Facing my nemesis in the gambling capital of the world

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Day 429: Tuesday 1st September - Leaving China but not leaving China

I have a two hour bus journey from Guangzhou to Zhuhai which is the city on the border with Macau. Macau, like Hong Kong, is classed as a special administrative region, so whilst it is part of China it is administered almost like its own country. Therefore, there are immigration controls whereupon I get stamped out of China, walk through the building and get stamped into Macau, without technically leaving China!! Macau is its own separate state in all matters apart from foreign policy and defence and like Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese by the Portuguese in the late nineties. Nothing much is meant to have changed except there is a different country overseeing matters, and its relative independence to govern itself will continue until the middle of this century. Whilst I may (or may not!) have left China, Macau is unmistakably Chinese. The people speak Cantonese like the rest of Southern China although a little Portuguese is still spoken. Signage is in Cantonese firstly, then Portuguese and English appears to be the third language. I’m confused!

After passing through the border formalities I find myself weighing up my transport options. Macau consists of a peninsula adjoining Guangdong, China and a separate island to the south where land reclamation has created one bigger island out of three separate islands: Taipa, Coloane and Cotai. Most of the cheap accommodation options lie to the south of the peninsula. I could get a bus but have no Macau currency meaning I will first have to find a bank. A taxi would be the expensive option and walking would be the crazy option. I find an ATM soon enough to get some Patacas but being a crazy man I set off on foot to walk half the length of the country! I set myself up for the walk by buying a tart (of the egg variety rather than a cheap woman!!!!).

Thankfully Macau is China’s smallest province at only 29 square kilometres, but I still must cover about 4km in the hot, humid early afternoon, now being back in the tropics. Despite the weight of my backpack I actually enjoy the walk, it is a good way to get acquainted with Macau and see the contast of the narrow streets and lanes and the colonial architecture against the less appealing Chinese style tower blocks which have definitely seen better days.
I find accommodation on the Rua da Felicidade (The Street of Happiness), once Macau’s main red-light district. Its red shuttered terraces were featured in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Things have just got a whole more expensive by crossing the border. I thought Guangdong was expensive for accommodation as it was double what I’d paid anywhere else in China, and now prices have more than doubled again. I also discover the same with food. After recovering from my cross-country trek, I set off to discover central Macau.

The centre of Macau is beautiful. Within a ten minute walk of my guesthouse are all the main historical and cultural sights. Wandering through the squares, avenidas and narrow streets it is hard not to fall for Macau’s colonial charm. I start off in Largo de Senado, a square surrounded by colonial buildings. At the end of the square is a 400 year old church - one of Macau’s many. Indeed Macau has the densest population of churches anywhere in the world (including Rome). There is a throng of people shopping and going about their everyday business which seems to be a contrast to the charming surroundings. But, this is Macau home to half a million Maccanese despite its small size, and one of the most densely populated places in the world. A short stroll further and I reach Macau’s premier sight - the ruins of the church of St Paul. The facade is all that remains of the 17th century, the rest was destroyed in fire. Nevertheless, with its wonderful carvings, statues and engravings some consider it to be the greatest monument to Christianity in Asia.

I continue up the hill to Monte Fort where the Macau museum is housed. The museum concentrates on the history, traditions and culture of Macau. By Asia’s standards it is a decent museum but apart from taking away an appreciation of its history the most interesting thing is learning about the facade of St Paul. When I first set my eyes on the ruins I was impressed by their haunting beauty but in the museum I learn about the Christian imagery that is all over the monument, effectively making up a ‘sermon in stone’. When I go back outside and look again at the ruins my appreciation is so much greater. After an hour in the museum I admire the view from the top of the fort across central Macau. There are several cannons in the fort but they were fired only once: during an aborted invasion by the Dutch in 1622, the century after the Portuguese had arrived and set up an enclave. Today they point out across the city to the modern symbol of Macau: the casino.

Macau may be famous for its churches, fortresses and food of its former colonial master Portugal - but this is the old face of Macau. However, it is its newer side that draws the tourists from Hong Kong and the mainland - it is the self-styled Las Vegas of the East. Casinos dominate the skyline in the southern part of the peninsula and also in the Cotai area of the island to the south. There must be 30-40 gargantuan hotel/casinos in Macau. This is big business, and makes up over 70% of Macau’s economy. The reason: casinos are legal in Macau whereas they are prohibited in Hong Kong and the mainland. It may be the self-styled Las Vegas of the East but it in financial terms it looks up to no-one and is the undoubted gambling capital of the world. Las Vegas may have 3 times the number of Casinos but Macau turns over more money with each gaming table 10 times more profitable than its Vegas counterpart. The reason: one billion frustrated Chinese gamblers on the doorstop with money to burn.

