It was not as cold as I expected Macau would be. It was late November and while the air had a certain nip to it, I really didn’t have to bother with a jacket. Garbed in my usual black shirt and gray trek pants, we scoured the alleyways of the city. For what? We didn’t know either.

MORNING WALK ALONG THE STREETS OF MACAU

While we’ve had our share of Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage Site and Rua da Felicidade during our trip, we wanted more. We wanted to see what other parts of the city looked like, however mundane they turn out to be. What we wanted was to see Macau as the locals see them.

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Crossing the busy Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro from the Senado Square, dodging buses and busy pedestrians, we rounded a corner and found ourselves on an empty street paved with a series of long rectangular blocks of concrete. The road slopes upward, and on both of its sides were rows of two-storey houses painted in whites with striking red doors and carved window shutters.

THE STREET OF HAPPINESS, INDEED

Rua da Felicidade, a street-sign embedded on one of the houses’ walls announced. We’ve gotten used to the looks of Macau’s side-streets during the past days we’ve been walking about, but this one definitely looked far too different from the numerous alleys our feet have treaded on so far. In fact, it actually reminded me somehow of our very own Vigan City.

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Lights glittered at the gates leading to the Sai Van Lake Square as the iconic Macau Tower loomed overhead. We just came from the City of Dreams, reserving our tickets for the next day’s showing of the House of Dancing Water. With no meals yet, except those we had when we crossed Hong Kong to Macau via TurboJET, we decided to drop by at the Macau Food Festival where a feast undoubtedly awaited us.

THE MACAU TOWER, ON OUR WAY TO THE CITY OF DREAMS AND DURING THE FOOD FESTIVAL

We actually have no idea about the event until the concierge from Metropole Hotel told us about it as we were about to leave. Don’t forget to drop by the food festival, he said. What food festival? We stopped on our tracks and asked a few more questions before walking out to the nearby stop where our free bus ride to the City of Dreams awaited.

Bleary-eyed and endlessly yawning, we lumbered like zombies and climbed the steps to the famous Ruins of St. Paul, or what remains of its hollow façade. What was usually a place for crowds of cellphone and camera-toting selfie-addicts was now totally deserted. Which was not surprising, the sun had just risen and most tourists were still happily sleeping on their comfy hotel beds. We own the morning--heck, we woke up at the ungodly hour of six in the morning just to have this place all to our own.

MACAU WORLD HERITAGE TOUR WHAT’S INSIDE? • Senado Square, Leal Senado, Holy House Of Mercy • St. Dominic Church & Square, Kuan Tai Temple • Ruins Of St. Paul's, Company Of Jesus Square, Na Tcha Temple • Fortaleza Do Monte, Guia Chapel & Lighthouse

THE SELFIE CAPITAL OF MACAU

Macau held no magic for me until I actually set foot on it and started exploring its alleys. What I thought to be a place of casinos turned out to be, surprisingly, one steeped in history and culture. I knew it has St. Paul’s Ruins, a popular Macanese icon, but I thought it is all it ever has. Boy, was I wrong.

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A pirate ship rose from the stage—a stage made of water—and clinging like spiders from its masts, pirates, diving with abandon several meters from the surface. My jaw dropped in sync with their every jump. I haven’t seen a theatrical show anything remotely like this. It was marvelous. It was astounding. It was (insert more superfluous adjectives).

THE FISHERMAN AMIDST A MAGICAL BACKDROP

Initially, I wasn’t really that keen on watching The House of Dancing Water. Although I’ve seen a couple of grand theatrical productions before, like Thailand’s highly-acclaimed Siam Niramit, and heck, even enjoyed it, I was more drawn to exploring Macau’s side-streets than attending a stage show.

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