HK: Macau

On our fourth and final day we had intended to go to Shenzhen, the border city in China. A dear Chinese friend of mine whom I taught on my mission lives there. We'd been told you didn't need a visa to go since it's right on the border, but you did and we couldn't arrange one in time. I hope our paths will cross while we are living here.
We decided to go to Macau for the day since we likely wouldn't have the time on a subsequent Hong Kong trip. Macau is a former Portuguese colony. It is a little over an hour each way on the ferry. Wikipedia once again comes to my rescue: "Macau was both the first and last European colony in China.^[8][9] Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and theBasic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.^[10] Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy,immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events."

We decided last minute to go there so we didn't have a plan and were a little "walked out", so we hopped on this pedi-cab. You get bombarded with all sorts of tour offers when you exit the ferry terminal. We've never been on one before. It was fun and Samara loved it, but you feel a little guilty when he gets off and limps.


First stop--Fishermans' Wharf. He was so nice and took lots of pictures for us at the first stop. He didn't speak english and I couldn't help but giggle every time he made us stop at another spot for a photo.

Macau is famous for its casinos. After did our little tour with him, we ate then walked around quite a bit and didn't know where we were. We ended up at a swanky casino and the bellman was really nice and told us to go in and get a shuttle coupon for a free ride back to the ferry terminal. Apparently, you can get a free shuttle to and from the terminal to any of the casinos so that's good to know if you get lost and end up near one or just want to see one. The Venetian is there and if we would have had more time we would have checked it out.

Next stop on the pedi-cab was St. Paul's ruins. The Church of Mater Dei was destroyed by fire in 1835 but this facade still remains and is a tribute to the Jesuits' heritage of Macau. Mr photographer driver had to wait by the bike so no more family photos.


Macau has a European feel but it also felt distinctly Asian. The signs were all in Portuguese and Chinese.

We parted ways with our friend at the Senado Square, the heart of the city.

I love this building!

The Senado square is paved in a wave-patterned mosaic of colored stones. It was a great pedestrian area and we even got some gelato!

The local cuisine. Gelato was more our speed.

This is a fascinating (and seemingly ancient) temple we stumbled upon in our lost wanderings.


I loved this building, though I'm not sure what it was. There really was quite a bit more to see. A full day would have been perfect for Macau...unless you're a gambler and want to test your fortune in the casinos.

We arrived home around midnight. Samara woke up when the plane landed and when we pulled into our condo she said, "Mom, I liked Hong Kong. I wanna go there again, ok?"