there are a lot of things to do in this little city called macau even if you don’t have a lot of money to burn. and trust me, next to our souls, we had nothing else to burn. so rather than trade the only precious thing we have left to the devil of macau himself, we took advantage of all the sights that we could take in for free.

like this tiny park in largo da se (cathedral square). i know, i know, it looks boring. i wasn’t exactly awed by it. but look, guys! a fountain! wow! see how the water flows! okay, who am i kidding? i was bored, all right.

when we got there, i was like, “okay, nothing much to see here. let’s go. but can you take a picture of me first?” (because i’m the kind of idiot who’d want my picture taken even in the most boring of places and still end up looking like i had the most wonderful time of my life. yes, i’m special like that. =p)

there’s this alley just before that park i mentioned where you can see these really cool tile paintings in blue. very chinese-y. it’s the kind of decoration you’d usually see on chinese vases or tea sets or whatever. very artistic. i think the water from that fountain is potable but don’t quote me on that.

you can also visit casa de lou kau (lou kau mansion), which is this chinese house owned by this rich chinese guy named lou cheoc chi whose wealth multiplied a thousandfold by operating gambling facilities in macau. he wasn’t born rich, though. so this is another one of those rags to riches story.

the house is predominantly chinese (but of course!) with a chinese vibe through and through. you can also tell it’s the kind of house only the wealthy could afford because of all those intricate window designs and the carvings on the floor and on the wall.

my sister and i had fun taking pictures of each other inside that house. too bad for her i’m not a very good photographer so her photos either came out blurry or just plain unacceptable according to her almost-professional standards.

as for me, i don’t really care. as long as i look decent enough, it’ll do. otherwise, she’d have to take my picture again and again and again until i give up and accept the fact that i’d never be pretty enough OR she gives up, whichever comes first. hehe.

if parks are your thing, there’s this park near the ruins that’s also a nice place to pass the time.

just prepare your calf muscles for the stair-climbing, though, because you’re going to do a lot of that to get to the upper area with a better view of the city.

but the best view that really captured my attention? this. because i’m a sucker for trees and i loved how the silhouette of the branches created such captivating foreground with the ruins as the background. pictures like this really have the potential to make me go “awww…” i love this photo. i really do. =)