Macau Tower

"FINALLY!", the boys exclaimed as we headed to the Macau Tower on a beautiful, clear, no-school holiday.  They've been asking for months to see this 338 m (1109 ft) tall tower.  It was a perfect day for this attraction and it quickly became one of our favorites places here in Macau (we only wished we'd come a lot sooner).

First, we rode the lift up to the 61st floor to an outdoor observation deck.  I was a little nervous about an "outdoor" deck but it really only meant that the upper part of the windows and roof were open - perfectly safe!

This deck is home to all the adventure and thrill seekers.  Not only can they take the plunge from the world's highest bungy jump but they can also go on a walk around the outer rim with no handrails just an overhead tether.  Notice the people in orange shirts behind us on the other side of the windows - those are the "skywalkers".  

Aside from the heart-pumping adventures, the Macau Tower also offers some fantastic views.  It was so much fun to walk around the deck and see our stomping grounds for the last 6 months in a whole new perspective.  The pictures below show the Macau peninsula side with mainland China in the background.   

The following picture is looking the other direction toward the island of Taipa, where we live.  The green hill in the foreground is Taipa Pequena (which we hiked and blogged about recently - can you spot the white zig-zag wall structure that resembles the Great Wall of China?).  

And this picture shows two of the bridges that connect the Macau peninsula (on the left) with the Taipa island (on the right).

The Macau Tower also has a revolving restaurant and an indoor observation deck with more amazing views in every direction.  It's especially fun to watch the bungy jumpers fly by from this deck. 

Plus there are a few spots with glass flooring that reminded us how high we really were.

Although Leah said she wanted to do the bungy jump, she was scared of the glass floors.  She would only walk on it if she was holding someone's hand and even then she walked very slowly and cautiously (so funny!).

The Macau Tower also has a theater, cafes, restaurants, conference rooms, and shops, including the kids' favorite, Toys R Us.  Along the boardwalk, there is outdoor seating, concerts, and a landing pad for the bungy jumpers (we even saw one jumper from this ground level and witnessed the thrilling smile on his face).  Plus, there are more beautiful views.  As you can see, we had a great time and the Macau Tower is now on our list of places to take visitors.