Macao

Arriving at Macau around 2 AM was a doozy. I was hoping I could get some sleep but they made the airport pretty sleep-proof with these horribly designed chairs. The sun was far from rising and I tried to get what sleep I could but looks like it wasn't happening anytime soon. At around 4 AM or so I bit the bullet and decided to just go out and explore the city.

I found a taxi that took me near Fisherman's Wharf. The night was calm and quiet with a light drizzle every now and then. It was strange to see this side of Macau, a city so full of the hustle and bustle. I made my way to the only restaurant open at this ungodly hour and found myself inside a casino. I guess it made sense why it was open. I was surprised to see that a lot of staff here were Filipino, we got along splendidly. The meal I ordered was some fish congee but it was surprisingly a huge serving, one I could not even finish.

When I went out, the sky was still dark but it was about time I got a move on. I went back to the Fisherman's Wharf to grab some pics of the Amphitheatre and other Roman-esque buildings. The next stop was Lou Lim Ioc Garden. At this time, the city was starting to just slightly wake with some people already out and about doing their morning exercises, especially in the garden which surprisingly had a certain amount of people.

I wanted to visit other sites as well but they were still closed so I made my way up towards Na Tcha Temple, a small unassuming Taoist temple right beside the Walls of St. Paul Church, one of Macau's most visited sites.

I went down the stairs towards Largo de Senado, the historic district of Macau, and stopped by St. Dominic's Church. It had a yellow facade and a green door that provided a pretty good contrast. I took a pic at Lou Kau Mansion and was told by a half-naked dude who was just beginning his morning routine that it was still closed. The main plaza was a rainbow of colors, mostly pastel on Portuguese buildings so it was pretty impressive to see them in contrast with Macanese or Chinese elements.

The sun was pretty much up at this time but the day was cloudy, I proceeded further to visit St. Joseph's Seminary but it was closed to the public. I did get a picture of a devotee praying to Mother Mary. With most of my list ticked off and not being bothered to back track to visit the other closed sites, I went to a taxi stand and went back to the airport with plenty of time to spare to just relax while waiting for my flight back to Tokyo.Read more