Macau II

Macau certainly had old world charm. It was a little surreal - we couldn't tell if we were in Europe, Asia or Mexico.

Things that made the place feel European:

Old churches like this:

Or, at least church facades. The coolest church facade I have ever seen, actually! It had a mixture of Asian and European figures - dragons and virgin mary's and devils, oh my! 

Streets like this:

Piazzas and courtyards like this:

Things that made it feel Mexican - 

Beautiful buildings like this:

Forts like this:

And churches like this:

Things that made it feel like Asia: 

Speedboats like this:

Signs like this (SUPER DELUXE PREMIUM SPECIAL BUSINESS VIP LOUNGE):

Houses like this:

Casinos and hotels like this:

Streets like this:

Me like this:

The island portion of Macau is to the south of the peninsula that is attached to China. Mind you, all areas of Macau are a SAR (special administrative region), which basically means it is NOT China. No visa required, etc. What do you get when you have an island nation with the freedom to do whatever they want next to the most Chinese people anywhere? CASINOS! There are no gambling laws except that they encourage it. Here is what happens when you do that:

Venitian

Grand Canal

Grand hall?

the GALAXYYYYY

Macau verdict: charming, gaudy, Asian, and western at the same time. A unique place, really. We had some great food (see Jordan's post). One of my favorite dishes being the African Chicken (go figure). Macau has done a really good job of separating the stupid casinos from the real city, which I appreciate. They are reclaiming land at a massive rate and putting all the casinos to the south of the city. They could REALLY use public transport, which is coming in several years - we saw the intense construction undertaking. All in all a great experience, even though I lost $80 at roulette. It was my first time and I only walked away down $80! I say that was a success and I had a good time. As did Jordan.

I am sure this little corner of the world will destroy itself eventually, but I hope it takes a really long time! Also, can I tell you how weird it was to see PORTUGUESE on street signs (highway and local) in Asia?!