Macau + Victoria Peak
I took the 40km ferry to Macau today.
Basic info on Macau is: Former Portuguese colony, handed back to the Chinese in 1999 just a couple years after Hong Kong was handed back by Britain and it is now the Macau SAR with a very similar political status to the Hong Kong SAR. Macau was the first established European port in Asia, long before Britain gained Hong Kong. I thought this was just a simple ferry ride, but you get your passport stamped on departure from Hong Kong & on entry to Macau and vice versa too. I had no idea I actually had to go through immigration. I’m getting really good at filling out entry forms for customs now…
The reason most people come to Macau now is for the casinos, the Las Vegas of the East. I walked by them on the way to and from the ferry terminal, that’s all on that. Central Macau looks very much like Portugal, except everyone there is Chinese. The stone streets some with mosaic patterns on them remind me very much of Portugal.
The ruined Sao Paulo cathedral sits on top of a hill near the town centre and is quite impressive even though the front is all that remains.
I wandered around the back streets, some of which looked like they were taken straight out of Portugal, but were full of traditional Chinese medicinal shops. I found Portuguese custard tarts too… Ate a turtle casserole for dinner which was bloody hard with chopsticks! The city is a remarkable mix of Portuguese and Chinese creating a very interesting place, quite different than the British influenced and now incredibly international Hong Kong.
Upon arrival back in Hong Kong I caught the end of the skyline light show for the 3rd time, this time from the ferry, I noticed it was significantly less smoggy today and decided to take the tram up to Victoria peak to see the view. The peak is the highest point on Hong Kong island at 1800ft. Great view from above, it was still hazy but part, possibly a lot of that was the weather, extremely humid the temp was reaching the dew-point and during the time I spent out on the observatory my shirt collected some moisture! This picture doesn’t really do it justice…
Here’s a comparison of the smog level..
Now I’m eating one of the custard tarts I bought in Macau and deciding what to do here tomorrow, which will be my last full day in Asia…
Tags: Hong Kong, Travel
Adam
Hi Adam, just wanted you to know how much I am enjoying following your travels.
Sounds like the experience of a lifetime! Stay safe-Krista
Hong Kong isn’t actually that international, depending on what you mean by that. Get away from where all the expats and tourists hang out and you’ll get stared at like places outside of Taipei in Taiwan. It just means people are curious about you because they don’t see many foreigners in that area.
As for Macau, while most people go there for the casinos, I only stepped inside one once of the many times I visited. There’s a lot of history there that is best soaked up walking through the streets and in the parks. Mecanese food is also a highlight not to be missed — a fusion of Chinese, Indian, African, and Portuguese cuisines.