A Day in Macau

Just a one hour ferry ride from the ports of Hong Kong lies the Macau peninsula.  Similar to Hong Kong, Macau boasts a rich, multi-cultural past.  Hong Kong is heavily influenced by the British, Macau by the Portuguese. 

Unfortunately, in the eyes of some, Macau is now most well known for its casinos.  It is called the Las Vegas of Asia-and for good reason.  More money is lost and won through gambling per year in Macau than in LasVegas.  Gaudy casinos line the coast of Macau.  Gambling is not legal elsewhere in China, so Macau has a monopoly.  It is a gamblers paradise. 

Uninterested in the casino scene, we walked past all of the tackiness to find the Macau in which we were interested.  The most famous cultural icon in Macau are the ruins of St. Paul’s.  We started there.

Unfortunately for us, it was pouring rain.  Pouring. 

Despite the rain, we thoroughly enjoyed the ruins.  Soon after we found the Macau Museum and took relief from the rain.  The museum was so well done, we ended up spending more than three hours inside. 

By the time we had finished, we were starving and ready for a late lunch.  We wandered through the streets until we found a little Portuguese restaurant.  We went all out-it was fantastic. 

The best cappuccino I have ever had.  Ever. 

When we had finished, we stepped outside to find the weather beginning to clear-thank goodness. 

 

Walking around, we discovered some truly fascinating areas of Macau.  You really feel as if you are walking around in Portugal sometimes, then you would turn a corner and see a Chinese temple.  It is an extremely interesting place. 

The only blue sky we saw for the entire trip.  Sigh.