Day 3, Macau - History and Glitz-ery

Yesterday a group of my classmates and I went to Macau – the “Vegas of Southeast Asia” – for a mix of work and play. David and I had to leave Hong Kong for the sole purpose of then re-entering HK under our recently obtained training visas. Dominic is working for Beats Magazine (arts and entertainment) and was put on assignment to go to the Venetian Hotel and Casino to interview Jean Claude van Damme at the Thai Boxing event. Kevin, Jessica, Irma, Melinda and Adriana came along for the experience!

Macau is an island about an hour away from Hong Kong that was once a Portuguese colony. We made the trip via Turbojet boat – a quick and inexpensive way to get between HK and Macau. When we boarded the Turbojet, either by pure luck or by the fact that everyone seems a little wary of a group of potentially-swine-flu-infected-Americans, we were seated (quarantined?) in a private VIP room on the boat! We had a TV, a great view, and snack plates of little cakes and sandwiches…talk about arriving in style.

Once we arrived we set out to the oldest part of the island, the Largo de Senado (Senate Square) – the historic centre of old Macau. Being there felt almost impossible, as we took in the amazing European architecture on Chinese soil – it was like being transported to another time and place. The Sao Domingos church on the square is one of the oldest of Macau’s churches, dating from 1588. The most magnificent site of old Macau was the ruins of Sao Paulo, which sit high up on a hill overlooking the historic centre and the island. The church has been cited as the finest monument to Christianity in Asia…but apparently it has some bad feng shui. The church was destroyed by fire twice – once in 1604 and again in 1835. Now all that remains is the church façade, but it is truly magnificent.

After old Macau we were hungry and in the mood for Portugeuse food…this led us on a wild goose chase throughout the island, going from one restaurant that was full to another that was closed to another that only had a reservation available at 9:30pm. So as these things go, we found ourselves at the Crystal Lounge and Deli in the Lisboa Casino, where we inhaled french-fries and club sandwiches while the lounge singer crooned Whitney Houston tunes. Another surreal Macau experience, of a much different sort, you can imagine.

The Lisboa Casino was incredibly opulent and wonderfully ostentatious. The grand lobby had priceless Asian art on display – each item more exquisite and intriguing than the next. Also, let it be said that we are easily wowed by sparkling lights. While I have no point for comparison - having never been to Vegas - my classmates said that the Lisboa was far and away much nicer than anything they’d seen in Vegas. I’d also take waterfront-on-an-island over smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-the-desert any day.

We then made our way to the Venetian for the Thai Boxing event. The Venetian, although grand in its own right, was a big let down compared to the Lisboa – almost not flashy or swanky enough…and that’s really saying something. While Dominic was working on his story, we hung out at one of the Venetian bars to pass the time. Exhausted at the end of a long and exciting day, we took a bus back to the ferry and caught the TurboJet back to Hong Kong.

We didn’t expect to enjoy Macau so much (it seems to live in the shadow of Hong Kong…but really has a lot to offer) and we realized there was lot on the island that we didn’t get to see. We’re talking about going back for another day or for maybe a weekend so that we can explore the colonial areas and temples in the south and northeast of the island, actually eat some Portuguese food, and lose some money at the Lisboa since we didn’t gamble yesterday.

Today we are giving ourselves a break from running all over town and tonight we are going to have a potluck dinner at Francesca and Irma’s apartment (they’re living in Causeway Bay rather than in the hotel with us at North Point) – a celebration before everyone (except me and Jess) starts their internships tomorrow. My internship begins on Wednesday, so I still have some free time to explore and take it all in.

Will post Macau photos ASAP!