Blogs from Macau, Macau, Asia - page 12

So last night on a whim, at about 5pm, my father and I decided to head over to Macau. We had heard that it was the Vegas of the East. We also even heard that they make more money than VEGAS!!!! Seeing as how my birthday is tomorrow, I thought it was the perfect way to usher my 25th year of life. We had a few beers at some pubs on Lockhardt Road, then went to catch Turbo Jet ferry. The ride was about an hour long, but it went by really quick. Once we got to Macau, we went in 3 or 4 different casinos. However, with it being a Wed., I guess most of them were quite dead. The Sands, however, was PACKED! After watching my dad play some black jack and baccarat for ... read more

This old Portuguese settlement about 60km, and one very rough boat trip, west of Hong Kong is the Las Vegas of China. Originally a Portuguese trading concession and the first trading area between Europeans and Chinese, the settlement is the only place in China where gambling is legal and it dedicated to fulfilling this Chinese passion. There are at least 17 major Casinos and almost every hotel has a small Casino of its own. Each casino is themed with pseudo Egyptian, Medieval or Venetian architecture. Wondering round the casino area is a bit like some kind of giant theme park. More than half of the Casino are owned by Stanley Ho or members of his considerable family (he has had at least 3 wives) to make matters even more confusing the political governor of the territory ... read more

Tuned to the hum of The Gambler... "Now ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin' Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep. cause ev'ry hands a winner and ev'ry hands a loser, And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep" Kenny Rogers probably loves Macau…why not? It's like a cool new Las Vegas without the cactus and rattlesnakes! Macau, Macau…I first knew it as the origin of many bushels of firecrackers back in good ole' days of my misguided youth in Daly City, California. I also remember spending many hot Sacramento afternoons curled up on a big black leather sofa paging through my Uncle Art's collection of Time/Life travel books discovering the world...reading about Macau, south China, and Portuguese colonialism... huh...Portugal? All those eternal questions ... read more

Macau is apparantly the Los Vegas of China. I would not know because I have never been to Vegas, but I'd probably agree with the statement. So I spent the weekend in Macau. One of the guys that goes to school here has an uncle that owns a casino and hotel so we got free rooms. Definitely an incentive for going. That and another stamp on my passport. =) So we took the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau Friday afternoon which is about an hour long trip. After we arrived and checked in, we had some local food, and headed out to the casinos. I lost some money playing Roulette (not a lot) and after watching one of the guys win $2,000, decided that my new favorite game is Sik Ball. I held back though ... read more

After passing through the over-crowded Zhuhai-Macau border, we managed to reach at Macau city by bus from the border's bus terminal at around 1pm. You can take bus to anywhere you want in Macau but you will have to get ready your coins beforehand (no change provided). Metropole Hotel was a newly renovated hotel and located quite near to the Largo Senado. Booked through asiarooms.com for HK$450 per night. After checking-in, we immediately rushed to Taipa Village to get the famous and delicious pork chop bun. There was already a long queue when we reached there even though they haven't started selling the buns. The pork chop bun with their special milk tea were yummy! After the fulfilling meal, we walked around Taipa and bought some almond cookies to bring back home. Taipa was very quiet ... read more