The southern end of the Macau peninsula is where the city began. Here the Barra hill rises above the harbour, and at its foot stands the A-Ma Temple, a collection of small shrines and courtyards climbing the rock among boulders carved with red inscriptions. It is dedicated to the goddess of seafarers, and legend says that the name of Macau itself comes from it, since the first Portuguese sailors heard the name A-Ma Gau, the bay of A-Ma, and used it for the whole place. Fishermen's boats still bob in the harbour in front.
The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a trail of squares, churches, temples and fortresses that links Chinese and Portuguese traditions. Close to this stop are the Lilau Square, with its old well and shady trees, the Mandarin's House, a family mansion of the nineteenth century, and the Moorish Barracks, a pink-and-white building with arcades that was built for Indian troops in the 1870s. At the top of the hill, a pousada, formerly a fort, looks out over the water.
Macau has about 520,000 people living on a few square kilometres, and every street feels crowded. The roads are narrow, and traffic is slow, with buses, taxis and scooters battling for space. Park in an official bay, since fines are strict, and walk the hillside lanes. Fuel is available in the area, but the stations are few, so plan ahead. The food scene is excellent, a mixture of Cantonese and Portuguese flavours, with baked rice, African chicken, and custard tarts with a burnt top.
Sea breezes cool the hill in the evening, and when the sun sets, red lanterns glow in the temple courtyards. Come on a weekday morning, before the crowds, and you may have the temple almost to yourself, with incense smoke curling in the sunlight and the sound of the sea beyond the wall.