Day 2 - 27th February - Coloane (Part 4)
I then visited the Tin Hau temple.
It dates from 1677, so it's the oldest on the island.
Temple Courtyard
Temple Entrance. The male lion has "a ball under his paw that symbolizes the world" and the female, "a baby lion".
Ball in the mouth of one of the stone lions.
Lintel framing altar
Landscape painting
One of the altars
Chanting. It didn't sound like Cantonese; perhaps it was Teochew.
Another altar
Junk Model
Wall decor
I like their high-tech calendar
I was tempted to buy one of these outfits, but the artistry left much to be desired.
Temple exterior
I then left the compound and passed a very modern playground (with a mixed couple, yay):
You have to be a cockanaden to hit your head on this.
I then visited the last temple of the day, the Tam Kong temple.
Tam Kong temple, 1862.
These two faced each other, and you would walk between them as you walked into the temple. I assume the juxtaposition of Tiger and Dragon had some significance.
Altar
Books. I like "地獄遊記" ("Travel Diary of Hell")
My notes say that "this [the picture taken with my flash] is 100 years old and brings luck (if I understood correctly)". I think one of the old women at the temple told me this. I wonder if my Mandarin is better than their English.
Outside the temple
According to strolling in Macau, "For many years the Tam Kong Temple housed a four-foot-long (1.2m) dragon boat replica carved from a whalebone. The boat came complete with a little wooden crew in lucky red outfits, and had been presented to the temple by grateful local fishermen wishing to honor Tam Kong. This unusual feature of the temple can now be seen at the Macau Museum"
Presumably this is a replica of the replica.
I was amused that the temple sold this (you throw it on the ground and it makes a "pop" noise). Anything to pay the bills? Or something to amuse the kids while the adults set off the real thing:
The Mother of all Firecracker Bundles
The heat, humidity and there being nothing in particular to see was lulling me once again into torpor, sitting on a bench outside Tam Kong temple, and I could've stoned the whole afternoon away. So I welcomed the sight (and more importantly, sound) of:
Happy locals setting off firecrackers
While I was there, 4 rounds of explosions were set off. I captured the most spectacular on film:
Firecrackers - this sure beats Chingay
The noise echoed not just on buildings but also on the sides of the mountains in China across the bay for extra fun.
I then made my way back to the bus stop.
Chapel of Francis Xavier
Bombed out shell of a room I passed by. I like the Palm Sofa.
Even at 4pm, Lord Stow's Cafe was full, though I seemed to be the only one on the wait list.
Lord Stow's Cafe
"Our items are handmade without the use of pre-mixes and avoid chemical additives and preservatives so common in other bakeries"
Read: you can't dapao (takeaway). Where food that I take home is concerned, I like preservatives. Preservatives are good. Preservatives stop us getting food poisoning (pre-mixes are another story).
"Croissant" in Chinese is "牛角包" ("Cow's Horn Bun")
I ordered a Serradura. The guy was surprised when I ordered no egg tarts. But then, I'd already had two of theirs earlier (and 2 for breakfast).
Serradura. It was like very sweet cream.
I dapaoed one egg tart anyway, but was hit by the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.
Entrance to A-Ma Cultural Village
I'd passed another place further on (which I didn't get pictures of). It looked like it had been designed by the same guy who built Haw Par Villa, and there were laughable animal statues inside.
Sand and gravel sorting machines
This time of year was supposed to be the coldest: 13 to 17 degrees. Yet, the forecast showed 18 to 24 degrees, and it felt like the mid 20s.