Elite Traveler January-February 2016

INSPIRE MACAU

Most visitors don’t come for the colonial civic architecture, baroque churches and military fortifications, which is a shame. They are certainly worth a glance as they provide the skeleton key that picks the lock of Macau’s opulent history

Opposite: Thrill seekers preparing to leap from the Macau Tower

silk. To ensure their safe passage, the colonial Portuguese landlords bankrolled the building of one of the most important free ports of the Orient in order to resist opposition from the Chinese, Spanish and Dutch. This is why Macau became, essentially, a fortress. But even this is only part of the story because, for every reminder of its colonial past, there is a deeper level of Macau’s history. And, as I light incense in one of the many Taoist and Buddhist temples, I can feel the roots of a deeper and more tranquil era of history that goes beyond the fast, furious and – as Hom put it, “crazy” world of glamour and wealth.

At first glance, the city’s tallest building bears more than a passing resemblance to Auckland’s Sky Tower. Not a coincidence: when Macau’s richest man, casino billionaire Stanley Ho, first saw New Zealand’s highest edifice, he wanted one to grace his hometown’s skyline. Ho commissioned the Tower, which was to be, naturally, 33ft taller than the antipodean original. It was completed at the end of 2001. Even if you don't have the stomach for throwing yourself off, it's worth taking a trip to the tower for the views alone. The observation deck is often above the clouds but on a clear day you can see for 40 miles – as far as Hong Kong itself

Back on terra firma, my final stop is to take stock of Macau’s history. Most visitors don’t come for the colonial civic architecture, baroque churches and military fortifications, which is a shame. They are certainly worth a glance as even to the most casual observer, they provide the skeleton key that picks the lock of Macau’s opulent history. It is also clear from these buildings that – even before gambling became the town’s economic powerhouse – wealth, luxury and good old-fashioned cash were the building blocks of the island. In those days, traders on the old Silk Road were more concerned with silver, indigo, spice, incense and, of course,

and deep into mainland China on the other side of the Pearl River Delta. Sections of the platform’s floor are fitted with reinforced glass to allow a vertiginous view straight down, which is not for the faint-hearted. But, undeterred, there is a queue of adrenaline junkies waiting to throw themselves off in a five-second, free-fall bungee jump that will propel them towards ground at roughly 160mph. If that’s not enough, you can climb to the summit, a further 330ft up vertical ladders. The round trip takes about three hours and only a brave few attempt it. I change my mind and decide I’m not going to be one of them…