travel
pic: R MONTY
BUZZ RECOMMENDS
WHAT TO EAT There are lots of authentic Portuguese restaurants as well as Macanese – an interesting mix of local and colonial. Stir-fried curry crab, minchi – a soy and molasses minced beef and/or pork concoction – Galinha à Portuguesa (Portuguese-style chicken) and Galinha à Africana (you can work that translation out) are among the most popular. Ou Mun Cafe and Boa Mesa come recommended. Egg tarts are also a must. WHAT TO BUY Macau offers plenty in the way of trinkets and touristy knick knacks, but edible gifts are my favourite and bakkwa, a fatty, dried pork treat that will raise your cholesterol level along with your serotonin, is great. It will survive the journey home, too. The almond cookies are pretty good and the Portuguese wine is cheap. MUST SEE OR DO Macau is a place to relax and so weather permitting you should sit in Largo Da Se and admire the beautiful Igreja Da Se. The Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral are probably the most well known tourist site in Macau and somewhat understandably. The seemingly fragile facade is all that is left after a fire ripped through it in 1835. It is overlooked by a fort built on top of the interestingly named Mount Hill.
MACAU
Rob McGovern takes the short trip across the water from Hong Kong to the previous Portuguese territory of Macau.
I
t is the age-old story of marauding Europeans looking for more stuff. The Portuguese wanted to trade with the Chinese – and did for a while – but the Chinese remained sceptical. When they received news that the Portuguese had been misbehaving elsewhere, both in China and around the region, they became a bit more hostile and began torturing and executing a few. After some raiding and pillaging from the naughty Portuguese it was decreed that, just to be safe, all Portuguese should be killed on the spot. Although a touch draconian, a couple of massacres at Ningbo and Quanzhou soon sent the Europeans fleeing to Macau. Eventually they made up and in 1557 a permanent Portuguese trade base was established there. The rest, as they say, is history. Across the Pearl River Delta, 60km from Hong Kong, is Macau. As a result of its convoluted past the city of Macau has a strange mix of colonial Europe, China and Las Vegas. Handed back to China in December 1999, Macau (also spelled Macao) is a one-hour jet ferry journey from Hong Kong. Being the only place in China with legalised gambling Macau is sometimes called the Las Vegas of Asia but, in terms of gaming revenue, perhaps they should call Las Vegas the Macau of America. The 29.5km-squared territory has a population of just 568,700. It is over 9700 times smaller than Nevada, and just under one-12th
“Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom was partly filmed here”
the size of Las Vegas. According to the CEO of the Venetian Macau, Edward Tracey, however Macau will generate four and a half to five times the gaming revenue of the whole state of Nevada – thanks to the 2.2 billion people living within a five-hour flight. If you only have a day here don’t bother with the casinos, they are huge and soulless and offer nothing in the way of the excitement seen on CSI. Instead walk around and absorb the other much more beautiful and interesting face of Macau. Get a bottle of cheap Portuguese wine, sit in one of the numerous European squares and absorb the mix of cultures. The pastel facades of the buildings are a welcome respite from the modern and shimmering waterfront of Hong Kong, which is almost certainly where you came from. The tiny region has made an impressive number of appearances on the big screen, most recently in Skyfall. Along with dozens of Hong Kong movie credits and quite a few Portuguese ones. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom was partly filmed here, as was The Man With The Golden Gun. The Cotai Strip, a connective strip of land that was reclaimed from the sea, is home to the casinos and all the hotels to house future gamblers anonymous attendees. The very plush Holiday Inn, the largest in the world, is here also and offers an excellent buffet restaurant.
Flights & Accomodation:
The largest Holiday Inn in the world, is around £220 a night – but look out for seasonal differences and special offers. A much cheaper option would be to camp at Hac Sa Beach. The easiest way to get to Macau is to take a ferry from Hong Kong. A one-way tic ?WB7F'G2g&?? *3"v?F?6?F?vFW"?WB???vWfW"??b??R&RG&fV???r??F??RGW&??r??W"&?'F?F????F??V?F??F?RV?B?b#2???R?Bg&?V?B6?vWB&WGW&?F?6?WBf?" *3??S?$f?F????r???rf?" *3Sc?&WGW&??%U??S`??