Macau
is a really interesting place, being that it just went back to China as well. However, instead of being a colony of England, like Hong Kong, it was a colony of Portugal. So, interestingly, the architecture of Macau was all in the style of Portugal. Different money system, and, practically a different country from China, still set it apart as it tries to be unified with China. There is still a strict immigration control point, that divided Macau from China.
We decided to travel to Macau when we found out how close it actually was to Hong Kong . All you have to do is get on a fast jet foil boat, that is exactly like a plane on the inside, and you’re there in an hour! It was really funny, because we had to go through customs and everything right when you got off the boat. When we arrived, we took a taxi to St. Paul ‘s old ruins of a church. Passing McDonald’s with Chinese characters along the way. Seeing the ruins of this old church was really cool, since only the front is still standing. From there we wandered around to find a nice place to eat. We found a great little outdoor restaurant, and had a filling lunch while watching the passer-byers.
We also went to an old fortress that still had the cannons, along with a great view of China across the river, and the city. We made the rounds of the local temples and such, and then took a taxi to the border control between Macau and China . There is a window (outdoor) that lets you see China on the other side. After the control point, we went to a Casino. Casino’s are illegal in Hong Kong, but Macau allowed them, so we went in. Of course, being warm, I was wearing shorts, so I was denied entry. So, we went across the street to buy some pants–for $3– Macau is very cheap! We went in, and I spent just $10 on doing different stuff. It was a cool experience because I had never gambled before. We then spent the evening there, and ate at the McDonalds (just to add to my list of eating at a McDonald’s in every country). We then boarded the boat for a quick trip back to Hong Kong . The next day we were flying to Singapore.