PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST PHYSICALLY VISIT THE COORDINATES LISTED IN THIS VIRTUAL CACHE IN ORDER TO LOG THIS CACHE.
In addition to the mainland peninsula of Macau, the former Portuguese colony and current SAR (Special Administrative Region) of China also consists of two islands, Taipa and Coloane. Taipa is rapidly becoming a boring Hong Kong-style conglomeration of apartment towers, but Coloane is still largely rural and mountainous, quite a contrast from the densely urban Macau mainland. With small villages, temples, and beaches, it's a great place to come spend an afternoon exploring.
This cache is a nice hike up Alto de Coloane, in the heart of the island. The city bus system is fast, extensive, and efficient, and there are a number of buses you can take from Macau to get out here. I used #26, but I believe 21/21A, 25/25A, and 26A will also work. There's bilingual schedules and route descriptions at almost every stop - basically any bus that has Coloane listed on its route will work. A good place to catch island-bound buses is near the Casino Lisboa, and fares should be less than MOP5.
Once you come across the causeway from Taipa to Coloane, start looking on your left for a children's theme park. Once you pass the main gate for this, hit the button to indicate you want the next stop, and you should be let off at a large grey entranceway, next to a Mobil[UPDATE 4/5/04 - apparently it's now an Esso] station. These two are hard to miss, so if you don't see the theme park just hit the 'next stop' button at these and walk a few hundred meters back.
From the entryway, it's about a 45-minute walk up Alto de Coloane - you'll pass an arboretum, several parks, and a creepy set of buildings that looked to me like an abandoned Portuguese military barracks. At the top, you'll see the reason for your hike (in addition to the views), and a tri-lingual plaque at the posted coordinates. I originally came up here intending to place a physical cache, but there wasn't really any place to hide one, so I just scoped out this virtual cache instead. At the end of the text is a date - for confirmation of your visit, email me that date. Don't post your answer in your log, even if encrypted.
(p.s. Freeewilly's cache notwithstanding, this is actually the highest place in all of Macau. However, his cache is certainly near the highest point in Macau proper. Also, if you're pressed for time or don't feel up to the walk, it's possible to take a taxi to here, which would make it about a 1/1.5 - but if you're going to take the easy way out, I'll leave it up to you to figure out how to get all the way to the cache!)
Other Chinese caches by ooga booga Haerbin, Stalin Style A-maze-ing Old Summer Palace West Lake - Three Pagodas West Lake - Mid Lake Pavilion It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Hsien Ku Fung (Hong Kong) Mad Dogs and Englishmen (Hong Kong) Macau's Second - Coloane's Highest (Macau) Green Lotus Peak, Yangshuo