Macau

our ferry boat

on the ferry 

One day we took the ferry over to Macau, a 45 minute-ride across the bay.  Macau is another SAR and was a Portuguese colony until 1999.  It has lovely Mediterranean-styled buildings in the main area and then you stumble onto the “Vegas of the East,” gaudy, glitzy buildings full of gamblers, mainly coming from mainland China. 

apartment building in a non-tourist area. 

The main site to see is the ruins of Church of St. Paul.  Once a Jesuit Church, all that remains of it is the front facade.  It was built in 1602 by Japanese Christian exiles, it also served as a military battalion.  It burned 1835, with the fire starting in the kitchen barracks.  All that is left is the facade.  

We were really unimpressed with the ruins and a bit shocked at the throngs of people teeming at the base. It is a UNSECO site, so we can tick one more box on that list.

We went to the Macau Museum that was once a fort.  It details the history of Macau, recreating a firework factory and the recordings of street-sellers in their local dialect.

 Another gray, misty day, the tall Golden Lotus Casino was shrouded in rain clouds.

various kinds of pork jerky for sampling and sale 

The casinos are rather strange because they are really just for gambling.  Vegas has evolved into more than just slot machines and blackjack tables; there are lots of musical acts and culinary places to visits.  In Macau, the sole focus is baccarat.  There really isn’t much in way of high-end restaurants or  famous singers in concert.  The casinos are oddly quiet, with people concentrating on winning big. Also, slot-machines aren’t really popular, so it is mainly table after table after table of baccarat or black jack.

Wynn Casino and the MGM gold-silver-bronze casino

 In the southern peninsula, more of the Portuguese influence still remains.  The A-Ma Temple is dedicated to the Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea, and is from where the Portuguese settlers derived Macau’s name.

Further in on Barra Hill are the Moorish Barracks that housed about 200 Muslim Indian policemen from Goa, another Portuguese colony.  Built in 1874, it is now the headquarters for Macau’s Harbour Authority.

Macau-Taipei Bridge

 We had dinner on Macau and had a lovely beer, Portuguese fried rice, Portuguese chicken, and Portuguese duck.