More From the Island...and Macau

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I decided to hit Macau as well, and all I have to say is it's definely the Las Vegas of China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century. After the Opium War in 1841, most of the foreign merchants in Macau left for Hong Kong, and took their business with them. Administered by Portugal until the handover in 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China. But this tiny island has bounced back into the mecca of gambling in the area, and is hoping to rival Las Vegas in less then five years as the centre of luck in the world.The status of Macau since reverting to People's Republic of China sovereignty on 20 December 1999 is defined in the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, Macau's constitution promulgated by China's National People's Congress in 1993 which specify that Macau's social and economic system, lifestyle, rights, and freedoms are to remain unchanged for at least 50 years. So the gambling will continue for a while at least.We started out staring at the Sands Hotel, a massive casino which looks nice but neither me nor my friend Brigit gamble so it was a no go for us. We mainly hung out at the Fisherman's wharf, where great little stores and good local food is to be had in a Portugese style street. Then around the bay to the A-Ma temple which was the highlight. The goddess sits on a lotus flower, highlight. The goddess sits on a lotus flower, housing a great little library on a lotus flower, housing a great little library devoted to religious study including Buddhism and Christianity. This open attitude towards religion is not just in Macao, all over Hong Kong and also mainland China people practice what they want, as long as it's not Falun Gong. But that is another matter for later.

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Photos

A'ma The goddess of the sea
In Macau.

From the Ferry
On the way to macau there is a chain of Islands that take your breath away. The running joke is I should try to swim there, and play with the fishies, but no such luck as it is also infested with sharks.

Hotel Land
One of the massive hotels here in macau, where people come to gamble and see the sea.

Centre of town
A nice park in a las vegas of Asia.

Yummy food
We had some awesome food here, on fisherman's wharf, but not seafood. I think it was pork. Who can tell???

Fisherman's Wharf
To be honest, Macau has gotten rid of a lot of it's culture to be one big tourist atraction, so this was the only place except the statue I really liked.