Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [251]
If none of this takes your fancy, you might be interested in the activities of the New Zealand–based extreme-sports company AJ Hackett ( 8988 8656), which organises all kinds of adventure climbs up and around the tower.
The intrepid will go for the Mast Climb (MOP$1688), in which you go up and down the mast’s 100m of vertical ladders to the top in two hours. Skywalk X (MOP$588) is a rail-less walk around the outerrim, some 233m high, on the 61st floor. Bungy (MOP$1488) is the world’s highest free fall, from a 233m-high platform. Sky Jump (MOP$888) or Tandem Sky Jump (MOP$1688 per two people) are slower versions of Bungy.
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Northern Macau Peninsula
This area encompasses everything northwards from the Luís de Camões Garden in the west and Guia Fort in the east to the border with the mainland in the northern part of Macau. It’s a mix of industrial areas and densely populated residential buildings, dotted with a few historic sites and splendid gardens. Tourists are scant and wandering around the sites is pleasant.
GUIA FORT Map
Colina da Guia
This fortress atop the highest point on the peninsula was built in 1638 to defend the border with China. Storm warnings were sounded from the bell in the Chapel of Our Lady of Guia (Capela de Nostra Señora da Guia; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), built in 1622. The walls of the little church have interesting frescoes discovered recently, and there’s a colourful choir loft above the main entrance. On the floor below is a tombstone with the inscription (in Latin): ‘Here lies at this gate the remains of a Christian, by accident, for his body does not deserve such an honourable sepulchre’’. It’s believed the deceased was buried here in 1687. The 15m-tall Guia Lighthouse (Farol da Guia; 1865) is the oldest lighthouse on the China coast. It’s open on 18 May annually. On clear days you can see Lantau Island from the fort, but the new skyscrapers in NAPE now block some of the views.
The 52m-long Guia Hill Air Raid Shelter (Abrigos Antiaéreos da Colina a Guia; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), an old military installation, was constructed in 1931 and was off-limits until 1962. Photos of the history of the shelter and an electricity generator used during WWII are on display.
The easiest way to reach the top of Guia Hill is to hop on the little Guia Cable Car (Tele-férico da Guia; one way/return MOP$2/3) that runs from 8am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday from just outside the entrance of the attractive Flora Garden (Rua do Túnel; 6am-7pm), off Avenida de Sidónio Pais.
OLD PROTESTANT CEMETERY Map
15 Praça de Luís de Camões; 8.30am-5.30pm
Some of the better-known early Anglophone residents of Macau are interred here, like George Chinnery (see the boxed text) and Robert Morrison (1782–1834), the first Protestant missionary to China and author of the first Chinese-English dictionary.
As church law forbade the burial of non-Catholics on hallowed ground, there was nowhere to inter Protestants who died here. Finally the governor allowed the British East India Company to establish the cemetery in 1821. A number of old graves were then transferred to the cemetery, which explains the earlier dates on some of the tombstones.
CASA GARDEN Map
13 Praça de Luís de Camões; 8A, 12, 26
Quietly sitting east of the Luís de Camões Garden is this beautiful colonial villa, once the headquarters of the British East India Company when it was based in Macau in the early 19th century. Today the villa houses the Oriental Foundation (Fundação Oriente; 2855 4699; www.foriente.pt), an organisation that promotes Portuguese culture worldwide, and an exhibition gallery ( 8398 1126; admission free; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm daily during special exhibitions), which houses exhibits of Chinese antiques, porcelain and contemporary art.
CEMETERY OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL Map
Cemitério de São Miguel Arcanjo; 2A Estrada do Cemitério; 8am-6pm
This cemetery, northeast of Monte Fort, contains tombs and sepulchres that can only be described as baroque ecclesiastical works of art. Near the main entrance is