I guess a full-length bloviation on Macau won’t be coming any time soon. Brief notes, instead, follow:
I suffered four passport stamps for the journey, including a re-stamping of the half-page Hong Kong student residency stamp. I hope that doesn’t happen every time I come back in but I think it does. Ouch.
It was very cool to see mosaic sidewalks and Portuguese signage everywhere. The Macanese may be better than Hong Kong people at making sure the second-language version is available, though fewer actually speak Portuguese. This may not be as cool if you não fala Português, but it was cool for me.
Prices are quite touristy, at least on the Peninsula, even leaving aside the inconvenience of Patacas (pegged slightly under the HKD but virtually unconvertible outside of the MSAR). Egg tarts for 6 MOP? Come on.
Stanley Ho’s ailing monopoly even owns the ferry terminal. That’s pathetic. There’s a post on dysfunctional SAR politics (never mind the US, I don’t even want to read the news now) coming some time.
Many colonial buildings were painted in garish colors. Tourist guides seem to think this is a feature. I am unconvinced.
The Portuguese and Brazilian food selection is very good, though not very well priced (again).
I really didn’t get much out of the visit. I’ve heard that the islands (well, they were islands until being connected by the “Cotai” reclamation) of Taipa and Coloane are beautiful but I didn’t have the time or motivation to see them. If they are they might balance out the peninsula.
Zhuhai could be cool—I may never know since I’d have to burn a PRC visa entry to find out. Maybe as part of a longer Southern Mainland trip.
If you like to gamble I guess you could have a good time—I didn’t even look as I didn’t feel like shelling out for a locker to hold my camera and bag.
