The wind whipping around the tightly clustered buildings makes it seem so much colder than it really is.
I love strolling along the streets and looking at the juxtaposition of architecture in the city.
Change is definitely in the air.
There are the moneyed commercial edificios and swanky shops along the Wharf. If I really want a Prada bag, I could head over to the overpriced shops along The Strip. If I want a disposable bag for toiletries, I'd consider those fake Burberry and Le Sportsac bags at Senado Square.
But the old streets are most charming of all.
I like wandering through the little lanes and seeing what comes up at the other end.
In my mind, I build a little map and draw a line through the streets I've walked by. It makes it so easy for me to remember the area and link it to the maps I'm reading.
I want to pop back here for a weekend jaunt when I needn't have to bother about work.
I've built a little personal itineary of where to go and what to do.
I've got to bring the boyfriend along. He will be absolutely fascinated by the rapid changes in the city from the time of his last visit. He came before 1999 and it was dog poo central. He will be intrigued by the colors, food and whatnots. He likes the idea of crab porridge already. If he will drive, I can navigate and take him around the small eateries in Taipa and Coloane.
The city's 27 million tourist arrivals don't seem to have populated the older areas too much. Perhaps most stay in the casinos and rarely venture beyond. If they do, it's to buy Chinese bites at the pastry shops of Koi Kei and its competitors. (Who always set up shops next to a Koi Kei outlet. Don't bother with the different names and addresses. You find one, you find all of them.)
I want to keep these memories of the old places before the pace of modernization wipes them out.
9 comments:
the city will have to choose its own characteristics. what defines it as a casino town, will have someplace else that defies the notion.
if i pop up there in summer, i wonder if i'll feel the same nice vibes... i don't think i want to walk everywhere in summer!
thot of going there at my next hk trip. can i consult you where to go, especially the old streets :)
It was so long since i've been to Macau.. i think i would absolutely love the new experience.. ;)
dog poo central is exactly how i remembered macau. the other impression is of forlorn old buildings and people.
suziewong - can i tag along? for the shopping, makan and han kai parts.
that's the fun about travelling. i used to think it's cheena and will refuse to go. not like i'm entirely comfortable still. but i do enjoy the different experience now.
u make macau a truly interesting palce to go to, a mixture of modern and old, past and future! will be there one day! :p
it's exactly this that makes asia so fascinating. otherwise, it'll be just like another small town somewhere. that's the whole fun about discovering a place beyond what we know from the guidebooks.
meteor: that's the thing. they're struggling for a foothold on that identity.
queenie: i dunno how hot summer actually is!
suziew: heeee. you do need a driver around. unless u just walk all around Senado Square. then no need directions. just walk. everything's within 10minutes.
mamabok: it's definitely changed alot.
singapore: hehehe. i wasn't there then. but i'm seeing it for the first time in 2007/8.
anon@9.32am 28/1/08: that's always the fun bit.
fern: asia. and small towns in the france/spain. :) let's go moldova!
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