Portuginese!

Macau was something of a surprise. After three months in China at the beginning of the year, I had a fairly good idea of what to expect from a Chinese city. Macau was nothing like that.

01 China or Portugal?

For a start, it's clean. Not just clean, but really clean. I think it ranks second only to Singapore as the cleanest in Asia, and even that's a close run thing. There are litter bins everywhere, and people actually use them! The Chinese here don't spit, which I found almost unbelievable. And there are pavements. Not just pavements, but pavements free from any obstruction. Usually, the pavement is just another place to park your bike, or a lane free from traffic, but here you can actually walk along them without fear for your life or having to step out into the road every few yards. It was quite nice.

02 again...

Aside from the cleanliness, Macau is a strange blend of Asia and Europe. A former Portugese colony, the older parts of the city could easily be mistaken for somewhere in the mediterranean were it not for the numbers of Chinese in the streets. The newer areas seem much more in common with mainland China. Where the two meet is often very distinct. Some streets seem typically european on one side, and typically Chinese on the other. You can find noodle shops next to bakeries selling delicious portugese egg custard tarts. Even the fishing communities on Taipa, the island just to the south of Macau, reflect these differences. Taipa town comes across as a Chinese imitation of a mediterranean coastal town, whereas Coloane really seems like it should be in that part of the world.

03 Church facade

The big draw for most visitors to Macau are the casinos, gambling being illegal in most parts of China. I don't really see the apeal myself, but it was worth a visit to one of these towers of neon. It was quite funny; everything is very extravagant and they try to maintain an atmosphere of exclusivity, yet it seems anyone can just walk in off the streets so long as they're not wearing sandals. Sandals and socks, that classic look, is apparently okay. The insides are as fancy as you would expect, but for some reason they don't allow you to take pictures.

What with the museums, the casinos and the strange blend of eauropean and asian design, there was enough to keep me occupied for a few days here.         

04 Pointy tower at night

05 Neon casinos

06 I agree

07 Gleaming bridges