Tuesday 19 June 2012

Travelogue: Trip to Macau Part 2

Just east of the Ruins of St Paul's, is the Mount Fortress or Monte Fort. You will noticed that all the tourists are congregating at the Ruins, taking tons of photos, but at path that leads up to the Mount Fortress which and to the Museum of Macau, it is very quiet. Most tourists especially on group troups will not get the chance to visit both these attractions, which is a great pity as from the Fortress, one will find excellent views across Macau. 

Views over Macau on the way up to Monte Fort


The fort was built in 1616 and commands a great view over Macau due to it's purpose as a defensive position. Along on the site, stands the Museum of Macau, detailing the history and customs of Macau.

Lovely courtyard at the fortress
Another view of the city

Next we headed to the Museum of Macau which is the largest museum here. It costs only 18 patacas to enter and you have more than 2,100 sq meter (about 22,604 square feet) of exhibition area and more than 3,000 exhibits and historical relics to see.

View of Museum

The museum is divided in three floors: 1st floor chronicles the 'Golden Period' of Macau from the Neolithic period to mid 17th Century, 2nd floor displays Macau's rich and unique cultural aspects and the third floor showcases contemporary Macau with a panorama of the modern day in the city.

Great exhibit showing the silk road
Diorama showing Macau in the olden days

The exhibits in the museum were great. They had loads of well-made dioramas depicting all aspects of life in Macau. What was great also was that they allow you to take photos (just no flash photography) in the museum.

Whole floor modelled after a typical street in Macau
Diorama showing streets of Macau
Diorama showing typical chinese village
Plastic display of typical food of Macau
Lifesize display of a typical front room in a chinese household
Diorama showing a typical chinese wedding procession
Diorama showing military procession
Diorama showing St Dominic's Church

We had a brilliant time in the museum, spending almost close to 2 hours going through all the exhibits in there. Audio guides are also available for you if you wanted more details of each of the exhibit. 

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