Macau - China

Our last adventure in Hong Kong was a day trip to Macau.  Macau is a former Portuguese colony (like Hong Kong was formerly British).  Hong Kong still has a big city feel and we were curious how much Portuguese influence remains in Macau. You can take a fast boat & get to Macau in about an hour.

My colleague does a lot of work for gaming clients. Macau is an important market for them - it's one of the richest cities in the world and, I believe, the only place you can gamble in China. 

Hong Kong felt very shiny and new.  Macau felt more like what we expect of China than Hong Kong. Macau, like Hong Kong, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

It was quite rainy when we arrived, but we enjoyed just walking around the city. There are some old fortresses & remains of an old church.

There was only one small section of town that looked Portuguese.





And, they had our favorite pastel de nata from Portugal. I was warned that the Chinese palate is not as accustomed to sweets as American/Europeans.

It's true these treats were more eggy than sweet, but we still enjoyed them.

While we didn't blend with the locals in Hong Kong, the culture felt more familiar than Macau. It was fun to feel like you were exploring new territory.

Though, there were some familiar sites. I wish I would have gone into the shop to check out the menu.




This is the famous Hac Sa Beach. It is supposed to be black sand, but to combat erosion, the government put yellow sand on top.  We didn't see anyone in leisure boats or on the beach anywhere in Hong Kong or Macau.  Perhaps Victoria Harbour is restricted to cargo ships. The weather wasn't great, but I'm not sure how often people go in the water. I read that less than 50% of the population of Hong Kong knows how to swim.
We had a great Portuguese lunch and then headed back into town to check out the main attraction.

We did go into a casino which was fascinating. You can't take photos inside the gaming rooms, but at first glance it looks like any other casino in Las Vegas. Except you can smoke, but not drink. Instead of pretty young ladies serving drinks, grandmotherly types push around a tea cart with sweets.

The interiors were just as opulent as the fancy hotels in Vegas.  I think this was the Venetian.

We loved our time in Hong Kong. Such a fascinating city, with lovely people and great food.