Macao – the Asian Mecca of hazard

Macao! For many people the ex Portuguese colony is just the Asian Las Vegas. But there is a lot to be seen in the city-country, cuddled on 28,2 square kilometers in the creek of the Pearl river that I flowing into South Chinese sea. Actually it consists of the peninsula with the same name and 2 other islands – Taipa and Coloan, connected with bridges long between 2, 5 and 4, 5 km. the miniature Portuguese part of China has only 340 meters common border with the metropolitan and with the other ex colony – Hong Kong, it has a sea border and on every hour you can see hundreds of ferryboats and ships mooring around. But Macao is not just casinos and hunger for hazard. Here there are a lot to be see and outside of poker room. Because the combination of European ancient architecture, total Americanization and exquisite Asian chic is amazing.

In order to get to there in a real luxury, you need to wait for the beginning of 2009, when SWISS Air will launch its business class unique beds, surrounded by clouds. Especially for MERRY Magazine the headquarters of the air company in Switzerland sent us pictures of the most comfortable sky comfort for long haul flights. The bed in the airplanes will be 2 meters long with absolutely new concept for night flights. The height and the thickness of the beds can be regulated by the passengers – from the one of a water bed to soldier such – by an innovative system of air cushions. Cristoff France from SWISS AIR stated: “we are extremely proud that w are the first air line in the world that offers its passengers such comforts from a purely new level.” The special miracle beds also have in-built massaging functions, ends for USB and iPod, large format personal screen and above all they are absolutely divided from those of your neighbors. The task for the interior has been given to Lantal – masters of the well chosen material and the skill to use well maximally small spaces.

The popularization of the new sky comfort is in the arms of the ex Miss Switzerland and the Hollywood actress Loren Gileron. Her image is beautifying the ads and the video posts of the brand new service for the customers in business and first class, as well as the gathered many flight miles – luxury hall for layover and the filling up the before and between flights, designed in the same way all over the world – with walls of cut stones in a typical Switzerland style. And also a lot of champagne, spawn and whatever you would like.

The last extra is connected to the ecology. As the whole sky luxury of the beds in the skies is lowering with 4 kilograms every passenger, SWISS AIR is saving 650 tones ceresin per year. This reduces the harmful emissions in the air with around 20 000.

But I would say this is enough for the air luxury! You can fly to the Asian Mecca of hazard, even not so luxury, and next week if you want. Except the historical sightseeing of Macao very soon a real attraction there will be also the giant preserve for giant pandas for which they have granted 10 000 square meters from their not so big territory. The cute black-white bears will be brought here from the biggest breed in the Mother Nature. The preserve will be opened in the end of 2009 for the noisy festivities on the occasion of the 10-th anniversary from the return of Macao in China.

Colonized from the Portuguese in 1557, Macao is the first European colony in the Far East. It is something like a base camp of the “white” for sending goods to all ends of the world. Exactly due to this the Dutch have made attempts four times to take it away from the Portuguese, but with not luck. In 1640 Macao receives an official statute Cidade do Nome de Deus de Macau /a city with the God’s name/ and in 1670 it again re-confirms its free status on official negotiations with China. When in 19-th century the British found Hong Kong with its deep water harbor, the influence of Macao is slightly put on hold.

With the return to China, the ex Portuguese colony becomes a specific administrative region with a guaranteed economical freedom under the logo “one country, two systems” which allows Macao a comparative autonomy in the decision process for all kinds of questions, except the military and international pacts in the next 50 years.

In Macao the casinos, the race courses the night clubs are almost as many as in all the rest countries from the South Chinese Sea, combined together. 45% of the incomes of the small country come from the entertainment and tourism business, but the local politicians provide a huge portion of those for preservation and development of the museums and the antique sightseeing.

We should not underestimate also the facts that nowhere around there are so many historical monuments on square meter, as here. This is exactly what I mean: In Macao there is what to be seen during the day too, despite that at night the antiques are very artistically lighted and the casinos also sparkle with millions of lamps. The road around the bay, on which the taxi from Venison took me to the civilization, is called Praia Grande or actually this is the old trade road. The historical center of the city is focused around the beautiful Largo del Senado /the square of the Senate/, a favorite place for a Sunday walk of the locals and for pictures – of the milliards of tourists. The churches are so numerous here, that if the bigger portion of the passer-bys weren’t Chinese, you would easily think that you are in Portugal.

In the north part of Largo del Senado is situated the beautiful church “Santo Domingo” /or San Domini from 17-th century/ with a fabulous faзade and the Museum of the religious art inside. In the south part of the square is Santa-Kasa-da-Misherisirdia /The house of charity from 1569/ and the complex Leal Senado, which is claimed to be one of the most beautiful Portuguese buildings in Macao. Its internal court yard is lagged with azulejus – blue-white tiles in Mauritian style. The staircases lead you to a garden with sculptures of the poet Luis Kamoens and the first governor Amoral and continue to the richly ornamented Castle of the Senate. In the end of 16-th century this is where the whole population of the colony used to gather in order to solve important questions.

Several meters away of the Largo of the Senate is situated the most famous sightseeing of Macao – its business card, its face in front of the world – the church San Paulo /1603 – 1638/, known as the biggest Christian temple in East Asia. This is where the first school institution – the Jesuit College was also. The church was destroyed by a fire in 1835. Since then, every tourist, including me, feels a slight disappointment. After you have gazed for long enough at the filigree faзade, richly decorated with sculpture groups from the Italian architect Carlo Spinolli, you expect on all the greeting cards to find out more beauties behind it. But only the church has survived – as an empty shell from the past grandeur. One does not even want to peak into the miraculously survived graveyard of the saint.

Between the ruins of the church and those of the fortress wall /from 1569/ is the small Asian temple Na Cha /something like a miniature copy of a real east temple with all the elements of the Chinese architecture/. The cosmopolite mixture ends up with a Chinese market, called Sent Dominick Market and the temple Sam Kai Voi Coon, a headquarters of the oldest trade guild in Macao.

In the nearby streets everything is bright and vivid like a fair –bakers are carrying huge baking tins with freshly made pastries and invite you to try them, with the presumption that you will buy kilograms of them for home. But actually you give up on the first bite – it has taste of grinded stucco with sugar. Very attractive are the thin as paper sheet pieces of dried pork meat. They are cut with scissors and from the first try every fan of the meat becomes a permanent “subscriber” to the aromatic from all the ingredients savory local specialty, which is definitely more tender than the cowboy “djvachki” from dried beef.

There is one sightseeing around which you absolutely must go – at least once - the bronze statue of Kun Iam /the goddess of charity/, long 20 meters. It is located close to the small island in the sea, to which you can get though a bridge. Around it there are many monuments in honor of the 18 wise men from China, amongst which is the statue of Marko Polo.

Well, exactly this stunningly unparallel combination telltales the essence of Macao – in it the co-existence of the super modern casinos, antique churches and Buddha temples is something absolutely normal, attractive and beautiful. And the local people are praying for the financial prosperity of the sea turtles, as in the certain temples it is very important to hit with a coin exactly the head of the turtle statue, in order to make your desire of having more money come true.

Magdalena Gigova, “Night Trud”

Pictures; the authoress

With the cooperation of the Bulgarian union of investors in the tourism

October 2008