Macau: July 23 - Day 1 (Part II)

I have to make my posts into several parts because my whole was made up eight hours or more and for the first day I have almost six hundred photos taken. This is the first part and now this post is the 2nd.  My eye sight is no longer that perfect so I love my photos in big resolution. I like using the attachment feature of this theme when posting my photos, but it is giving me a hard time in the paragraph spacing, so I am still uploading my resized pics into Photobucket. Dagdag buhaton. But I do not mind. I just wish I have all the time to make post.

This is one of my favorite travel quotes. Most times we love to go out but the fear of taking the chance and face the risks, hinder us from doing so.

For me, I almost regretted why I chose Macau as my first place to do my "bucket list" solo travel when I heard the bus driver shouted the man with big luggage to go down the bus. The guy was suppose to go up ahead of me, and my host ahead of him. I really did not understand what the driver was telling the man but the man obediently went down tugging along him his big luggage. I saw me in that person. The language barrier factor sort of shook me. I had to really thank my host big time for picking me up at the airport.

Now going back to my first day adventure, I am now in the main street since I can see many big buses and lots of people. My goal is to look for "San Malo" store. But there was so much to see. Many people of all eye sizes and there are many big buildings.

There is one big building that really cannot be missed. I really wonder what that is in it when I saw it. Walking a bit further down and I could read the inscription at the top of the ---

- CORREOS E TELEGRAFOS -

 

 Oh my oh my! I was giddy with happiness with I realized it was Macau's Post Office. A building that is large in size, I was sure this is not an ordinary post office. Indeed googling it later in the day, it was the General Post Office of Macau. Postcards and stamps were then crowding my mind. Remember I have not yet changed my money and have not yet purchased a single postcard I was already excited to mail. I feel that after I can post cards to myself, I am then ready to fly back to the Philippines. lol! Oh no! I am just starting my day and the first huge public building I saw is a post office. What a treat for a birthday girl! (I posted that moment in Instagram)

This is the General Post Office. Shot was taken across the street. It is really visible so one will have a hard time finding it. Their post office is very tourist friendly. They even have displays of all the stamps issued by by Macau post and is captioned if stocks are available for sale or temporarily has ran out of stamps. I really wished that moment I have lots of money so that I can buy some for my collection. I went inside for a quick tour and went out very excited to change my pesos so I can purchase postcards at nearby stalls.  Just few steps from the post office, I saw a money-changer shop and had my money changed.

Feeling excited to be in the midst of the crowd.  I cannot take a photo of me in the midst of them so 99% of my photos were of the place where I am and what I think is worth capturing. :)

Below are some of my first photos taken at Senado Square and around:

 

My first glimpse of the Leal Senado Building
this building houses the elaborately carved library styled after the library of Mafra Convent in Portuagal

The dainty windows -- but I cannot get my desired shot. huh! 

 

 

The Senado Square 

According to a tourist guide book, the Senado Square has been the urban center of Macau for many centuries already.  It is surrounded with neoclassical buildings and paved with traditional Portuguese pavement.

I observed that this is also a tourist center, one can sit around nearby enjoying the scene of the crowd and be mesmerized of the surroundings.  I spend lots of hours going around here.

 

The House of Mercy (Museum)

My first glimpse of the House of Mercy.  I visited the museum the next day thus it will be a separate post. I hope it will not take me a year to do it. ha ha ha

Taking a Selfie

I then observed that tourists were taking lots of photos. I saw families, some are group of students, and I also saw those who are in group c/o tourist agencies. I thought for awhile why there are lots of Chinese - only to realize in a second and answered my wondering mind -- it is summer in the mainland and in the neighboring countries. I saw some taking selfies. I then wished too I can take a selfie. The sky is overcast so using my phone to take a selfie is not a choice. I tried the DSLR and this is what I got!  (Note: i had many tries and this one shared here is one I think that is better than the rest ha ha ha)

Selfie @ Senado Square

Better half than the whole round of my face. lol! It was this moment that I wished I had a companion in this travel. lols!

Portuguese-inspired Windows

 

My first glimpse of picturesque windows.  

^&^^&^^&^ ^&^^&^^&^ ^&^^&^^&^ ^&^^&^^&^ ^&^^&^^&^ ^&^^&^^&^ 

I guess I have walked several miles because my feet were already tired and I am getting hungry.  No matter how I tried postponing my lunch, my stomach is really telling me to eat. So I tried looking for a place that sells noodles.  I craved for noodles. I know it's the meal that I need for the day since it is my birthday. lol!

After going around looking for the right place to eat, I bumped into a restaurant that has a menu list with English translation.  But even before going through all of them, with my little Mandarin, I managed to order a chicken noodle soup and an egg ommelette because I saw a lady in the next table eating it. lol  The place is full so I waited a minute or two to get a table.

Thank God for menus with translation :)



Yummy chicken noodle soup!

After feasting on this bowl of noodles and egg ommelette I am now read to continue my walk.  My goal is to look for the The Ruins because my friends told me it is located just nearby (from the house).  I said to myself I will just try asking some people.

The I observed the crowd shown in the following photos --

 

I wonder where these throng of people came from 

 

Lots of coming and going - going on in this small street 

 

I then decided to go and check it out.

The crowd is thick. You can bump into the people coming and going. The street is lined with many shops. There are shops selling sports wear, bags, and plenty of pampaganda.  Many shops are also selling sweet stuff. I think the sweet stuff is a Macau's delicacy because many people are buying it.  Look closely at the first crowd photo - some people carrying that bag.  That contains the sweet stuff I am talking about.  For sure that is a pasalubong to their family and friends. I was not so curious of the stuff because it's something sweet. ha ha ha

Now i walked further and tadaaaa...

 

 

My first glimpse of the The Ruins. 
(This is first of the many shots I made of the famous The Ruins)

 

Wow!

Many times I saw this structure in postcards and pictures of friends who have come to see this.  My heart swelled with happiness thinking that I've seen it for real. I can't wait to go up there...

The ruins is the remains of the front of the former Church of the Mother of God (also known as St. Paul's Church). The construction of st. Paul's Cathedral started in 1602 and the granite front was completed between 1637 and 1640. The current front is part of the final work. In 1935, a great fire destroyed the Jesuit College of St. Paul's and its subsidiary churches. Only the front part of the churchm, and the stone steps in front of the church survived in the disaster. (as stated in the tourist's churches map)

I saw many people taking pics of themselves with the ruins, so I thought ako din!!!! Me too!  Most of the tourists that day were Chinese so it is quite hard to ask someone to take a photo of me. Then I saw a Filipina who seem to be waiting for someone. I politely asked her to take a pic of me of which she agreed with a smile. She tried three times and this is the last shot of which she think is really better than the rest.  Excited to check out out her shots and ohhh this is more of me than the ruins. Hahaii I cannot ask her again.  She's already gone after I said thanks.  I wish I can complain but nah! Nanugo ra gani ko so dili nalang ko manaway ha ha 

I wanted to a photo of me and the whole structure but  I gave up asking others so I resort to taking a selfie with a DSLR.  It's a moment that I wish I had a selfie stick and a nice phone camera. :D

And this is the result --

Me & The St. Paul's Ruins
July 23, 2015

More Macau travel tales in time to come. :)