Coloane Island Previous visits.

Since I started writing about Coloane in this blog following a very recent visit, I decided to dig out old Coloane photos and scan them in order to present a wider picture of the quiet end of Macau. After all no-one knows how long this peaceful place will survive.

When we moved to Hong Kong in 1996, Coloane and Taipa were separate islands. Now they are joined due to all the land reclamation that created the Cotai Strip. As frequent visitors to Macau, we watched this transformation take place.

Coloane was for a long time our preferred place to stay in Macau. We frequently stayed in the Pousada de Coloane which is located next to Cheoc Van Beach . Cheoc Van means Bamboo Bay. It is a golden sand beach; in contrast with Coloane's larger Hac Sa or Black Sand Beach. When we stayed in the Pousada de Coloane, we often ate in the Italian Restaurant that overlooked Cheoc Van Beach. I have forgotten the restaurant's name, but assume it must have been La Gondola Italian restaurant as this is located in the right place. It may have had a different name in the past.

Me in the Pousada de Coloane when I was young. Cheoc Van Beach behind me.

A younger version of my husband at the Pousada de Coloane.

Another place well worth seeing in Coloane is the lovely Coloane Village. When you get off the bus here at Eanes Square, you are very near the famous Lord Stow's Bakery which does the best Portuguese egg tarts in Macau. This is the original bakery, but now Lord Stow's is so successful they have opened shops in lots of other parts of Macau.

Coloane Village has some lovely old, narrow streets to wander through. Stroll down to the sea front and look across the water. It is not far to Mainland China. There is a lovely walkway along the waterfront. Chances are there will be fish drying in the sun down here. Make sure to visit the beautiful old Chapel of Saint Francis Xavier. There is also a lovely old library building - the Biblioteca - and some Chinese temples. There are a few restaurants here, too. We have not yet tried them.

Street in Coloane Village.

Street in Coloane Village.

Old Portuguese style post box.

Fish drying in the sun on the waterfront.

The Chapel of St Francis Xavier.

Peter wandering an old village street.

Walkway along the waterfront.

The Library.

Coloane also has a park called Seac Pai Van Park. This is nowadays best known as the home of the Giant Panda Pavillion. In 2014 President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, decided to offer a pair of giant pandas to Macao. These pandas are called Xin Xin and Kai Kai. I have not visited them yet.

We walked through Seac Pai Van Park a few years before the arrival of these pandas to get on a trail to climb up to the huge A Ma goddess statue on top of Coloane's highest mountain - Alto de Coloane.

A Ma is the founding goddess of Macau and Macau takes its name from her. She is known as the protector of sailors and seafarers. Her other names are Matsu or Tin Hau. There is a lovely old temple to A Ma on Mainland Macau. The statue of AMa is 19.99 metres high. This is to commemorate 1999 when Macau returned to Mainland China. The statue was erected in 1998. Apparently there is now a cultural village next to the statue, but I think we visited before it was built as I do not remember it at all. There is now also a shuttle bus up to the village and statue, but when we went we walked in the heat - a bit of a killer really.

A younger me walking up to the statue of A Ma.

My husband on the trail to the statue.

Me in front of the statue.

The statue of A Ma.