Day Trip - Macau

In order to activate our work visas, we had to leave Hong Kong. On the advice of our friends and our guidebooks, we chose to go to Macau. We hopped on a ferry and after about an hour and a half of rough seas, we were there.

We walked around for a little while, mostly past the casinos, before stopping for lunch. The casinos didn't seem that impressive, but, to be fair, we never went in any of them. They seemed like the kind you'd find in Henderson (just outside of Las Vegas). They were building a new one. It looked like a fifty story turnip (with the greens gracefully billowing into the sky).

Since we weren't impressed, we went to lunch at a Portuguese restaurant. Either the Portuguese have horrible food, or those who settled Macau had horrible taste. Everything was either stewed in its own blood or stuffed with sausages and its own blood. The french fries were fabulous, though. [Katrina adds here: after much debate, and turning down the blood, I opted for the rice and seafood dish which was like a Spanish Paella. Fabulous, and since it was already 3pm by the time we ate, I devoured it. All sorts of fun tentacle bits and a tasty Mediterranean-tomato sauce. I was assured, no soy sauce and no pork!]

We found the historic district after lunch. This was the fun part of the day. The Largo do Senado (Pictured to the left) was beautiful. They've kept up the old buildings and kept the original street (if it's new, they kept the old style). It still had the feel of an old colonial main street, with the imposing buildings lining the street with their names carved in the stone above the grand entryways. [By far, the most picturesque part of Macau!]

We found our way to the Ruinas de Sao Paulo next (see left ). This is the front facade of the oldest church in Macau. The architecture was impressive. The rest of the church burnt down some time ago, and so did the building that they built after that. Now, they have parts of the original foundation on display under glass.

The sight of the ruins with the construction of casinos off in the distance is rather an interesting sight (and commentary!). I wonder if any of the casinos have a replica of these ruins built inside them so the tourists don't have to leave the tables to see the sights of Macau?

- Ryan