Macau: Popular Macau delicacies and top food finds (Macau pasalubong)

While Macau has so many popular delicacies to savor and take back home, there are five food finds which people can't stop raving about. A lot of tourists take them home for pasalubong. Here they are in no particular order:


1. Portuguese egg tarts 葡撻
Portuguese egg tarts are modifications of the Portuguese custard pastry called pastéis de nata. The original Macau version is a creation of Lord Stow's Café 安德魯餅店葡塔 in Coloane Island. The owner, a Briton named Andrew Stow, following the same pastel de nata recipe, baked the egg tarts using techniques in making English custard tarts. The main feature of the egg tart is a caramelized custard with a crème brûlée-like consistency inside a puff pastry case.

Aside from Lord Stow's, another popular source for the Portuguese egg tarts would be Margaret's Cafe e Nata 瑪嘉烈葡塔 which is near the Grand Lisboa. The store was quite hard to find since it's in one of the side streets. Good thing I had a photo of the egg tarts in my phone so I was able to ask locals for directions by showing the photo. When we arrived there, the line was quite long, proof that the egg tarts are much sought after. One piece is HK$/MOP7 while a box of six is HK$/MOP40. We bought two boxes, enough supply until breakfast the next day!

2. Bakkwa (jerky or dried meat) 肉干
Walking towards the Ruins of St. Paul, it's impossible to miss the stalls selling bakkwa. In fact, the vendors will try to grab your attention by talking to you in broken Filipino and offering you a free taste. These sweet or spicy preserved meats are another popular Macau delicacy you might want to take home. Price depends on the type of meat and the flavor.


3. Almond cookies 杏仁餅
Another treat you'll see while walking to the Ruins of St. Paul are almond cookies, which are also referred to as almond cakes or almond biscuits. In fact, don't be surprised if the hawkers start offering a free taste, hoping to get you to buy more.

One of the more popular stores for these yummy cookies is the Pastelaria Koi Kei. I got my box of almond cookies from a neighborhood pastelaria that was off the beaten track, somewhere near Macau's Red Market for HK$/MOP20 a box.

There are variations to the almond cakes including almond cake with yolk 蟹黃肉心杏仁餅, almond cake with sesame and peanut 芝麻花生杏仁餅, and almond cake with almond bits 杏粒杏仁餅.



4. Phoenix rolls 紫菜肉鬆鳯凰卷
Phoenix rolls are something I discovered only on this trip. While at that neighborhood pastelaria near Macau's Red Market, I decided to try everything by buying one piece of each pastry which was displayed in glass jars on the counter. And the phoenix rolls caught my fancy. Phoenix rolls are egg rolls with shredded pork and seaweed.

Phoenix rolls actually fall under the category of egg rolls 蛋餅 which includes the traditional egg roll 傳統蛋捲, and egg rolls with pork floss 肉鬆蛋捲.

5. Crunchy peanut candy 花生糖
Another popular delicacy sold on the way to the Ruins of St. Paul, these crunchy peanut candies are Macau's version of peanut brittle. Hawkers also offer as free taste at their stores.

Which is your favorite Macau delicacy?

Macau: Family travel in Macau plus top activities for children

Because Macau has always been known for its casinos, there's an impression that it's not a destination for children. You'd be surprised though there are a lot of things to do for family travel in Macau. While minors are not allowed on the casino gaming floors, there are a lot of activities for children in Macau's large entertainment complexes and resorts.

Here's a list of suggested activities for family travel in Macau as well as top activities for children when in Macau:


1. Visit the Macao Science Center 澳門科學館
With its state of the art planetarium and five floors containing 14 interactive galleries which kids (and those young at heart) will most definitely enjoy, you may want to add the Macao Science Center to your bucket list. The hands-on exhibits feature children's activities, technology, the environment, lifestyle and sports. The complex was designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei.


