There is so much construction work and land reclamation going on here that Taipa and Coloane, the two islands which make up Macau, will soon be islands in name only as their shores approach those of the mainland. On Taipa, five wooden colonial houses have been carefully restored to house the Casas Museu de Taipa, a museum dedicated to popular traditions. Surrounded by flowers and repainted in their original colours of green and white, these houses each offer a journey back in time, with displays of traditional furniture, costumes from the 19C and nostalgic photos depicting the islands in all their former splendour.