Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [275]
Public buses and minibuses run by TCM ( 2885 0060) and Transmac ( 2877 1122) operate on 40 routes from 6.45am till shortly after midnight. Fares – MOP$3.20 on the peninsula, MOP$4.20 to Taipa Village, MOP$5 to Coloane Village and MOP$6.40 to Hác Sá beach – are dropped into a box upon entry (exact change needed), or you can pay with a Macau Pass, which can be purchased in numerous supermarkets and all Circle K convenience stores. There’s a refundable deposit of MOP$30. A minimum of MOP$50 is required to add money to the card each time.
The Macau Tourist Map (opposite) has a full list of both bus companies’ routes, or you can check the routes online (www.i-busnet.com/macau/). The two most useful buses on the peninsula are buses 3 and 3A, which run between the ferry terminal and the city centre, near the post office. Both continue up to the border crossing with the mainland, as does bus 5, which can be boarded along Avenida Almeida Ribeiro. Bus 12 runs from the ferry terminal, past the Lisboa Hotel and then up to Lou Lim Ioc Garden and Kun Iam Temple.
The best services to Taipa and Coloane are buses 21, 21A, 25 and 26A. Bus 22 goes to Taipa, terminating at the Macau Jockey Club. Buses to the airport are AP1, 26, MT1 and MT2.
Macau is suffering from a severe shortage of drivers, so you may have to wait at least 20 minutes for a bus. Expect buses to be very crowded. Hopping aboard the free casino shuttles ( Click here ) to some of the sights is a viable alternative. The shuttles depart from both the ferry terminal and Portas do Cerco every 10 minutes between 9.30am and midnight. Originally they were designed to bring Hong Kong and mainland gamblers to spend money, but in reality nobody checks whether you go gambling or not, and now Macau citizens use them regularly instead of waiting for the never-coming buses. Bear in mind that all passengers must be over 18 years of age.
Taxi
Flag fall is MOP$13 for the first 1.6km and MOP$1.50 for each additional 230m. There is a MOP$5 surcharge to go to Coloane; travelling between Taipa and Coloane is MOP$2 extra. Journeys starting from the airport incur an extra charge of MOP$5. A taxi from the airport to the town centre should cost about MOP$80. Large bags cost an extra MOP$3. For yellow radio taxis call 2851 9519 or 2893 9939.
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DIRECTORY
Much of the advice given for Hong Kong applies to Macau as well. If you find any sections missing here, refer to those in the Hong Kong Directory chapter (Click here ).
Books
Macau: The Imaginary City: Culture and Society, 1577 to Present, by Jonathan Porter, provides a vivid account of Macau’s history. Novels set in Macau are rare, but Austin Coates’ City of Broken Promises, a fictionalised account of 18th-century Macanese trader Martha Merop (see Museum of the Holy House of Mercy, Click here ), is a classic. Lights and Shadows of a Macao Life: the Journal of Harriett Low, Travelling Spinster,by Harriett Low Hillard, is an American woman’s account of Macau from 1829 to 1834. For short stories, you won’t do better than Visions of China: Stories from Macau, edited by David Brookshaw, which includes works by writers with strong Macau connections, including Henrique de Senna Fernandes. If you want to learn more about Macau’s distinctive hybrid cuisine, try Annabel Jackson’s Taste of Macau: Portuguese Cuisine on the China Coast.
These books can be found at Livararia Portuguesa ( Map; 2856 6442; 18-20 Rua de São Domingos; 11am-7pm Mon-Sat) and Bloom ( Map; 2892 0121; 8 Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro; 2-7pm Sat & Sun).
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BUSINESS HOURS
Most government offices are open from 9am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm (or 5.45pm) on weekdays. Banks normally open from 9am to 5pm weekdays and to 1pm on Saturday.
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CLIMATE
Macau’s climate is similar to Hong Kong’s (Click here ), with one major difference: there is a delightfully cool sea breeze on warm summer evenings along the waterfront.
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CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
Customs formalities