Red Indian Adventure In Macau

Macau! The name itself evokes all the mysterious intrigues of the Orient. This former Portuguese enclave is situated on the southeastern coast of China and is only about 40 miles southwest of Hong Kong. On Saturday morning we started early. We all met at the Shun Tak Ferry terminal for our 8.30am ferry to Macau. Despite some of us still being half asleep, our excitement and anticipation was electric.

We cleared immigration in Macau, and set out for some serious sightseeing. Our first stop was the Tai Pa House Museum, a charming place with colonial allure. We found a group of lovely old villas whose construction dates back to the 1920's.

Unfortunately soon after arriving, heavy rain set in - yet AGAIN! This seems the story of all our Camp Quality camps! So we couldn't spend as much time in this charming little area as we would have liked.

Next stop was lunch at the Dumbo Portuguese restaurant where we all tasted Portuguese cuisine. It was then off to the Maritime Museum. Dedicated to the sea, this museum is aptly housed in building that is in the form of a sailing ship anchored in the waters of the inner harbour. We learnt about the traditions and way of life of the South China fishermen, several types of ships, instruments and different varieties of fish. One of the sections exhibits technical navigation instruments and enabling visitors to play with various instruments. The kids had a fun time playing with various control buttons.

We then moved to the Ruins of St. Paul and walked around Senado Square. We had hoped the children would observe and take note of the Portuguese architecture that reflects a most interesting mixture of east and west. However, we found that they were far more interested in SHOPPING for local edible souvenirs!

It was then time to start our "Red Indian Adventure", so we headed to our campsite at the Mandarin Oriental Macau!

After a brief and friendly welcome by hotel staff, the Camp Quality group was split into groups of six. This hotel has the first and only full flying trapeze in Asia. For many of the kids who were given the opportunity to learn to fly, this was the highlight of the day. To our delight, we were treated to some acrobatic skills by some children, whilst others enjoyed rock climbing on the hotel's 10 metre modular stone-finished climbing tower. Younger kids enjoyed archery and some fun games under the giant parachute.

It was time for more fun! Time to get ready for our Red Indian Adventure camp theme. All the kids dressed up in Indian headdresses and face paint and entered the Red Indian campsite with real Indian teepees. Unfortunately, we weren't able to allow the braver kids to sleep outside in the Teepees as the ground was too wet! However, they proved that the rain couldn't dampen their spirits and appetite too much when they were treated to a delicious BBQ. The fun and laughter continued late into the evening and all the little Indians slept very well that night.

DAY 2

It was glorious sunshine on the Sunday and we started with a "WET 'n' Wild" morning of activities at the Mandarin Oriental's pool. By special arrangement, the pool was made available for us exclusively, which was just as well, as the kids made a real splash competing in water games, pool kayak races and water ball fights.

After drying off, we headed to Macau Tower. Here both campers and companions were treated to some exhilarating, fun-filled experiences.

It was truly a "WOW 'n' HIGH" experience courtesy of A.J. Hackett and their wonderful team of staff. We were split into two groups. The first group was taken to the Tower's outdoor plaza where they provided a series of nerve-jangling activities with an adrenaline factor ranging from 1-10.

The activities were suitable for all ages and were wonderful for boosting their self -esteem. For those afraid of heights, there was the motion simulator, bungy trampoline, iron walk and flying fox. These gave the kids a great first high experience.The second group went up the Tower. Macau Tower is the 10th tallest freestanding tower in the world. The 338 metre Tower anchors four public levels of outlets including a double height observation lounge and an outdoor observation deck. For many campers and companions, this was their first time here so they were all jumping with excitement to get their photos taken at the Tower. And if this wasn't enough to get them excited, campers and companions were enticed into experiencing the Skywalk and Skywalk X. These give a new meaning to adventure and a new level of exhilaration.

Do you have a cool head and nerves of steel?? Both campers and companions took a hair-raising stroll around the outside of the Tower's pod at the SKYWALK with only a see-through metal grate separating us and the ground 216 metres below!!

Imagine you are standing on the Tower, 233 metres up and now take a stroll around the outer-rim that encircles the tower. Piece of cake??!! Perhaps I should add that the walkway is just 1.8 metres wide and, and get this, there is NO handrail! Aaah! Welcome to Skwalk X! As one could imagine both campers and companions got "high" in Macau! Very soon it was time to go but needless to say, it was a truly hair-raising experience for all!

This seeing the end of our weekend in Macua, we would like to thank all the staff at the Mandarin Oriental, Macau. You guys were great. And we would like to thank all the staff at the Macau Tower, particularly Mr. Anthony Williams for giving us complimentary access to the tower, and to the AJ Hackett team for sponsoring all our activities at the Tower, especially to Nick Boura and Rob Ashley. Thank you so, so much for giving the kids a wonderful time and unforgettable memories!