You can’t come to Macau and not visit the casinos. I’m not a casino man - I find the ones in the UK lack atmosphere and would rather get my entertainment elsewhere. This doesn’t stop me having a look in the evening though, due to my intrigue as much as anything. I start at the original, the Casino Lisboa which has an old-style kitsch to it with its garish 1960’s exterior. The interior also belongs to a different era with smoke-filled gaming rooms packed with people and charisma. I stay long enough to look around, get a feel but don’t gamble and soon move on. Next stop along ‘the strip’ for me is Pharoah’s Palace Casino, another kitschy themed gambling area taking its influence from ancient Egypt for its decor. I have a quick look around and then continue up the strip. My final stop of the evening is at Sands Macau. This is definitely more Vegas-style. It is modern, several stories high and offers live entertainment. After looking around I get a drink at the bar and listen to the live band before taking the plunge and playing on the slots. This is the worst way to gamble - no human interaction and probably the worst odds. And yes I lose, but only a couple of pounds.

Day 430: Wednesday 2nd September - Facing my nemesis

Macau rises late and most of the cafes and restaurants are still shut despite it being after 9am. I still find plenty of bakeries open to meet my new found craving for Pasteis de nata (Portuguese style egg tarts) which are divine. That’s breakfast plus any other snack time sorted. You can also find free samples of almond biscuits wandering around the streets which are okay but no substitute for the egg tart.

I spend the morning wandering around more of Macau. I get a cable car up to Guia Hill for the best view across Macau, before walking north to the Inner Harbour area. I then head back south to the far south west of the peninsula where some of the best examples of colonial buildings and mansions can be found. Just walking the streets is half the experience of Macau. Abandoning the map and just exploring. You can’t get too lost as Macau isn’t big enough, and it is in some of its narrow back alleys that its best character can be found.

At lunch I stop for some classic Maccanese cuisine. The food is a blend of Portugal’s former colonies. There are Brazilian influences, African influences and Mediterranean influences in its cooking. The food is good, but the bill is painful when you’ve come accustomed to Southeast Asian prices.

After lunch I walk along the Avenida da Republica, facing the Macau Tower, location of the world’s highest bungy jump (never again!) before catching a bus across the bridge to the other island. Here I stop first at the Venetian, one of Macau’s newest casino’s and modelled on Venice and a copy of the one in Las Vegas. Complete with gondolas, a Bridge of Sighs and a clock tower modelled on the one in St Marks Square they’ve done a pretty good job. Inside in the lobby it is just as impressive. Maybe one day I’ll return to stay in somewhere like this? Whilst waiting for the bus to take me to Coloane village at the south of the island I am passed by the most learner drivers I’ve ever seen. I get to double figures and I’m only sat there a few minutes - and it’s not the same car! Coloane village is a small fishing village and it’s nice to stroll along the tranquil sea front away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

In the evening I face my nemesis - blackjack. To recall, the last time I played I lost a few pounds - we’ll leave it there! However, you can’t come to the gambling capital of the world and not play on one of the tables can you? I get some Hong Kong Dollars (this is the currency of the casinos not Macau Patacas) and set myself a limit which I’m not prepared to gamble above. I choose the Casino Lisboa to gamble as I like its atmosphere over some of the more modern casinos. I pay its newer big brother across the road a visit first - The Grand Lisboa - but I’m not impressed. The stakes at the Casino Lisboa are also the lowest - only 50 HKD (£4) a hand, another thing in its favour. Money tick, venue tick now for the game. Baccarat is the number one game in Macau’s casinos but I haven’t a clue how to play, likewise a few other card and domino games that are new to me. There are also poker and roulette tables but it is blackjack that I choose to play as I know it best. The odds aren’t high but that means it is harder to lose your money and therefore it lasts longer.

I pull up a seat at the table, get dealt a couple of cards and the fun starts. I don’t start well losing the first two hands but I’m more than a bit put off by the Chinese lady next to me who keeps betting on my cards as well as her own. Flustered, I take my leave walk around a few other tables and then rejoin the same table at the opposite end. My luck turns and I win a number of hands in a row as well as getting blackjack. The balance is addressed somewhat after losing a few hands but I’m up as I leave the table. I calculate that my winnings paid for lunch and will pay for dinner. However, I can’t help one last nibble. I join another table lose 3 hands on the trot but am still level-headed enough to quit whilst I’m still ahead. I’m only a few pounds up but that will pay for my dinner and I’ve enjoyed it whilst it lasted.

Two days is enough to see Macau and tomorrow I will leave for Hong Kong. I have enjoyed by brief stop in Macau however and would recommend it to anyone who is going to Hong Kong. You can easily do a day trip but to really soak up its colonial charm and of course to pay the casinos a visit it is worthy of a stay overnight at the least.

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