Friday, June 4, 2010

Macau - Guia Fortress and Lighthouse

The Guia Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on the coast of China. The lighthouse is still operating today. It occupies the highest point in the whole of Macau, and you get great views from here of the Macau Peninsula. Next to the lighthouse is the Chapel of Our Lady Guia. Storm warnings used to be sounded from the bell tower of the Chapel.

The Guia Lighthouse sits inside the Guia Fortress which was built in the 1600s by the citizens of Macau to protect the colony. Looking at the number of fortresses built within this small Colony, things must have been pretty rough in the old days !


Entrance to the Fortress.


The Chapel.


The Guia Lighthouse.


An old canon.


To get up to Guia Fortress, you can either trek up the hill or take a short ride on the small cable car from Flora Garden off Avenida de Sidonio Pais. This is probably one of the smallest and shortest cable car rides in the world. I chose to trek up the hill for a bit of exercise. If you take the longer route, you will some across some old sentry points at strategic locations around the hill. These are remnants of the traumatic history of the area.


Views from the top.


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