Tickets to the Exhibition Center cost MOP/HK$25 for adults and MOP/HK$15 for kids 11 years and below and senior citizens aged 65 and above. Children below 2 years old get in for free. Planetarium tickets cost MOP/HK$35 for ordinary shows and MOP/HK$45 for 3D shows. For kids and seniors, it's MOP/HK$20 and MOP/HK$30 respectively. They're open from Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2. Watch Zaia by Cirque de Soleil at the Venetian Macao
At the Venetian Macao, check out Cirque du Soleil's latest production called Zaia. We were wowed by the acrobatics and special effects of the whole show. And it's worth it if it fits your budget. The 90-minute production has a 75-member cast from around the world, including the Philippines.

Ticket prices range from HK$388 to HK$788 for adults and HK$194 to HK$394 for children. VIP tickets are HK$1288. Here's information for booking online.


3. Ride a gondola or visit Qube at the Venetian Macao
If Venice is elusive, try out the gondola rides at the Venetian Macao. The gondoliers will serenade you as you take a leisurely ride through the shops at the Grand Canal. The ride costs MOP/HK$108 for adults, MOP/HK$80 for kids. Unless there are four of you, you might have to share the gondola with other people unless you pay for the entire ride.

The Venetian Macao also has an innovative play zone called Qube. Open to kids aged 4 to 17, the activity center has a 9,000 square-foot children’s playground with a 6-meter-high multi-climbing facility with a free fall slide, rainbow slides, a V-Net bridge, over and under barriers, zig-zag net climbers among others. Teenagers can get on the computers to access the internet, play video games or shoot some pool.



4. Watch Dragon's Treasure (The Bubble) or visit Kids' City at City of Dreams
The Dragon’s Treasure at The Bubble, a dome-shaped theater and one of the iconic landmarks located in City of Dreams, is a spectacular 10-minute lights and sounds show. It's free of charge but you have to get tickets beforehand to watch the show which is every 30 minutes.

City of Dreams also has a children's activity center called Kids' City. With 10,000 square feet of facilities with climbers and slides, video games, a bouncy tent, a painter’s glass easel and lots more, it is said to be Macau's largest kids' attraction.

Take note though that there's a strict dresscode for kids. Children must wear long sleeve shirts, trousers and socks for protection and remove shoes and other sharp objects such as buckles, pens and badges. Kids' City is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.


5. Visit the various museums of Macau
Macau has a good number of interesting museums which may be of interest to families. We visited four of them while were there. One of those museums is the Grand Prix Museum which showcases the history of the Macau Grand Prix. It also honors Filipino driver Arsenio "Dodjie" Laurel, the first person to win the Macau Grand Prix back-to-back. He died in a car crash while trying to win his third Macau Grand Prix. Entrance to the Grand Prix Museum and the adjacent Wine Museum is free. Both are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

We also got to visit the Macau Museum which features the history and culture of Macau (Praceta do Museu de Macau, No. 112; Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed on Mondays; tickets cost MOP/HK$15, MOP/HK$8 for children aged 5 to 10, students and seniors aged 60 and above; free admission for children under 5 and school visits. Free entry to the public on the 15th of each month) and the Maritime Museum (Largo do Pagode da Barra, 1; Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed on Tuesdays; tickets cost MOP/HK$5 to 10 depending on day, free of charge for kids below 10 and seniors). Here's detailed information on museums in Macau.

6. Spend an afternoon at Macau Fisherman's Wharf 澳門漁人碼頭
Macau Fisherman's Wharf was the first theme park in Macau. Attractions includes East Meets West which has a 40-meter volcano called Vulcania that "erupts" every evening, Inside the volcano is the River of Fire white-water and Dragon Quest rollercoaster rides. Here's more information on Macau Fisherman's Wharf.



7. Visit Wynn Hotel to see the Performance Lake, Tree of Prosperity and Dragon of Fortune
Perfomance Lake is a dancing fountain. While the Tree of Prosperity and Dragon of Fortune are lights and sound shows.


