (2) Browse around

Apart from the hotel, this trip included:

Zhanyuan – once upon a time, there was a well-known merchant from Macau bought a piece of land in Zhongshan and built a grand house in classic style for his mother. He named this house "Zhanyuan" after his mother's maiden name. However, Old Mrs Zhan felt too lonely living in this huge house. She lived there for only three months then moved back to live with his son in Macau. The Zhongshan government then picked this grand house to be a spot for tourism.

There is a garden planted lots of litchi trees, longan tress, peach trees, mongo trees, wampee, etc. All these very large fruits make me mouth water. When other tour members went to watch acrobatic shows we strolled the street of the garden. Near by the stage is a snack-bar. I ordered almond milk with ginger sauce… the spicily ginger made me cry.

.Zhanyuan, Path of Wealth .Mango tree at Zhanyuan

Agricultural workshop – a part of a University of Agriculture. Balsam pear mix pumpkin - horrible lumps on the skin; cucumber mix sponge cucumber, etc., what a eye-opening event. Then we had a mini-lecture, a researcher taught us how to identify herbs, and shared some prescriptions. The result of their good intentions was to promotion man-to-man. Momi consumed HKD500 on the herbs. Suddenly came another salesman, "That researcher is old now. Just one more civil servant point he can upgrade to a higher class. Please buy one more..." Then, momi spent another HKD250, and worried if she has been cheated. It is odd that they sell one more can get one civil servant point.

Yunjin Buyi clan – a clan came from Yunnan, a "country" led by females, looking for better life in Zhongshan. In this clan, all females have to work to support their families, while males have to weave cloth, do household duties and cook. What a different culture. The ladies introduced their teas and dried fruits, so that the money can be sent back to their distant homeland as tuition fees for their babies. However, every time the tea we bought tasted so different from what we had in tea shops, how can we be confident with their products? All dried fruits are put to dry under the sun on the ground. We do not know how many flies and insects have visited them... so no matter how hard these ladies promoted their products we finally left with nothing.

If there were no downpour and gales, we would have eaten along the Fishermen's Wharf at night, because the meals were little. As for the Adventure land, I am an old maid since child age, I do really not like to play them, in addition, I would not play as I am with my parents.

There are some other places we visited but, they are nothing so special that I want to write about.

Ocean Spring Resort (1) Hotel Watery

Ocean Spring Resort has been introduced on TV travel programs for its beautiful scenery, luxurious accommodation, especially the most attractive hot spring resort. How is it in reality? It has been opened for a year now, my friends and colleagues went there last year with good compliments of the beautiful hot spring, it is a must go. So, why not?

As soon as I stepped in the Ocean Spring Resort area, the environment is really good, only cannot see clearer under gray sky. The hotel we booked is the newer and prettier Hotel Neptune between the two, which obviously more Middle East style. However, it looks neither fish nor fowl after tied Chinese red lanterns.

Back to the hotel room. There is a French style glass door, outside is a balcony with chairs and little round tea table. It is really nice to look out the landscape widely from there. The bathroom is quite new, there are glass walls to separate the toilet and the shower room; next to the shower room is a bath, where the wall beside can be pulled aside to look through the room, to enjoy the landscape when you are bathing.

.garden, looked out from the balcony.

.tall ceiling of the balcony, great.

The two four feet wide single beds are big, plus a "highest-ranking" imperial concubine chair and a screen, but no dressing table.

When the leader came in to ask if the room is okay, a service lady asked us to close the balcony door, because "it will be wet". Then we found that the corridor floor was already wet. We shut the glass door immediately, and the glass was wet then moisturized once it was shut. The floor was wet than ever even we placed cotton towels on it we failed to absorb the water. We had to change to slippers since we could not stand or walk with sports shoes on that slippery corridor. When we walked along the hotel lobby the floor was wet and slippery too. All windows and glass doors were moisturized.

In no time a thunderstorm came with downpour, we dare not to run due to the slippery wet ground. Drainage pipes and ditches can hardly find. Ponds are everywhere. We have no choice but rush to Mediterranean style pavilion for shelter from rain (I am not sure if it is a pavilion). My jeans are sucked and colored my right sports shoes into blue and blue. Luckily it is man-made leather which does not absorb rain water, otherwise I would have no shoes to wear.

However, both sports shoes and socks of my parents are sucked with rain water. Momi tries to dry the socks and shoes with a weak hair dryer, but it wets again the next morning. There is air-conditioning in the room, but, without any drying function. What…

2006 Have a warm Christmas in Macau

A silly me accompanied two friends on a journey to Macau for Christmas 2006. I nearly do not know the places because I have not been backed to Macau for Christmas for over 10 years after Grandparents moved to Hong Kong. I never memorized the routes when I went out with others, but this time I had to walk around with my friends, got on and off buses without any idea, and we could get to the destinations. Hey, we have lucky stars over us.

This trip was mainly for eat and walk, ate from day to night, walked from morning till dark, our stomach were full, feet were with corns.

My favourite still is the very delicious Pork Sandwich of Oi Kei, behind the Antigo Posto de Bombeiros (Old Fire Station) of Taipa Village. My friends questioned how special Oi Kei Pork Sandwich is? The specialty is: the pork is fresh and soft with bones, and is fried lightly, unlike Dai Lei's oily deep fried.

O Santos Comida Portuguese at Rua do Cunha still keeps its' very best standard, very tasty. My friends all agreed that the food and service there are the best.

Casino is everywhere in Macau, but can find no one on the streets. We went sightseeing the 12 casinos, the outlook design of Sands and Wynne are very plain, all in brown, nothing a bit of the Las Vegas. The constructing new Casino Lisboa looks exactly like a font. For the residential, they are match box with 99% brown outlook. There is nothing impressive even it is called a Mansion.

We also went to the new hot "must visit" Macau Fisherman"s Wharf. However, it is the most disappointing one. They tried to rebuild the Volcano, Coloseum, Vatican City and European style housings to show the different cultures and styles of countries they chose, but they failed. The work is too slack. I can see there were no strict inspections over the work.

* Coloseum at Fisherman's Wharf


In addition, the atmosphere in restaurants and shops isn't pleasant. There were a few customers but gave us impolite and slow service, we had to wait for ages for a tea or rice.

Lifestyles are so different. Live in Macau is leisure, while in Hong Kong is a hurricane. Hong Kong people see time as money so that everything has to be quick. On the contrary, Macau people enjoy leisure and carefree mood that everything is unhurried. THIS made us sick.

Initially I wanted to have a boat trip at inner harbour again, but sadly the pier next to the Maritime Museum has been constructed into a road connecting the Sai Van Bridge. So we went to S. Francisco Garden, through a path to Guia Hill Municipal Park. On the way we passed and played some facilities for health, did a little exercise, then went straight to Guia Fort & Lighthouse for some photo shootings. I like the western style architecture, though it is not very outstanding, it is a very romantic place for seeing sunset. Unfortunately, the beautiful scene was destroyed by constructions sites around.



* Guia Lighthouse


After 1999's reunion, Macau has become stronger and wealthier. She is experiencing a boom in economics. Infrastructure, real estates, casinos and tourism are all developing rapidly; this change is much larger than in 2003: flooding in new mainland immigrants, construction sites, imbalanced social development and the green caused air pollution. For example, the brook in Taipa Village is now covered by buildings, Taipa became a manmade basin… it was a sunny day with temperature 20 degree Celsius, but I felt it's hot like a summer.

Even a gentle wind breeze over my face at inner harbour, trees and grasses dance with me at Guia Park, fresh air leaves me forever.