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Published on July 23, 2007

Things change fast on the islands of Macau. On the reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane islands where the airport is located, a new strip called Cotai is being built at a super fast pace. Cranes are in abundance on this vast piece of land, which sports numerous colossal concrete constructions.

"Everybody is coming to Macau," explains Alorino Noruega, our guide from the Macau Government Tourist Office.  "When we opened the casino market for foreign investors in 2002, people simply flooded in. Now, we have every big player in hotels and casinos. We're Asia's Las Vegas."

A city often visited by those who come to Hong Kong, Macau is getting recognition of its own as the place to be this century. In fact, this Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China has come a long way.

It's a melting pot of Chinese and Portuguese cultures, having been, for more than 400 years since the historic Age of Discovery, administered by Portugal as the last European colony in Asia. The Portuguese handed Macau over to the Chinese in 1999.

Casinos aside, traces of Sino-European culture dominate Macau, from streets with Portuguese and Chinese names to the European-style piazzas and from tasty Macanese cuisine to the mixture of Catholic churches, Taoist temples and the world's first Western lighthouse, dating 1865, built as part of the Guia Fortress on top of the Guia Hill in the southwest of Macau island.

Macau sits on the southern tip of the Chinese province of Guangzhou on the banks of the Pearl River. It was part of the Silk Road, where ships loaded up with silk on their way to Rome. The name "Macau", in fact, is derived from the Portuguese adaptation of the word "A Ma Gao" or the "Place of A Ma", the Goddess of Seafarers most revered among Macau natives long before the existence of the city of Macau itself.

Macau is composed of three islands - Macau, Taipa and Coloane - which add up to a total area of 28.2 square kilometres. The reclaimed land of Cotai has an area of 5.2 square kilometres.

While new businesses are pouring into Macau, people here still enjoy the beauty of the past. One must definitely visit the Senado Square, the main shopping arcade that has winding streets through the town's old quarter up to the Ruins of St Paul's, the remains of the 1602 facade of the original Church of Mater Dei destroyed by fire in 1835.

Nearby in the garden area, you can enjoy the Macau Museum, which preserves the old lifestyles of the Macanese and the island's unique East-West blend of culture.

Macau is certainly not too big to walk around, and if you happen to be there on a cold day, Macau's rich museums are definitely worth visiting. The Chinese Cultural Club on Almeida Ribeiro Avenue houses the charming museum of Tak Seng On, a historic pawnshop that portrays the old way of conducting business in Macau with a teahouse upstairs offering tea tasting and some Chinese-style souvenirs.

Not far from Senado Square is Port Interior on Almirante Sergio Road, which features a row of Macanese restaurants, the Maritime Museum and the renowned A Ma Temple. The shrine is always crowded even on the hottest days because it is where people come to pray that they may conceive children, or for good business and good fortune. The nearby Maritime Museum features interesting artefacts from fishing, sailing and commerce of the old days between Europe and Asia.

The word Macanese describes not just the people but also the Chinese-Portuguese cuisine. You can opt for one of many Macanese restaurants lining Almirante Sergio Road and enjoy a variety of food that can be described, based on my own experience, as an interesting combination of Asian spices and Western cooking styles.

Some famous dishes include baked bacalhau (codfish with egg and onion), grilled sardines imported from Portugal, and scrumptious ameijoas or baked clams served with warm rolls.

Macau is also a good place to enjoy tasty Portuguese wine. Dao, Borba and Ribatejo are delectable reds and Joao Pires is a good white wine. For those who want to pair their seafood with wine, try the tasty green wine called vinho verde for a change.

There is a lot more to see in Macau - for more information about the place, visit MacauTourism.gov.mo. Museum passes are available for 25 patacas (Bt92) for adults and 12 patacas for children under 18 and senior citizens. The pass allows one entry to main museums around Macau for five days.

Air Macau has daily flights to Macau and now offers special packages with accommodation.

For more information, call (02) 614 3000 or visit AirMacau.co.th.

Sirin P Wongpanit

The Nation