Today I visited Macau. I didn't really know where Macau was but the most recent James Bond movie, Skyfall, had a scene set there and my oldest daughter said I should go. When I learned that Macau was only an hour by ferry boat away from Hong Kong, and "no special visa required" I thought I should go.
I arrived at the ferry ticket office about 9:15 and purchased a ticket for the 10:10 ferry. As luck would have it, I was able to get on the 9:30 ferry by riding "stand by" which was great except that I was seated between two heavy smokers who hadn't showered in weeks and probably hadn't slept either. The guy to my left closed the curtains before we even left the harbor (I was looking forward to the view but didn't know how to ask) and put his head down on the tray table and drooled a bucket full. His face was drenched when we started to disembark. The guy to my right wasn't much better with his head lolling around left and right and hanging in the aisle. I leaned appropriately to avoid him putting his smokey head on my shoulder. The vision of my ferry mates told me that I was on a boat headed towards a day of compulsive gambling and free cocktails. Even though my tour books assured me there was a lot more to see in Macau, from the looks of these guys I was beginning to doubt my decision to come.
A long hour of trying to breath through my mouth later, we arrived in Macau. Customs was quick and fast giving me more time out in the baking heat to visit this city. My tour book had the great suggestion of taking one of the many "free casino shuttles" to the center of town and embark on my sightseeing for free. I chose the shuttle bus to the Grand Lisboa because it was the first casino on Macau and owned by a billionaire Chinese man, and because I didn't want to ride to a casino I could see in Vegas like the Wynn, the Sands, the MGM, or the Rio. (I'm not making this up. They are all there.) Anyway, the shuttle worked great. It dropped me off in the basement Lisboa with the intent that I would walk through both the downstairs and upstairs casinos and maybe drop a few Hong Kong dollars. But I had other plans...power walk to see all the sights and then maybe spend my coins at the end of the day.
Here's a picture of the Grand Lisboa as soon as I walked outside.
After a few minutes of trying to get my bearings and find myself on a map, I headed in the direction of the old center of Macau. Several blocks later I came upon some elegant, beautiful pink, white, and yellow buildings with curly cues and wrought iron balconies. It almost looked like I was in Spain or Portugal. The town square very European with a church, a fountain and town hall all surrounding the square. The only difference was that the signs were printed in three languages: Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese..I'm not sure..maybe sometimes both), Portuguese, and English.
To pay homage to the various cultures inhabiting Macau for the past 500 years, I visited at least 5 churches, one convent, one monastery and one Buddist temple. I found them all interesting but I was especially impressed by the number and the quality of the churches. I know it takes a lot of money for their upkeep and some of these were really old and in need of lots of repair. So...I'm wondering if the gambling money is trickling down. For example, this church was being renovated but all the church relics were housed on the second and third floor of an abandoned convent. Pay particular attention to the sign posted on the third floor. Believe me, I was counting tourists but does "ten people" mean ten people the size of me? (I'm bigger than most of the people around me.) Or is the sign referring to smaller people? In that case would the floor hold only 5 people?
The most interesting part of the day was visiting the Mandarin's House. The owner of this house wrote lots of books and influenced Chairman Mao. But what I really enjoyed was seeing a Chinese house and the lattice work, gardens and furnishings. It helps me understand some of the books I've read that have a Chinese setting.
All in all, it was a great day but I think I like Hong Kong better. Macau was frentic, very crowded, smokey, and very hot. The churches became a respite from the heat and a very good place to sit down.
I arrived at the ferry ticket office about 9:15 and purchased a ticket for the 10:10 ferry. As luck would have it, I was able to get on the 9:30 ferry by riding "stand by" which was great except that I was seated between two heavy smokers who hadn't showered in weeks and probably hadn't slept either. The guy to my left closed the curtains before we even left the harbor (I was looking forward to the view but didn't know how to ask) and put his head down on the tray table and drooled a bucket full. His face was drenched when we started to disembark. The guy to my right wasn't much better with his head lolling around left and right and hanging in the aisle. I leaned appropriately to avoid him putting his smokey head on my shoulder. The vision of my ferry mates told me that I was on a boat headed towards a day of compulsive gambling and free cocktails. Even though my tour books assured me there was a lot more to see in Macau, from the looks of these guys I was beginning to doubt my decision to come.
A long hour of trying to breath through my mouth later, we arrived in Macau. Customs was quick and fast giving me more time out in the baking heat to visit this city. My tour book had the great suggestion of taking one of the many "free casino shuttles" to the center of town and embark on my sightseeing for free. I chose the shuttle bus to the Grand Lisboa because it was the first casino on Macau and owned by a billionaire Chinese man, and because I didn't want to ride to a casino I could see in Vegas like the Wynn, the Sands, the MGM, or the Rio. (I'm not making this up. They are all there.) Anyway, the shuttle worked great. It dropped me off in the basement Lisboa with the intent that I would walk through both the downstairs and upstairs casinos and maybe drop a few Hong Kong dollars. But I had other plans...power walk to see all the sights and then maybe spend my coins at the end of the day.
Here's a picture of the Grand Lisboa as soon as I walked outside.
After a few minutes of trying to get my bearings and find myself on a map, I headed in the direction of the old center of Macau. Several blocks later I came upon some elegant, beautiful pink, white, and yellow buildings with curly cues and wrought iron balconies. It almost looked like I was in Spain or Portugal. The town square very European with a church, a fountain and town hall all surrounding the square. The only difference was that the signs were printed in three languages: Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese..I'm not sure..maybe sometimes both), Portuguese, and English.
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| The street signs are in Chinese, Portuguese,and English. The Portuguese ruled Macau until 1999. |
To pay homage to the various cultures inhabiting Macau for the past 500 years, I visited at least 5 churches, one convent, one monastery and one Buddist temple. I found them all interesting but I was especially impressed by the number and the quality of the churches. I know it takes a lot of money for their upkeep and some of these were really old and in need of lots of repair. So...I'm wondering if the gambling money is trickling down. For example, this church was being renovated but all the church relics were housed on the second and third floor of an abandoned convent. Pay particular attention to the sign posted on the third floor. Believe me, I was counting tourists but does "ten people" mean ten people the size of me? (I'm bigger than most of the people around me.) Or is the sign referring to smaller people? In that case would the floor hold only 5 people?
The most interesting part of the day was visiting the Mandarin's House. The owner of this house wrote lots of books and influenced Chairman Mao. But what I really enjoyed was seeing a Chinese house and the lattice work, gardens and furnishings. It helps me understand some of the books I've read that have a Chinese setting.
All in all, it was a great day but I think I like Hong Kong better. Macau was frentic, very crowded, smokey, and very hot. The churches became a respite from the heat and a very good place to sit down.
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