8. Ride up to the top of Macau Tower and bungy jump your way down
Ride the elevator 223 meters up to the observation deck of the Macau Tower for a grand view of Macau. Tickets cost MOP/HK$100 for adults and MOP/HK$50 for kids aged to 11. Kids below 3 years old are free of charge. You can have buffet lunch or dinner at Cafe 360. The cost of the buffet includes entrance to the tower. Lunch buffet is HK$/MOP198 for adults and HK$MOP148 for children. Dinner buffet is HK$/MOP288 and HK$/MOP188 respectively.


For the adventurous families, check out AJ Hacket's SkyJump and Bungy Jump. The Bungy Jump is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world! Tower observation deck admission ticket plus thbe Bungy Jump costs HK$/MOP1,718. If you want to purchase the additional CD + DVD + 2 Photos bundle, the entire package would cost HK$/MOP2,298.


9. See the collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia at the MJ Gallery at Ponte 16
Few people know that a lot of Michael Jackson memorabilia found its way to Macau at the MJ Gallery at Ponte 16. Entrance to the gallery is free.

Significant items in the collection are the white rhinestone glove worn by MJ for his moonwalk debut in 1983 as he performed what was known to be one of recent history’s greatest songs Billie Jean, the Zombie suit worn by MJ for Thriller on MTV, a pair of crystal socks made by Bill Whitten and worn by MJ for his Victory Tour in 1984, the RIAA platinum record award for Bad signed by MJ, bearing his handwritten words "Thanx All My Love, 1998. Michael Jackson," and the We Are The World collection, which includes a signed poster by MJ and other musicians, and the 3x Platinum RIAA Award for the LP among many others.


10. Walk around the Historic Centre of Macao
There's so much to see and do in the old center of Macau. Experience the sights, sounds, scents and flavors of old Macau by walking around its historic center.

Hong Kong: Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮

I've been fascinated by the Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮 ever since my first visit to Hong Kong in 1991. It was one of the festivals Hong Kong promoted in their brochures which I read intently after that trip. But I was too young to explore on my own then. Plus I had to coincide a trip with the festival if I wanted to see it since it happens only once a year, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

So it was a pleasant surprise, after gathering brochures at the HK airport upon our arrival last week, that the Cheung Chau Bun Festival was the next day! There was another festival parade in the morning celebrating the Birthday of Tam Kung 譚公誕. The parade in Cheung Chau was right after lunch so I decided to visit both.


After Shau Kei Wan, I rushed over to Central to catch the ferry to Cheung Chau from Central Pier 5. The ferry terminals are quite a walk from the MTR station. Anyway, when I got there, I was shocked to see literally thousands of people in line.

What the heck! I was already there. And I didn't know when I would have the chance to visit again on the festival day. So I joined the line which was moving inch by inch. It was a mad rush of visitors to Cheung Chau! That's why the tourist information desk advised me to be in Cheung Chau before 11 a.m.

The fast craft takes about 30 minutes and costs HK$32.20 on public holidays. When I arrived in Cheung Chau, the parade-in-the-air was making its way down the main road. But with so many people, it was really difficult to navigate the parade route or even take decent photos for that matter.

It is said that the festival traces its origins to a plague on the island hundreds of years ago. The villagers of Cheung Chau disguised themselves as deities to scare away the evil spirits responsible for the plague.



Aside from the staple lion dances and dragon dances we see in many Chinese celebrations, this parade is called parade-in-the-air because of the heavily made up children dressed as mythological figures and modern Chinese heroes who are suspended above the crowd on the tips of swords, paper fans and other items. It's actually an illusion because the children are secured by steel frames, an intricate system of rod and wires underneath their clothing, making it appear that they are gliding through the air. It is said that parents consider it a great honor for their kids to be part of the parade.


Kung fu club members, Taoist priests in traditional attire and ensembles with gongs, drums and other musical instruments join the parade that makes its way around the narrow streets of the island.

Of course, my visit would not be complete if I did not see the bun towers. So I walked towards the Pak Tai Temple where the bun mountains or bun towers were located. There are three giant 60-feet bamboo towers covered with buns. One of the events of the festival is the bun-snatching race at midnight. Young men would race up the towers and get as many buns as they could. The higher the buns, the better fortune for the participant's family.


