Blogs from Macau, Asia - page 7

Our last day in Macau was about its Portuguese cultural heritage. Even though Macau is known for its gambling, there are parts of the city where its heritage can be seen and appreciated. Today we heard a lecture about Portuguese cultural heritage and how it is visible in the architecture. We took a quick tour through the Macau Museum and then had free time to explore the shops near the historical center. I was able to snack on pork buns and almond cookies, which Macau is known for. We took our last field trip as a group to an old Catholic church, which is from the Portuguese presence. In order to get from Macau to Guangzhou we had to go through immigration. It was a process because we had to depart Macau, then wheel our suitcases ... read more

So we entered Macau today. We entered by ferry. It was about an hour long ferry. Once we entered Macau the first thing I noticed was that everything was trilingual. The instructions were in Cantonese, Portuguese, and English. It was so strange to see streets and buildings in Portuguese in Southern china. So we board a bus and head towards a fancy restaurant but meanwhile all you can see are casinos everywhere! And I mean EVERYWHERE. Every other building was a casino! This gaming industry in Macau was definitely no joke! So we eat at this fancy restaurant and after that head to our hotel. After that we had a lecture on gambling and “Macau the sin city”. I’m going to skip the lecture because in all honesty nobody paid much attention. I actually videotaped everyone ... read more

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- macauAsia » Macau » Macau July 4th 2011 Published: July 7th 2011 « Previous EntryA PRIVATE BLOG ENTRY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 26 Macau Took a catamaran ferry over to here. Fast, but rough. For an hour we all either slept or quietly starred out the window…anything to keep the stomach intact. Not too much in Macau. It is on old Portuguese settlement that has been turned into the Vegas of Asia. 33 casino on this small rock. The downtown core was interesting as it is old, but other than that it was just another long day. Back in Hong Kong our group of six went for a Mexican dinner and desert. Best meal since coming to China. China is quite the country. We were definitely shown what the government wants to show off…the glit... read more

Macau The second half of our Spring Holiday was spent in Macau, 60 kilometers across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong. The ferry trip was pretty uneventful, not much to see until you actually get there. Macau consists of a peninsula and a couple of islands. The peninsula is almost part of the mainland and the two islands are practically one due to land reclamation. In the 1580s, Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci wrote "It is better to call it a protruding rock than to call it a peninsula." It was a backwater until the Portuguese set up shop in the 1500s. It went from about 3 sq. km. then to about 30 sq. km. now. Who says they don’t make waterfront anymore? I associated Macau with gambling and therefore had little interest in going there ... read more

The first day of the trip we flew to Zhuhai, China. This city shares a border with Macau and we walked through customs there. The weather was much warmer there because it is south of Shanghai. I traveled with two friends who are local Chinese people; their names are Wang Shi Kun and Lixi Zhou. Wang is my friend who helped me get settled here and they were going to Macau for the first time like me. After we found the hotel, we went to a popular bakery that is known for being the original maker of Macau style dan ta. Dan ta translated means egg tart and Macau is famous for this treat. Dinner was at a popular Portuguese restaurant and this was one of the two times on the trip English was more useful ... read more