Macau Sep.9, 2017

Portuguese atmosphere and Jesuit Churches

I headed to the ferry terminal in Sheung Wan in the rainy morning to hop on a jetfoil to Macao soon after I grabbed some dim sums at Lin Heung Kui. This small island was once a step stone for Jesuit monks to spread Christianity to East Asia. I wanted to visit the historic area of the former Portuguese colony and enjoy its exotic atmosphere somedays. I was visiting Hong Kong to attend a business meeting and leaving for Tokyo the next day. I have no plan to do on Saturday. So I decided to go to Macau.

The high speed ferry leaves every fifteen minutes and connects Hong Kong and Macau in an hour. The ferry was full of passengers. I guess many of them are going to spend the weekend at casino. There was the passport control at the Macau terminal. But they would not ask any question, just check the passport and collect a immigration card from passengers. I realized Macao is now a part of China and no need for passport control between the two former colonies.

I rode a public bus to Sedona Square, where you can start sightseeing as many points of attractions are within the walking distance from there. I found a building with Portuguese azulejo tiles. The blue colored tiles look cool in the sunshine of September. I found a lot of reminiscent of the former colonial master here and there. There are a lot of Roman Christian churches in the island: Saint Dominic’s Church, St. Lawrence’s Church, Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady to name a few.

I walked around the area near Sedona Square and visited those churches. I was so impressed with those beautiful churches.