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Green Fingers and Sustainable Living

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Nestled amongst the roof tops in old Macau, overlooking the trees in the adjacent Camoes Gardens, is a jewel of an apartment where the love of the outdoors combined with efforts in sustainable living are being enjoyed.  

Like a sparkling white tooth amongst its older neighbours, this is a brand new 5-storey walk up, which provides one apartment per floor.  Residents are owner occupiers, retired professionals who value the gentler side of life in this quiet Praca de Luis de Camoes cul-de-sac.

The owner of the top floor – our ‘jewel’ – is the delightfully hospitable and friendly Candy Wong. Candy is Director, Casino Control & Compliance for City of Dreams Macau and she bought the apartment for a weekend and holiday retreat from the hub-hub of Taipa where she lives during the week.  

It was her brother who first alerted Candy to this property a couple of years ago.  An enthusiastic gardener, what really caught her eye was the clear glass of the balcony looking out over the garden tree tops towards the charming Morrison Chapel – trees and plants and singing birds in abundance and with this, a cooler, cleaner air.  

“I didn’t even need to visit a second time”, she said, “I made the offer immediately and have loved being here ever since”.

It took Candy a year and a half of planning and four months of implementation to put her ideas in place for a little remodeling of the apartment and – the piece de resistance – her roof top garden.

Work on the apartment was straightforward – retain the kitchen and bathroom as is, remove a wall so that the second bedroom could become part of an enlarged living space, and install a pocket door to save on space for the master bedroom.  Attractive pebble flooring in mixed earth tones was brought in from Beijing.  

 

 

At the end of the living room is a strategically placed window flower box filled with thick healthy stems of green bamboo and self-seeded elephant ear to obscure views of neighbours. A veritable sun-trap, light pours in from windows on all sides and a flower-scented breeze wafts in from the gardens.  

Two and a half meter high ceilings further enhance the sense of airy-ness.  Uncluttered white walls and a tasteful neutral colour scheme of sandy beige and cream, with every so often a splash of apple-green, give this home a contemporary, comfortable and cozy atmosphere. 

Up a flight of stairs and through a door-way, the anticipation is akin to arriving at The Secret Garden!  Here we have the softest of grass underfoot, and everywhere a profusion of pretty flowers and sweet smelling bushes.  Great care was taken in the original layout, with a 6-inch waterproof screed laid on a fall and underground drainage pipes, so as to avoid pools of water stagnating, drawing mosquitoes and water-logging the grass and plants. 

At dusk it becomes like a fairy garden – delicate flower petals close for the night, the solar lights in the planters begin to come on as the light fades and the grass begins to shimmer from recessed lighting set within the lawn.  

“I like using solar lights whenever I can” stresses Candy, “They are my contribution towards energy saving and they only cost $45 each from China!” 

Clearly blessed with green fingers, most of Candy’s garden has been lovingly reared from seed.  Pretty flowers, flowering bushes and herbs come from her travels to Japan and Taiwan.  When friends visit they don’t bring the usual bottle of wine or hostess gift of soap, they bring seeds!  Candy’s close friend Margarida recently brought her some Thumbellina and Lilliput seeds from Portugal, which promise a profusion of colour and perfume in the summer.

For privacy, a low fence of reconditioned wood is built up around the roof walls.  The carpenter clearly enjoyed a break from his usual cabinet-making and so, under Candy’s design and direction, built a wood canopy, benches and some other decorative pieces. Little rustically-made bamboo stools add to the charm and sense of sustainable design that Candy has aimed to achieve.

One end of the roof is framed with a slim-stemmed variety of yellow bamboo, purchased from a plant shop in Zhuhai, owned by a bespectacled lady Candy fondly calls ‘Say Ngan Mui’ (4-eyes lady).  She rents a stall near the Red Market where Candy has become a regular on her time off, and where she can enjoy chatting and learning about trees and plants.  Incidentally, this lady is the same supplier that planted all the bamboo at the Panda Park in Coloane.  

Candy’s plan for the garden is to eventually grow more herbs and vegetables.  The little shoots of choi sum are all that she has at the moment, but these are stir fried with garlic and greatly enjoyed by the family on weekends.  She is longing to get some packets of French Lavender seeds planted so they will be in bloom for the summer.  At the top of the stairs at the garden entrance is a large bush of ‘Kaui Fa’ – tiny yellowish flowers that are dried and incorporated into a delicious dessert jelly.  The well-picked pot of mint, she explains, is not for cooking but is added to chilled lemon water for a refreshing summer drink. 

In a corner of the garden is a wooden shelf displaying some treasured ornaments – Candy’s owl collection from her travels, and several small colourfully painted plates from Portugal and Spain. 

On summer evenings, a bright orange sun slowly descends behind the hills of Hengqin Island across the inner harbor.  A magical view over the roof tops of old and new, East meets West.  

“I love the Portuguese-style buildings” Candy smiles, “probably because I was born and raised in Macau so they have been all around me since I was young”.

 
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