I will not lie to you. The main reason I wanted to go to Macau was the James Bond film, Skyfall. For those that have not seen it, there was a beautiful Casino supposedly in Macau that you access via a long boat across a canal covered in lilies and lights. It wasn’t until I reached there that I found out that place was built in a soundstage in England. I was disheartened, but nevertheless, I was very glad I came. Macau, for better or worse is the Portuguese equivalent of HK: a former colony that was handed over to the Chinese at the turn of the millennium. That is where the similarities end. While, HK has truly embraced the modern age with its towering skyscrapers, Macau has embraced the altogether seedier gambling lifestyle. It is no wonder that millions of Chinese tourists flock to this island to gamble heavily and return the following year. It boasts the world’s largest Casino: The Venetian (an almost exact larger scale copy of the one in Las Vegas).
While I did visit the casinos at night, walking the Macau strip, much like you do in Vegas, I spent most of my time in the Old Town district that was overflowing with historical remnants of the Portuguese era. Walking down the cobblestone roads and pathways was a delight. I was not surprised how often I got lost while walking there since the road names are either in Portuguese or Cantonese. On numerous occasions I would miss a turning, and opt to carry on walking, planning on taking the next road instead. However, before I knew it, I would be halfway down the main road in the middle of some housing development. I didn’t mind this; as it was all part of the charm of Macau – it was so easy to loose orientation and wind up on some tiny public square next to a gorgeous Chinese Temple or Catholic Church.
That night, after a quick siesta, I found myself wandering aimlessly between one massive casino and the next, with the neon lights and synchronized fountains providing me with ample entertainment. Eventually I walked into a few of the Casinos and was instantly swept up into a totally different world. The amount of people on the Casino floor was dazzling. Everywhere I looked people of all ages were sat mindlessly playing on the Slot machines or Baccarat. I went to find a cheap table to play a hand of Blackjack but was quickly put off when I noticed the price of a minimum bet was M$500. I had no interest in dropping that amount of money on a single card hand so I was content to just watch.
The next day, I was due to leave on the ferry at 7pm. This gave me plenty of time to see Cotai Island to the south where the newer Casino’s (including the Venetian) were built. After several hours viewing these casinos thoroughly I had had my fill of them and wanted to venture out to the historic side of the island. Much like Macau Island, the historical part of Cotai was equally impressive. It was here that I had my last fill of delicious Macanese cuisine – a wonderful mix of Portuguese and Chinese dishes. Heading back to HK, I was getting psyched up about exploring HK much in the same was as Macau in the coming days…
