Like Hong Kong, Macau is an exception within China. It has a different currency, as well as easier entry into its territory.
N.B.: Macau's currency is not necessarily easy to obtain, but because of its proximity to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Dollar is accepted.
Another similarity is that Macau was a European trading post: a Portuguese colony. You'll find plenty of elements in common with Brazil, but the most obvious: everything is subtitled in Portuguese.
N.B.: If everything is subtitled in Portuguese, only the older generation knows how to speak it. The new generation is oriented towards Mandarin and English. You can try your luck, as I did, but you'll find that your interlocutors will widen their eyes at the slightest hint of a complex Portuguese sentence.
Macau presents itself as a nice little break from the Hong Kong atmosphere. Personally, one day was enough for me, but if you want, you can stay a little longer (1 day and 1 night).
1. How do you go there ?
The easiest way is to take advantage of your stay in Hong Kong to visit Macau and feel the Portuguese atmosphere, just as you might find in Brazil.
Just take the ferry from Hong Kong (Sheung Wan, for example) and sail for 1h15. The last ferry to Hong Kong leaves around midnight.
Please bring your passport and proof that you have been accepted into Hong Kong.
N.B.: When you return to Hong Kong from Macau, you'll have to fill in another small customs form and present it to the police officer.
However, there are other alternatives: you can take the car or the bus, as there is a huge bridge linking the two former trading posts together.
2. A stroll through the colonial past, while respecting traditions
Like its neighbor, Hong Kong, and unlike some other former colonial trading posts, Macau is not ashamed of its past. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the city was handed back to China in 1999?
In any case, the first thing you'll notice when you arrive in the city center is that it's almost as if you were in Brazil. The Portuguese-style buildings, the azulejos, the white and black cobblestones in sea-like patterns. It's a whole new world of charm.
When you think of Portugal, you think of churches. And funnily enough, you'll find Buddhist temples, or temples to the glory of ancestors, close to these same churches.
Near the front of the Sao Paolo (St. Paul) church, for example, is a temple dedicated to a local figure who helped the population survive a serious epidemic.
My advice is: stroll through the streets of the city center and let yourself be transported back in time and beyond.
To learn more about Macau's history, don't hesitate to visit the museum inside the fort overlooking the city. You'll learn even more.
N.B.: and if you're lucky, you'll be able to visit during Macau's Golden Week, with free admission and air-conditioning.
As you stroll down Macau's steep streets, keep your eyes peeled, as the local temples are discreet and can be traversed in no time at all.
As you wander around, you'll come across locals playing Majong and other board games in tea houses and parks.
3. The bank always wins
But if Macau continues to have its own special character, it's not just because it attracts the Formula 1 Grand Prix. It's also the equivalent of Las Vegas.
Every major hotel has its own casino.
Here's a tip: if you're ever feeling hot or dehydrated, don't hesitate to head for a Casino, which opens its doors to you. Drinks are free (tea, hot water, coca cola, etc.) and the air conditioning is so strong that the air is cooled 5m before you enter the Casino.
Inside, you'll be able to admire, or rather feel sorry for, the spectacle of numerous pensioners playing their pensions all day long.
N.B.: As mentioned above, Macau aims to be Las Vegas, so you'll find Venetian attractions and the like. But the most surprising attraction is the Roman ruins of an amphitheatre. If it's a little disconcerting, don't worry, it's all fake.
4. And what about the food in all of this ?
The food combines both local and Portuguese dishes. You'll find cod and other dried and salted seafood. (Special mention should be made of the dried octopus that can be smelled all over the street). On the sweet side, you'll find Pastéis de Nata.
If you'd like some addresses, go and enjoy a good bowl of noodles or curry rice, for cheap, with the locals, a stone's throw from the fortress, in an old colonial housing estate.
If you fancy a Pastel de Nata, one of the best is Koi Kei Bakery. You'll find a stall not far from Sao Paolo.
If you're like me, and don't really enjoy this dessert, I recommend the Japanese shop Pablo, which makes good pies. It too is located not far from Sao Paolo.
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