Macau: Vegas of the East

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Brevity cannot be said to be my strong point on these blogs, case-in-point being that I am writing about Macau nearly a week after our daytrip there. Even though it is absolutely freezing here in this room metres away from the Great Wall in northern China, and there is nothing better (or warmer) to do but curl into a ball in bed and write on my phone, I'll try keep to keep this one short.

Macau is China's other Special Administrative Region along with Hong Kong, and was similarly diplomatically wrestled from its colonial master, Portugal, in 1999.

It is now most famous for its casinos, and is considered a larger gambling centre than Las Vegas. I expect this is predominantly due to the coach loads of Chinese citizens who cross the border for a flutter. While its Portuguese heritage is given away by the distinctly Mediterranean architecture in places. Although not as cosmopolitan as its neighbour Hong Kong, it makes a worthy daytrip to soak up the strange Chinese/Portuguese fusion - and to peer curiously into the mega-casinos.

Breaking the habit of the trip so far, Sophie and I actually managed to wake up at a decent time that morning, and made our way to the port. It wasn't long however until the gentle rocking of the hydrofoil that carried us across the South China Sea, sent us both back to sleep. I'm not sure if it is just me, but those light sleeps, usually aboard some moving form of transport, are one of the illicit pleasures of travelling. I know, I'm wild.

Once in Macau we hitched a ride in one of the many shuttle buses willing to ferry arrivees to the casinos in the centre of town. Then, following a slight detour while we got our bearings, we stumbled upon the old square. The Mediterranean buildings and limestone flooring gave the impression we could be in Lisbon, if it weren't for the Chinese decorations that spanned the square.

Until mid-afternoon we wandered the streets, getting lost somewhat deliberately. Having walked miles in the baking heat, it was only on our return towards the old square that we came across most Macau's most tourist orientated site, the remains of its Jesuit cathedral. While picturesque, the sheer crowds, as well as hawkers pedalling Chinese dried meats, probably cheapened the experience somewhat.

Glad that we'd taken the time to explore less well-trodden roads, and ready to escape the heat, we headed for the casinos.

I was worried we would be somewhat under-dressed, but we had no problems getting into the Lisboa. The Lisboa is Macau's most iconic and original casino, and rises up and out above street level street level in a gravity defying shape. There we had a drink overlooking the gaming tables and then decided to explore the other casinos in the vicinity looking for something reasonably priced to eat. A comprehensive, and interesting look around the Wynn and MGM Grande casinos proved fruitless on the food front, but was nonetheless interesting. As a casino, the Wynn was my favourite. The tables felt more secluded, instead of being engulfed in a massive sea of people. Nonetheless none of the tables had a limit low enough to even get close to tempting me to have a flutter. The MGM meanwhile had an exhibition of butterflies going on in one of its lobbies, complete with mini butterfly house to walk through.

The exploration of both the old town and the casinos had left us dead on our feet, so we sold out somewhat and ate at a fancy looking Pizza Hut. Then, after a few photographs of the casinos lit up by night, we blagged another ride in a shuttle bus and headed across the sea for home.

A night in Hong Kong before it was next stop Beijing!

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Photos

My View
The freezing cold room in Gubeikou, Northern China where this was written.

Macau
No room view this week as Macau was just a day trip. Instead, as a special one off, here is a picture of the actual subject matter of the blog - the Lisboa Casino/Hotel.