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HAVING
always associated
Macau with the
business that had propped up its economy for the longest
time, I never thought a quick weekend trip to the former
Portuguese territory would open up new worlds instead:
and more important, would “heal” me of my worst fear,
that of falling off a building.
Call it
the “Peer Factor,” but 40 minutes of cajoling by friends
who insisted I do the Skywalk from the iconic symbol of
modern Macau, the Macau Tower, provoked my journalistic
side to ask, “why ever not?” That, even though I did not
bring a tablet of Serc, the anti-vertigo tablet that a
doctor once advised me to take 30 minutes before I rode,
like some urban cowboy, on a Toyota cruiser in a
bruising Desert Safari in Dubai. I did the desert
safari thing in late 2002, on invitation of the Emirates
Airline people, mainly to “cure” myself of the
off-and-on swooning feeling that I experienced since
becoming a victim of the 1990 killer earthquake, which
changed my view of life forever. As an employee at the
office of Sen. Alberto Romulo, I nearly fell from the
ninth floor of the subsequently condemned Veterans Bank
Building in Port Area when the floor-to-ceiling glass
windows behind me were shattered, and a heavy, antique
desk pinned me against the window frame. Only the
Venetian blinds that got jammed in that death hole and
the tenacity of coworker Jo Anonas, who refused to let
go of my hand, saved me from being thumped out of the
building. I was spared, but for many years afterward,
any sudden motion would make me shake in fear, and it
was five years before I would look out of any glass
window in a high rise.
Yet on
that Saturday afternoon there I was, not just looking
out of a window from some high rise, but stepping out of
a glass door with the words “World’s Highest” (meaning,
the highest site for bungee jumping; Macau Tower’s
Hackett Point features bungee, skywalk and sky jump) and
then walking on a metal ring girding the tower, 61
stories from the ground.
On the
1-meter-wide steel ledge, I joined six others, including
my husband and fellow journalist Butch Fernandez, two
other journalists (ABS-CBN’s Anthony Taberna and Allan
Encarnacion), and friends Arlene de Guzman of Jimei
Group of Companies and Peter Sing.
After
signing a waiver, we donned the orange suits on which
would be hooked our only lifeline—the harness dangling
from a metal roller atop our heads. We were told to
avoid looking down often to avoid getting dizzy, but
“just enjoy the view outward and embrace the wind.”
They
said “no horsing around,’ but it was the young, intrepid
official photographer who encouraged us to do a few
stunts for “good photos,” like raising my leg while
standing quite near the edge of the steel ring.
Forty
minutes later, and The Intrepid was enthusiastically
congratulating us in her broken English.
We got
the certificate and the CD proving we did the Skywalk,
and bought the t-shirt with the bragging rights. But I
was beyond bragging. I did it for faith—putting my life
in God’s hands, as I did 17 years ago when I thought my
life would end by falling from the ninth floor. I meant
to confront the enemy that had hounded me since then:
myself, my own worst fear.
Seeing
as how exhilarated we looked, a Caucasian instructor
kept bugging me to do the bungee jumping afterward. Next
time, I joked. One enemy at a time.
(5)
the ruins of Saint Paul Cathedral, the most famous
tourist symbol of Macau. Besides the
Tower, Macau has other interesting sights for the tourist
in a hurry: (7) the old city near Saint Paul has an array
of quaint shops selling everything from antique furniture,
to sweet meats, to egg tarts and cell phones; (9) the
Lotus Flower in Full Bloom at the main tourist square;
(10) the bridge at the Pearl River, looking like candles
on water at night; and (8) Stanley Ho’s colorful Lisboa
hotel-casino.
*****
The Macau Tower
THE
Macau Tower, also known as the Macau Tower Convention
and
Entertainment
Center, has an interesting story. It is said that
Stanley Ho was so impressed with the Sky Tower in
Auckland that he commissioned a New Zealand company to
build a similar one in Macau. Work began in 1998, and
ended in 2001.
It
became truly popular, thanks to television (AXN’s
Extreme and similar shows featuring daring stunts)
because AJ Hackett, the man billed as one “who brought
bungee jumping to the world” (or invented commercial
bungee jumping, operating 10 sites around the world) set
up business there.
But
Macau authorities want the center to have a key role in
present efforts to boost Macau’s image as not only a
gambling haven but also as a tourism and convention
center. And of course, even if one didn’t want to jump
or do the skywalk, the tower itself already offers
spectacular views of the Pearl River Delta.
Besides
the Tower, Macau offers other interesting sights: the
large, bronze-gilded sculpture of “Lotus Flower in Full
Bloom” at the Lotus Square, surrounded by the Tourist
Activity Center; the ruins of Saint Paul Cathedral, the
largest Catholic church in Asia in the 17th century; and
of course, the casinos that have given Stanley Ho some
good competition.” At the old city square near Saint
Paul’s, one can buy good delights such as the sweet meat
and Portuguese egg tart.
*****
Looking into the future
By Estrella Torres
DESPITE
having allowed the entry of gaming enterprises from Las
Vegas, Macau is actually gearing up to be known for
other things besides gambling—it now wants to be a haven
for business meetings and corporate events in the region
and the world, with the establishment of more luxury
hotels and convention centers.
Dr.
Manuel Pires, deputy director of the Macau Government
Tourist Office, explained in a briefing last week that
the government’s liberalization of the gaming
concessions, begun a few years ago with the move to lift
the decades-old monopoly of Stanley Ho, had paved the
way for the establishment of luxury hotels, resorts and
exhibition centers.
He said
the three concessions granted in 2002 to three foreign
companies also allowed the opening of subconcessions for
each operator.
“A new
future is taking shape right now in
Macau. An exciting new road is being added to the great crossroad.
A new chapter in
Macau’s rich history is unfolding. A new era is beginning, right
here in the heart of
Asia,” Pires
declared at a presentation of the new establishments in
Macau held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
The
concession given to the original casino giant operator
Stanley Ho under the Sociedade de Jogos de
Macau was also allowed to give out a subconcession for MGM Grand
Paradise, with US$1.06 million worth of investments for
hotels, restaurants and casinos. The second concession
given to Galaxy casino allowed a subconcession for the
Venetian Macau Resort Hotel, a sister of the iconic The
Venetian Las Vegas founded by the American business
tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who operates the Las Vegas Sands
Corporation. The Venetian Macau is set to open in August
this year with an initial investment of US$240 million.
Another
concession was awarded to American gaming magnate Steve
Wynn, who opened the Wynn resorts in September last year
through an initial investment of US$1.085 million. Pires
also lauded the promotion of the new route to Macau by
Tiger Airways, which offers cheap rates (read: a package
to and from
Clark could cost only P6,000) to and various Asian destinations.
Macau is also accessible through a 40-minute ferry ride
from
Hong Kong with daily trips.
He said
the number of hotel establishments is expected to
increase from 51 in 2006 to a total of 68 hotels in
December 2008, with a total number of 25,599 rooms
available.
The
tourism arrivals have also increased for the last three
years, said Pires. In 2004, there were 16,672,556
tourists who visited Macau, with Filipinos as the top
6th nationality. Last year,
Macau welcomed 21,998,122 visitors. |
