Churches and casinos

Macau is full of dichotomies: 15th century Catholic churches and 21st century Vegas-style casinos; Portuguese barbecue and Chinese noodles; open-air squares and cramped backstreet markets...It's a fun place to spend a few weeks.

Macau was actually one of the last remnants of Portugal's empire; the Portuguese were in charge here until 1999 (and oddly enough, it was Portugal that wanted to give it back, not the other way around...). It's had an interesting history in it's 400+ years, from its beginning as a trade city, to its defiance of Spanish rule in Portugal, to its sheltering of refugees from Hong Kong during WWII and from China during the Cultural Revolution. Despite this, with the rise of Hong Kong a century ago, Macau has quietly been forgotten by the larger world. In the last twenty years, though, it's been trying to reinvent itself as a tourist city—and while it does cater to those who come to soak up its history—it mainly caters to those who come to gamble away billions in its 28 world class casinos (not playing poker though, but playing war, a very simple card game...).

I'm sure you'll all be surprised to find out that we were part of the former tourist group, perhaps because the history seemed to seep out of the cobblestones and pool wherever I stopped. It wasn't quite as good as Guanggu, Korea where the history sizzled in the very air, but it was pretty good!! :) Also, it's not that I'm at all averse to learning and studying history that's new to me, but I especially enjoy encountering history that I have some knowledge of... and Macau was filled with remnants of its European past: squares dominated by Catholic cathedrals, baroque architecture, and a laid-back atmosphere that stood out all the more after spending a week in Hong Kong.

The food was awesome too...even the frog soup...but I think I wrote enough about food in the last post so I'll spare you more descriptions here. :) Instead, here are some of my favourite sites to visit in Macau.

The ruin of the church of St. Paul is the iconic site to see in Macau. This former Jesuit church, built from 1582 to 1602, was once the largest church in Asia. It fell into disrepair after the Jesuits were expelled from Macau due to doctrinal disputes. Today only the intricately-carved stone facade from the front of the church survives. Many other Catholic churches are alive and well though, and we happily spent hours wandering through several of them.

The Monte fort was another of our favourite sites. This was the main fort—though one of several—built by the Portuguese. It was built in 1616 and originally belonged to the Jesuits and St. Paul's church. Yet interestingly enough, only one cannon was ever fired, and only once. It was fired by a Jesuit priest in a desperate attempt to turn aside a Dutch invasion...against all odds the cannon ball hit a gunpowder store and blew the attackers out of the water! It's brilliant how small random events change the course of history isn't it? Poor Jaclyn, though, since she is Dutch by heritage, she got teased just a bit about her countrymen's failed attempt at invasion. Sorry Jaclyn! :)


Then we saw this house. It was cool and we liked it. It had oyster shell windows (but they aren't in the picture). The windows in the picture were made at different times and the old ones are better but they don't know how to make those ones anymore. Does it sound like I'm writing this paragraph in a hurry? Well, I am. Mostly because I can't remember any other specifics and couldn't easily find them online. Besides, I'm in Beijing already so I really should just post this post. :)

Even the church we attended Sunday morning was a historical site. The Protestant chapel, the oldest—and once the only—Protestant church in town, was built by and for the East India trading company. Also on the compound was the Protestant cemetery which the British were finally allowed to establish in 1825 so that the few Protestants in town no longer needed to clandestinely bury their dead in the surrounding hills (the Catholics wouldn't bury them on hallowed ground).

It was kinda funny when we were looking for a church to attend, actually. We'd asked at the tourist information centre about which churches had English services. We were told that only one Catholic church did and it was out of town. When we asked if there were any Protestant churches she looked at us, rolled her eyes, and said,”We don't have any information on the Protestants!” It was wonderful, though, to share in worship and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Macau. In fact, we have been quite blessed to have found English services to attend in most of the countries we've been to so far.

That's all for Macau I think...definitely a recommended city to visit if you get the chance!