Macau,
China
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Passport stamp hunters as all travellers are, Maireas and I decided to head across to Macau for the day, so we could add an additional country to the list. Plus it gave us something to do. It turned out to be worth it, as once through the ridiculously long passport control queues, (apparently a lot of people had the same idea as us!), Macau turned out to have a lot going for it. Billed as being the Las Vegas of China, Macau is a former Portuguese colony, now taken over by huge casinos. Head into the centre of town however, and you are rewarded by stunning Portuguese architecture with a Chinese twist. The pedestrianised street winds its way round, leading you to the front of a Cathedral. Just the front mind you, as the rest of the building is no longer standing, only the front remains. Its lack of pretty much the entire building, doesn't seem to put any of the tourists of however. And of course you can buy your own miniature reconstruction to take home with you. Flat-packed for your convenience!
Our trip over to Macau served another purpose for me. I finally found a dragon puppet, something I had been looking for, for ages. I had first seen them in Singapore and had been kicking myself since for not buying one. Not exactly the fanciest things in the world, but it keeps me entertained! Mainly due to the heat, we didn't spend very long walking around, and ended up doing quite a bit of people watching after Mairaes managed to pick-up a few last minute bits and pieces. After a trip to the bakery it was time for us to get the bus to the ferry port and head back over to Hong Kong.
