Unseen Macau

While museum hopping in the fascinating island destination of Macau,Susheela Nair realises that there’s more to the place than just tourist hotspots and casinos.

As I looked out of the hotel window in Sands Cotai Central, high rises and glitzy hotels loomed into view. Most of them are with casinos that lure lakhs from South East Asia, especially from mainland China, daily. During my last visit to Macau, I ventured beyond the regular tourist itinerary and found that there’s so much to unravel in this tiny island. However, it’s hard to resist the seduction of Dame Fortune in Macau. So when I had my fill of roulette and razzmatazz, the clatter of slot machines and the sounds of tinkling cash, I embarked on a museum hopping spree.

My first stop was the Michael Jackson Gallery, an offbeat place in the Sofitel Hotel. I found more than 40 memorabilia of MJ, including autographed posters, disc awards and stage costumes collected by the owner of the hotel at auctions. I gaped in wonder at Michael Jackson’s trademark glittering white rhinestone glove, and a pair of socks covered with hand-sewn Swarovski lochrosen and square crystals. I had a peek of the replica of the wolf mask and the tattered shirt worn by him in Thriller music video, and other items on display. It was a delight strolling down the Time Tunnel that depicts MJ’s epic music career of his lifetime. I wished I could rock like MJ on the illuminated steps in the Billie Jeans section of MJ Gallery. I completed my tour of the gallery by stopping by at the gift shop for some exquisite MJ souvenirs.

From there, my guide shepherded me to the trendy Hard Rock Hotel designed with the spirit of the rock ‘n’ roll in mind, complete with an eclectic collection of Hard Rock Memorabilia of idols like Michael Jackson, Jacky Cheung, Madonna, Elton John, etc. The Rock Shop features Hard Rock’s limited-edition merchandise.

Macau’s museums range from the Maritime Museum to a Vintage Sound Machines Museum. At the prominent Macau Museum, a historical and cultural museum housed in the Monte Fort, I had an insight into the world of entertainment, religious ceremonies and traditional festivals apart from the several objects of historical value, which demonstrated the way of life and cultures of the various communities who have inhabited the city for ages.

Impressive range

But what caught my fancy was the Wine Museum devoted to wine, providing all the dope on winemaking, from the growing of grapes to bottling. At the entrance of this museum, I spotted a set of mannequins sporting various Portuguese costumes. I marvelled at the 1,143 different wine brands on display, the oldest dating back to 1815. The museum is divided into three areas. The section on Historical Information depicts the winemaking process across the world. But what impressed me was the Cellar section with its display of barrels and presses used in wine production. The climax of the tour is wine tasting. Tourists make a beeline to have a sip of the exclusive Port wines.

The Grand Prix Museum is just a hop, skip and jump from the Wine Museum. It houses a collection of magnificent racing cars and flashy motorbikes that raced and won the Guia circuit. Apart from these, there are trophies, photos, literature and other memorabilia to document the colourful history of Grand Prix in Macau. I tried the large Grand Prix simulator and felt the adrenaline rush of racing on the challenging tracks at an extremely high speed. Prominent among the exhibits is Michael Schumacher’s Formula 3 race car.
Equally interesting is the Guia circuit model displaying the challenging tracks with long straights and sharp bends around the streets of the city.

I culminated my museum hopping sojourn with a visit to the unusual museum, formed by five lime-green villas in Taipa village. Known as the Macanese House, House of the Islands, House of the Portugal Region, Exhibition Gallery and the House for Reception, these Houses offer snapshots of life here in the early 20th century.

I wished I had the time to visit the other museums. But being a foodie, I explored the lively street food scene for dim sums, Macau’s famed egg tarts (soft caramelised egg custard filled in crisp puff pastry case), coconut cakes, husbands’ cakes and wifes’ cakes.
For a true Italian splurge, I headed to Bene at the newly launched Sheraton and savoured the potato and fresh prosciutto pizza and the wood fired oven roasted figs with gorgonzola sauce. Seafood connoisseurs can rejoice over favourites like the seared Hokkaido sea scallops with crushed potato, green asparagus and black truffle dressing and also the chilled seafood platter. At the stylish new eatery, Xin in Sheraton, one can relish extensive a la carte menu showcasing global culinary influences.

I also headed to the eponymous eatery of Antonio Coelho in Taipa village where I had a delightful Portuguese gastronomic experience. Chef Antonio rustled up a tantalising array of scrumptious signature dishes like homemade spicy sausages, Portuguese duck rice, goat’s cheese gratin with honey and olive oil and charcoal grilled Bacalhau (codfish) with potatoes.  I relished the African chicken with garlic, onions, chilly, ginger and coconut sauce. To round off, Antonio served us crepe suzette — lovely pancakes with a hot sauce of caramelised sugar, orange juice and Grand Marnier, which he flambéed at the table. It was a treat watching him knock the cork out of the wine bottle with a sword in front of the guests, a perfect finale to a lovely evening.