Macau is a two-faced city. Being colonized by the Portugese from the mid 1500's up till 1999, it is rich in history and houses great fortresses and cathedrals, and most of its buildings' architecture is uniquely Mediterranean. The surroundings are clean and tranquil, with a population of slightly more than a mere 500,000.
But then it is no mystery why you don't really see people on the streets. The reason is simple and clear - they are all in the 28 casinos scattered all over Macau. That's right. Macau is home to 28 casinos although its total area is only 28.6 km²! But that's what they depend upon for their economy : tourism, much of it geared towards gambling.
2 of Macau's American casinos : The MGM Grand Macau and Sands. I passed by the much-talked-about Venetian, which is Macau's biggest casino (and is still expanding), and it was just... WHOA! Beautiful! Unfortunately I didn't get to snap pictures of it...
At the Fiserhman's Wharf/Babylon Casino. We weren't allowed to snap photos inside the casino itself.
On the streets of Macau (top) ; view of the Macau-Taipa bridge (bottom)
The Pink Building and a cathedral, very much signifying Macau's colonization by the Portugese for 5 centuries.
The facade of the ruins of St Paul's Cathedral. It felt as though I was in Rome! SO breathtaking.
Atop the Fortaleza do Monte (Monte Fort).
View of Macau from the 58th floor of the Macau Tower (which, at 338m, is the 10th-tallest freestanding structure in the world).
Some of Macau's food specialties : Portugese egg tarts, dried meat and pork-chop bun. HONESTLY, i didn't see the big hoo-ha about them all. The Portugese egg tarts in Ipoh taste just about the same as those over there! And the pork-chop bun was so dry and tasteless. no big deal!
Overall, Macau is quite an interesting city, but unless you are an avid gambler, I think a one-time visit is sufficient... you know, just to take a look around and see what it's like. Other than that, there's really nothing much to do, the food isn't that great and you can forget about shopping while you're there!