After an accident in 1978 where one of the bun towers collapsed, the government stopped the bun-snatching tradition. It was reintroduced in 2005 with safety measures put into place including a separate steel bun mountain structure and mountain-climbing equipment for the 12 well-trained athletes selected for the activity.

Anyway, I didn't stay too long since I knew that the crowd would all rush back to Central after the parade. So I wiggled my way back to the ferry terminal. I was in line for quite a while. As I boarded the ferry, I could see the line outside the building stretch back really far. Thank God I decided to leave early or I would have missed catching up with my family in Hong Kong Disneyland.

If you do plan to visit the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, here are some tips:
1. With the mammoth crowd that visits Cheung Chau during the festival, it's best to join a guided tour since they take the group on a private boat (so no lines at the ferry terminal) and you get to watch the parade at the official grandstand. Contact the Hong Kong Tourism Board to inquire about the tours. It's not cheap at HK$640 (2010 tour fee). But you basically pay for comfort and convenience.
2. If you want to explore on your own and have time and funds to spare, then book a stay for a night or two in Cheung Chau. At least you also get to witness the bun-snatching competition at midnight and don't join the crowds on the ferry.
3. But if you're on a tight budget or schedule, just make sure you're in Cheung Chau as early as possible (before lunch) to avoid the crowds. It's a good thing the Hong Kong Tourism Board prepares a Hong Kong Cultural Celebrations Activities Guide which lists down the schedule of events and activities of the various festivals held in May.

Hong Kong: Birthday of Tam Kung Festival 譚公誕 at Shau Kei Wan

Speaking of festivals, I was lucky that three major Hong Kong festivals coincided with our trip. The Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮, Birthday of Lord Buddha 佛誕, and the Birthday of Tam Kung 譚公誕 all fall on the same day, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which was May 21 this year. I was able to visit two of them.

While my family was making their way to Hong Kong Disneyland, I took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan, where the Tam Kung Temple is located, to watch the procession that celebrates the Birthday of Tam Kung 譚公誕.



Tam Kung is a very respected deity among the fishermen and boat people of Hong Kong. He is associated with safety at sea. He was said to have blessed seafarers during the Yuan Dynasty and was known for his weather forecasting and curing diseases.



The procession to the temple, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, includes people dressed as gods in Chinese fairy tales, drums and gongs, lion, unicorn and dragon dances, food offerings and fa pau (or paper floral shrines).

Macau: A-Ma Festival and Chinese opera at A-Ma Temple 媽閣廟

The A-Ma Festival was celebrated this year on May 6, the day we arrived in Macau. It falls on the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar calendar. We may have missed the festival day itself. But the festivities continued until May 8.


According to historical accounts, the A-Ma Temple 媽閣廟 (Temple of Barra) was said to be the point where Portuguese sailors first landed in Macau, thus starting centuries of cultural and economic exchange between China and Europe. The temple is among the historical structures inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historical Centre of Macao.

It is also said that the name Macau come from A-Ma Gau which means Bay of A-Ma. The main prayer hall is dedicated to the Tin Hau 天后 goddess or Matsu 媽祖, the patroness of seafarers and fishermen, a Taoist deity which the locals refer to as A-Ma. But the temple has shrines to other deities from Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism which is an exemplary representation of Chinese popular religion which integrates all three.



As part of the A-Ma Festival, there were five days of Chinese opera (May 4 to 8) in a specially-constructed bamboo shed. We were lucky to be given access to the dressing room behind the stage where the actors were silently preparing and practicing their lines. The group performing came all the way from Guandong Province. We stayed for a while to catch parts of the performance, but not too long since it was hot and humid plus we had a schedule to follow.


Outside the temple, in Barra Square, a lion dance performance was taking place which happens every Saturday afternoon of May, organized by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO). The next morning, when we returned to the A-Ma Temple, we caught the Portuguese dance performance in Barra Square at noon, also organized by the MGTO for all the Sundays of May.