This is part 2 of our day trip to Macau. I decided to divide this side trip into four parts because of so many places we explored. I already have a number of travel posts that my site is clogging up on my server’s bandwidth and I have to work on the backend in order to keep things light – good luck with me on that.
September 04, 2010
Macau Side Trip: Senado Square and Ruins of St. Paul
Senado Square, Macao
Ruins of St. Paul
Places we Visited in Macau:
Senado Square
Ruins of Saint Paul
With the help of Ate Eva (our tour guide whom we just met), we were brought to Ruins of Saint Paul which was one of the places I looked forward to seeing. I think this was probably the only place I was raring to see aside from the Macau Tower. On the way to the Ruins, we had to go through the Senado Square
corners and streets in Macao
The Senado Square (Senate Square) is an area which is enclosed by buildings of the Leal Senado, the General Post Office, and St. Dominic’s Church. The square is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Macau” (Macau Senado Square – Wikipedia).
St. Dominic church
When we arrived at the square, we saw lanterns and structures being put up. Ate Eva told us that it was because of a Chinese festival which explains all the preparations. My feet were already sore from walking but it was good exercise.
lanterns for a Chinese celebration
It was a Saturday in Macau so there were a lot of people around. Stores and shops were filled with tourists who wanted to explore the place. It was nice to see so many people. All the shops all had different forms of advertising and sales gimmicks to attract as many customers as they could.
people and shops in Senado square
They also have cookie and beef jerkey shops, all willing to give free samples of their goods. I didn’t mind getting as much as I could. Funny thing when I looked back afterwards; the cookies and the beef jerkies served as my lunch and dinner already that we didn’t bother going to a foodshop or restaurant. That really helped us save on costs.
As for our drinks, ate Eva guided us to the casinos where attendants offered FREE fresh juices (I got some pineapple and orange juices) and bottled water which already served as thrist-quenchers.
free taste!
We dropped by a Cookie shop (forgot the name) wherein Cindy and I bought some giveaways back home in Cebu. It took some time too, because the shops had more samples inside for the type of goodies you want to bring home. I had to sample a lot more delicacies.
Anyway, we kept walking and after some more steps, we saw the popular Ruins of Saint Paul.
Saint Paul Ruins in Macau
One of the rare pictures of us three. haha
The Ruins of St. Paul refer to the façade of what was originally the Cathedral of St. Paul, a 17th century Portuguese cathedral in Macau dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau’s most famous landmarks. In 2005, the Ruins of St. Paul were officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau. (Ruins of St. Paul – Wikipedia)
at the back of the facade
We explored the place and took more pictures. I tell you, this is just one of Macau’s picturesque spots. It was a great view and we were lucky that the weather cooperated by not raining.
inside while exploring
I was so hyped up at the time that I had to do some of my crazy signature shots. However I couldn’t keep a straight stand so I shied away after a few seconds. Besides, people were already watching and taking a picture of me so I stopped making a fool of myself. hehe
Expenses:
205 HKD – Macau cookies (3 boxes)
Check out my other posts on our Macau Side Trip:
- Macau Side Trip: Venetian Hotel, City of Dreams, Grand Lisboa
- Macau Side Trip: Senado Square and Ruins of St. Paul
- Prosperity Tree and Dragon Show at Wynn Hotel
- Macau Side Trip: Macau Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf
- My Bungy Jumping Experience at the Macau Tower
- Thoughts and Tips on My Trip to Macau
Total Expenses:
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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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Very good site. Thanks for sharing. It's very helpful as I am doing a research on what's good to see in Macau — I love both the east and west sides and want to maximize our 4-day trip. And of course, maximize our budget, too…
hi.. do you still have the number of your tourguide? we're leaving next week and im hoping to visit macau on our day1
@phoebe: I’m sorry Phoebe but we lost her number (of all things!) but there are a lot of Pinoys you’ll meet there who do the same as a sideline. good luck! 😀
Hi! How did you went to Senado Square from Grand Liboa? Was there a free shuttle again? Your trip was really awesome, especially Macau with all those free shuttle. hehe
@mel: I actually don’t remember because we went to so many places already! We had a guide which was helpful in directing us where to go so we just relied on her. 😀