An hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong International Airport brings you to the Vegas of the East, and the special administrative region of China, Macao. With its Portuguese past, Macao has an interesting mélange of all things Macanese — a combination of its Chinese roots and Portuguese history that makes it a destination like no other.
Sights and Sounds
To start your trip on a high — well literally and figuratively, head to the AJ Hackett Macau Tower, which has the Guinness World Record for being the world’s highest commercial bungee jump at a staggering 764 feet high. A glass fronted elevator will take you up to the 58th floor within 60 seconds, and you are treated to remarkable views of the city of Macao. Once you soak in the views over coffee or ice cream, head to the Adventure Deck at Level 61. This is where you can take an outdoor skywalk, skyjump, bungy jump or do the tower climb with world-famous AJ Hackett’s Urban Adventures. An observation deck below has many people jumping off while admiring the view so there is even a tongue-in-cheek sign that reads “Caution — Falling People.” The adrenaline rush that you will get on these experiences is exhilarating but be aware that this is quite awe-inspiring and not for the faint hearted. Once you have had a fill of adventure, head to the City of Dreams to witness the spectacular show The House of the Dancing Waters. The beautiful show runs for roughly over an hour, and is written and directed by Franco Dragone. The show takes place on a massive stage pool that holds 3.7 million gallons of water and depicts a beautiful love story (a la Bollywood) chronicling a beautiful journey through time. The superb costumes, special effects, breathtaking acrobatics and some nail-biting stunts on bikes make for an experience like no other.
The ruins of St Paul’s
Aerial view of the city
The House of the Dancing Water
Heritage Meets High Rise
Behind the glitzy sky scrapers however, is a city that is still hanging on to its roots. So, when you are here you must visit The Historic Centre of Macao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has over 30 monuments and buildings of Portuguese and Chinese origin. This is where you are transported to a sepia-toned age where you can experience beautiful architecture, streetscapes, temples, mansions and more that have stood the test of time. Taking centre stage of course are the iconic ruins of St Paul’s which was once the Church of Mater Dei and was destroyed by a fire in 1835. All around you see neo-classical buildings. Step into the archaeological remains displayed in the exhibit room of the Na Tcha Temple to learn more about the history of this area.
