Upon arrival at the Macau turbojet pier, the clients already shouted that they should take pictures in the “Fisherman’s Wharf” located next to the pier. To my personal views, the site was simply a very quiet attraction under renovation where there were cranes and construction vehicles neaby, a hardware without heart, and should not spend time to see but I promised to take a stop when we finished the important UNESCO listing area.
We started to stroll around in the Red Market that clients loved to see the fresh fish, still alive, swimming in the mini bucket and splashing water around, the live chickens inside the cage and being cleaned at the corners, the farm frogs shouting inside the net and waiting to be sold, the dried seafood stuff hanging around and spreading the smell.
Following by dim sum light refreshment in a 1960s nostalgia teahouse nearby, we tried the sponge cake, jasmine tea in a non air-conditioning settings with green windows open around, Chinese antiques and paintings displaying everywhere without order. The tea and dim sum cost US$8 for three of us. Quite a good experience to try old style of dim sum serving.
We then move quickly to squeeze time for the possible longer stay in the casino at Lisboa and Fisherman’s Wharf. Like the Ah Ma Temple, Morrish Barrack, Dome Theatre etc. The Mandarin House was the most impressive as I saw the response from the eyes of the clients. Though it was just 4,000sq meter, the blended culture in its architecture was the highlight. We passed by a number of churches, and of course, compared to those in Europe where clients came from, it’s nothing. But if we looked back to the 15th to 16th century, that were the great work and the greatest of the talents travelling thousand miles away with the limitation of resources on hands in the Chinese soil.
With quick decision to try local Macau Portuguese food, I mean, local Chinese way of preparing Portuguese food, we ordered a set of “Alibaba chicken” using the cream and tomato sauce, the “curry beef” with strong coconut base and the famous “serradura” dessert, which cost US$25 but could make three of us pretty full.
We strolled to the souvenir street, the St. Paul’s Ruins, the fortress, the backstreet with a quick look. Yet, the old and new Lisboa were not something that clients would like to stay long. We immediately took a taxi and arrived the “Fisherman’s Wharf” that clients opened their eyes. Maybe they were looking at all these replica from their European eyes, they said that all the buildings were funny, and much smaller than the real ones, and they could share how interesting that the Chinese people copying some hardware elsewhere from the homeland. They even pointed one by one which buildings were belonging to which country and they were very happy with a good ending in Macau.
This was not the end. On clients’ request, I added the flower market, the goldfish market and the Ladies Street market on Kowloon side before going back to their hotel. It was a long tour, but comprehensive and colourful enough before their departure. I even indicated the local restaurant for enjoying a full Hongkong-style breakfast. Hope that they could schedule it the following day.
