I feel so lucky to live in Guangzhou, an interesting city in itself, in close proximity to bustling Hong Kong, with lots of convenient transport links to other locations in China as well as further afield. Within a two-hour train journey from GZ you can find yourself walking around a special and unique place...MACAU
This place is truly one-of-a-kind. On my first visit there, last summer, I was very impressed with the city's architectural variety, a right mixture of styles and textures. One minute you're walking up a steep, narrow lane lined with tall, old houses, the next you stare in awe at Macau's most famous attractions: casinos.
I'm still unsure as to Macau's political status: is it an autonomous region or part of China?As a foreigner, I don't need a visa to enter it and as far as I know my residence permit allows me to stay there for up to 6 months whereas my Chinese husband needs a special pass just to be able to stay in Macau for 7 days! Ironic, isn't it? I don't understand the intricacies of this whole system but in my case, the requirement of a special pass and limited stay is actually good as otherwise God knows how many times we'd travel there and, most likely, lose money.
Macau is most known for its glamorous, ostentatious, over-the-top casinos, attractions in themselves, particularly the famous The Venetian, with built-in canals and specially constructed imitations of Venetian streets with houses, shops and restaurants. After reading about it, keen on going to a casino first time in my life(yes,really!)I really wanted to see all this tacky splendour for myself and so there we were, as if back in less-smelly, free of damp and brighter version of Venice. I honestly couldn't believe the extend of the owners imagination! It was somewhat surreal, pleasant nonetheless. I thoroughly enjoyed walking along halogen-lit canals, watching the gondolas pass by and listening to, what seemed like, gondolieri trained in opera classics! I said it was surreal! The Venetian has a lot more to offer than just gambling tables, although there are PLENTY of those. I must have spend two hours just wandering the lanes lined with lots of, less or more known but always expensive, shops and restaurants. That's also where you'll find the popular Lord Stow's Portuguese tarts(and yes, they truly are divine, much tastier than the ones you buy from other street bakeries).
Full and with eyes full of sparkle, we entered the casino. Scary is the first word that came to my mind. Lost was the second. Neither I nor my husband knew how to play any of the games. Not only did we feel confused by their names and the look of them but we were also put off by the entry price - often no less than 300 Macau dollars! Just to participate!I can safely say I am not a gambler, I hope my husband isn't either(he hasn't shown any inclinations so far)but as we were already there, we felt it would have been silly to leave without even trying. And so after wandering around puzzled and confused we finally found ourselves at the Russian roulette table. As easy as it gets. Long story short, we walked out with more money than we came in with, which is always good:)
Macau is not just casinos though, although many a mainland Chinese could argue with you. Majority of them come here for a day, perhaps with an overnight stay in a budget hotel, and are perfectly satisfied with sticking to the planned itinerary based around a shuttle to and from the casino. And that's fine. Me, being me, I wanted to see more, at least scratch the surface of what kind of place Macau is. Naturally, I stood on the steps outside the St.Paul's cathedral's ruins, I climbed the fortress hill and admired the, admittedly, not-so-amazing view of Macau(unfortunately the undoubtedly once beautiful landscape is now spoilt by lots of really unattractive, concrete blocks), tried the egg tarts, dried meats and even the astonishingly overrated pork bun(dry bread-crumbed piece of meat in between two fried slices of bun anyone?)but didn't want to stop at that.
The first day of our stay was unbearably hot but still we braved the heat and walked around the pretty Old Town(on UNESCO's heritage list, I believe), posing for pictures in front of colonial buildings and resting on stone benches next to numerous refreshing fountains. Even though I always research the location and try to have some sort of idea of what we should see, some places are made for exploring and in my opinion, Macau is exactly that kind of destination. I particularly enjoyed a visit to Mandarin's House, a skillfully restored old residence. The house is located in a lovely, quiet neighbourhood, close to an ancient A-Ma Temple and Macau Maritime Museum.
I loved exploring the narrow alleys, tiny bakeries and private art studios. All in all it was a lovely weekend, pictures from which you can see here(just scroll down to gallery titled MACAU)
I'm still unsure as to Macau's political status: is it an autonomous region or part of China?As a foreigner, I don't need a visa to enter it and as far as I know my residence permit allows me to stay there for up to 6 months whereas my Chinese husband needs a special pass just to be able to stay in Macau for 7 days! Ironic, isn't it? I don't understand the intricacies of this whole system but in my case, the requirement of a special pass and limited stay is actually good as otherwise God knows how many times we'd travel there and, most likely, lose money.
Macau is most known for its glamorous, ostentatious, over-the-top casinos, attractions in themselves, particularly the famous The Venetian, with built-in canals and specially constructed imitations of Venetian streets with houses, shops and restaurants. After reading about it, keen on going to a casino first time in my life(yes,really!)I really wanted to see all this tacky splendour for myself and so there we were, as if back in less-smelly, free of damp and brighter version of Venice. I honestly couldn't believe the extend of the owners imagination! It was somewhat surreal, pleasant nonetheless. I thoroughly enjoyed walking along halogen-lit canals, watching the gondolas pass by and listening to, what seemed like, gondolieri trained in opera classics! I said it was surreal! The Venetian has a lot more to offer than just gambling tables, although there are PLENTY of those. I must have spend two hours just wandering the lanes lined with lots of, less or more known but always expensive, shops and restaurants. That's also where you'll find the popular Lord Stow's Portuguese tarts(and yes, they truly are divine, much tastier than the ones you buy from other street bakeries).
Full and with eyes full of sparkle, we entered the casino. Scary is the first word that came to my mind. Lost was the second. Neither I nor my husband knew how to play any of the games. Not only did we feel confused by their names and the look of them but we were also put off by the entry price - often no less than 300 Macau dollars! Just to participate!I can safely say I am not a gambler, I hope my husband isn't either(he hasn't shown any inclinations so far)but as we were already there, we felt it would have been silly to leave without even trying. And so after wandering around puzzled and confused we finally found ourselves at the Russian roulette table. As easy as it gets. Long story short, we walked out with more money than we came in with, which is always good:)
Macau is not just casinos though, although many a mainland Chinese could argue with you. Majority of them come here for a day, perhaps with an overnight stay in a budget hotel, and are perfectly satisfied with sticking to the planned itinerary based around a shuttle to and from the casino. And that's fine. Me, being me, I wanted to see more, at least scratch the surface of what kind of place Macau is. Naturally, I stood on the steps outside the St.Paul's cathedral's ruins, I climbed the fortress hill and admired the, admittedly, not-so-amazing view of Macau(unfortunately the undoubtedly once beautiful landscape is now spoilt by lots of really unattractive, concrete blocks), tried the egg tarts, dried meats and even the astonishingly overrated pork bun(dry bread-crumbed piece of meat in between two fried slices of bun anyone?)but didn't want to stop at that.
The first day of our stay was unbearably hot but still we braved the heat and walked around the pretty Old Town(on UNESCO's heritage list, I believe), posing for pictures in front of colonial buildings and resting on stone benches next to numerous refreshing fountains. Even though I always research the location and try to have some sort of idea of what we should see, some places are made for exploring and in my opinion, Macau is exactly that kind of destination. I particularly enjoyed a visit to Mandarin's House, a skillfully restored old residence. The house is located in a lovely, quiet neighbourhood, close to an ancient A-Ma Temple and Macau Maritime Museum.
I loved exploring the narrow alleys, tiny bakeries and private art studios. All in all it was a lovely weekend, pictures from which you can see here(just scroll down to gallery titled MACAU)