Macau

I met a Spanish backpacker named Esther in Guangzhou who was also heading to Macau, so we decided to travel together. We split a room in a funky old hotel with wall partitions that don't even touch the ceiling. The two hour bus brought us right up to the border where we disembarked and went through immigration by foot. I've been to three "countries" now in just one week. Macau is the "other" Special Administrative Zone of China, and it has a lot in common with Hong Kong. It is at the opposite side of the Pearl River from Hong Kong. It, too, was until recently a European colony. However, while Hong Kong was British for 150 years, Macau was a part of Portugal for an amazing 486 years, from 1513-1999!

If it weren't for the Chinese people, Chinese language, and Chinese food everywhere, this might as well be Portugal. It certainly looks more European than Chinese, down to the Mediterranean style plazas, cobblestone streets, fountains, and Baroque architecture. Nearly everything is written in Portuguese. All official names and titles are Portuguese. Street names are Portuguese. Restaurants are “Establicementos de Comidas”. Cafes abound. As do Portuguese restaurants. Codfish, calamari, and octopus are among the most popular dishes here. There is also a distinctive “Macanese” cuisine which combines Portuguese and Chinese with spices the Portuguese brought from their other colonies in Africa and India.

I think it’s remarkable that this little piece of land was actually part of Portugal for half a millennium, and even more remarkable that the 1999 handover was put in writing all the way back in the 16th century. Little could the Portuguese traders then have imagined the significance of the region today. And yet, in some ways its significance has been fairly static: it has always been a center of world trade.

But the biggest draw of Macau today is the casinos. The city is in the midst of rampant development, including a massive casino resort built on landfill between two islands. It will be called The Venetian, and will be a replica of the casino of the same name in Vegas. But right now the current glory is the Sands. I’ve never been to Vegas, but I imagine Vegas casinos look something like this: gaudy, sumptuous, luxury, with an enormous atrium and crystal chandelier. I tried my luck at the slot machines and made $140 HK off my initial $20 HK investment. Not bad. That’s only a $12.50 US profit, but it’s a profit nonetheless. I then proceeded to spend my profit on mixed drinks as I enjoyed the free live entertainment. Most of the gamblers are Hong Kong businessmen (who fly over on a 15-minute helicopter ride). That must be why the casino only accepts Hong Kong currency, which I found frustrating because I had just exchanged my money for Macanese Pattacas only to find they aren’t accepted at the casinos. Most of the guests were too busy gambling to care about the live entertainment, so I got a front row seat. There were Chinese girls in poodle skirts dancing to “Love Shack” and Beyoncé, and then Las Vegas-style numbers with choreographed showgirls and a guy in a tuxedo singing Cantonese pop songs. But my favorite part was four beautiful Chinese classical musicians performing a sort of hybrid Chinese traditional/pop/rock music. One played electric violin, one electric cello, one Chinese flute, and one a stringed instrument which looks like a lute.

Nearly everyone in the casino was Chinese. Except for a table full of about ten extremely American-looking guys. Turns out they’re football players studying abroad from Minnestoa.

Most people go to Macau for the casinos. That’s why James Bond went there in “The Man With The Golden Gun”. They certainly account for most of Macau’s income. But another pleasant way to pass the time is to simply stroll through the old streets, which wind up and down hills, and past centuries-old churches, monuments, buildings, and forts.

I noticed that all around the city there are signs with an image of a dog and “W.C.” (Water Closet). I guess these are designated doggie pooping stations.

The Filipino woman next to me in the internet cafe right now (there is a sizeable Filipino minority here, probably because the Portuguese once had contacts in the Philippines as well, and because of the Catholic link) just showed me an email she received saying "You have won $1,000,000…" and asked me if I thought it was true or not.

The Dragon Boat races are coming up next week and the Macau teams are out in the harbor training. You can hear the beat of the drums as the dragon boats race around the harbor. Another sound emanating through the air is the chanting of monks at the churches high on the hills above the city.

The public parks here in Macau are full of elaborate gym equipment. People seem to care about keeping fit. Especially the elderly. They're always out exercising.

One of the restaurants I went to had "corn juice" on the menu. I just had to try it and sure enough, it tasted exactly as it sounds. Esther and I also tried some of Portugal's famous vino verde – “green wine.”