Turtle Temple and Ah-Ma Statue

On the island of Coloane you can hike up (or ride a bus) to the top of a large hill where you can find two places of interest. The first is the Turtle Temple (not sure if this is correct but that is what we call it). The second is the Ah-Ma statue which was carved to commemorate the handover of Macau from Portugal to China. Emily and her father hiked to the top one day and then the four of us took the bus to the top on the second trip. From the Turtle Temple it is a short walk up to the very top where the Ah-Ma statue is found. Great views of Macau and the South China Sea can be had from the top.

Cheoc Van Beach & Pool

Cheoc Van Beach and the public swimming pool that is located there has become one of our favorites spots in Macau. The beach is located on Coloane Island and it is a 15-minute bus ride from where we live. Coloane is very unpopulated which makes it a great place to go to get away from the noise and the many people one would find in Taipa or Macau. After swimming, the girls usually do some beach combing (they have a large collection of shells) and then we will have a bite to eat at a local restaurant overlooking the water.

The Tooth Fairy Visits ... Again

Emily lost another tooth last weekend; this was the third tooth since arriving in Macau. She has only four front teeth now; good thing she eats a lot of rice and noodles! The tooth fairy has been very kind though; the last tooth was worth 20 patacas! Emily used some of this money to buy a smoothie at lunch time.

Macau Tower

A few weeks ago, we all took a trip to the Macau Tower. It is the 10th tallest tower in the world and it offers great views of Macau, Taipa (where we live), and of mainland China. There are indoor and outdoor observation decks from which to gaze out from and on the outdoor observation deck you can bungy jump or go for a sky walk down to the ground. If you really like heights you can also pay to do a "mast climb". This entails climbing from the outdoor observation deck up the mast (needle) to the very top of the tower almost 400m above the ground.