Macau Friends!

Welcome back bloggerrific friends. Is bloggerrific a word? Does anyone know? Does it really matter? Do fish sleep? Wait, I'm getting off track. Where was I? Oh yeah, the blog:

We're taking a bit of step out of order here and circling back to our Hong Kong trip. Specifically we're going back to Macau since we didn't hit on it before. So with that, MACAU!!!!!

During one of our days in Hong Kong, we took a trip out to Macau. Before this trip, all we knew of Macau is that it's got casinos, and apparently it's where James Bond goes to feed bad guys to Komodo Dragons. Luckily, we had Gloria's parents and their friends there to guide us. It was a lot fun to see them with their old friends. At times they almost seemed like little kids, which kind of makes sense considering how long they've known each other. You see, Auntie Teresa is Gloria's Mom's oldest and dearest friend. Their moms were close friends, and Auntie Teresa's daughters, Gemma and Maria, are Gloria's good friends too. It's generational! So, it meant a lot to be able to spend some time with her and Uncle Bosco. Here's a fun little story for you (written by Gloria): 

My mom has a bluish-dot scar on her knee that Auntie Teresa gave her when they were kids. Apparently, my sassy mom pissed her off so bad one day that Auntie Teresa just said "Eff that!" and stabbed her in the knee with a pencil! HAH! I laugh, only because my mother WOULD be that kid who'd provoke someone enough that they'd launch into full lead-assault mode.

So there you have it. Theirs is a truly special relationship. We felt really lucky to have them as our guides, and with that we set off for Macau!

All comfy and ready to go!

Macau is one of only 2 special administrative regions in China (Hong Kong being the other), and is located about an hour boat ride Southeast of Hong Kong. It is mostly known for gambling, but as we learned there is a lot more to it. But as you do in Macau, before getting to all that history stuff we headed straight to the casinos.

Like Vegas, only just a bit different

The casinos in Macau look a lot like the ones in Vegas. And they should, because they're mostly owned by the same companies. Wynn, MGM, the Venetian, etc. But it's not EXACTLY like Vegas. There was a notable lack of drunk LA dudes at the blackjack tables, and there weren't people on every corner trying to give you cards featuring various ladies of the night. Oh Vegas. You have such charm. So yeah, the Macau casino scene was a bit more subdued. But they do have some top notch entertainment. As we were walking through the Wynn we came across this golden/brown globe looking thing with lots of people standing around it. Naturally we stopped to take pictures and see what the fuss was all about.

The ceiling above the globe thingy.

A few minutes after we get there, things start happening. The music starts, and the globe opens up.

Next thing you know, this happens

Yeah. A friggin sweet dragon show. It was very cool.

I am a dragon! Rawr!

From there we made our way around to a few other casinos, which were pretty much what we expected: gambling, some artwork and other things to see, etc.

Nothing says "Come gamble here" like a giant yellow snake

Then we got to the Grand Lisboa. They took things to a whole other level. There are all sorts of very valuable/priceless items on display in cases all around the main lobby. Things like a carving of the Great Wall of China made from ivory, or huge carvings of various things made of gold. But the real clincher is the Star of Stanley Ho. Why is this guy Stanley's star such a big deal? Glad you asked. It's not a star, per se, in as much as it's a HUGE ASS DIAMOND! And by huge, I mean 218 carats. Seriously. 

Gloria loves her some metastable allotrope of carbon

This is a fountain in the lobby. Notice the gold ship on the wall in the background.

It's pretty ridiculous. We spent a solid hour wandering around in there just gaping at all the stuff on display. It's nuts. Then we stepped outside for more of our walking tour of Macau, and suddenly, what a contrast.

The building on the left is the Grand Lisboa. On the right, run down Macau businesses and homes.

Right behind the casino there are old run down buildings filled with various businesses and people's homes. In a way, it did remind us a bit of Vegas once you get off the strip. It gets pretty gritty, pretty fast. Anyway, we moved on, and this is where Macau got really interesting. As I alluded to earlier, we were about to find out Macau is much more than just casinos. Wikipedia time:

Macau was colonized by Portugal in the mid 16th century, and maintained control of the area until 1999, when control was transferred back to China. As a result, there is a ton of Portuguese influence. So much so, that at times when we were walking around it almost felt like we were in Europe. Were it not for the Chinese signage, at first glance you almost wouldn't know the difference. 

This is one of the old Portuguese government buildings

So Macau is pretty unique in that it retains a lot of its Portuguese heritage while technically being part of China. One particularly interesting facet of that is the system of government in place, even today. Uncle Bosco told us that the system was set up such that the official language of the Macau government is Portuguese, which pretty much meant that only Portuguese people could hold government positions. Even today, this policy technically remains, so the the government staff must have Portuguese speakers on hand. Also, Macau has a policy of "one country, two systems", which means that China is responsible for defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. As you can see, Macau is a pretty unique place. 

After checking out some of the more Euro looking areas, it was time for lunch!

After lunch we made our way over to a really beautiful park/garden. It's sort of hidden away in the city, but once you find it, it's pretty amazing. It's called the Jardim de Lou Lim IOC, and it's gorgeous. 

Entering the gardens

The gardens were built by in 1906 by Lou Kau, a famous Macau tycoon. Originally the gardens were built only for him, but have now been converted into a public area. Crazy to think something so huge could be for one family. It was a very serene place, with lots of plant and animal life. Oh, also this:

This man was teaching his son some martial arts. We watched them for a bit and the dad would demonstrate and then have his son follow his lead. Pretty neat stuff. Also, there were old men playing games,

and turtles!

The gardens were simply a beautiful, peaceful place to spend some time. Really nice.

Next up was a stroll through some more European looking neighborhoods, when suddenly:

This is Dasanba Street. It's a pretty famous area known for having tons of shops, especially little eateries. There were all kinds of dessert/baked goods shops and pretty much all of them were giving out free samples. We made our way along here snacking on all sorts of stuff. So so good. Then, as you're coming toward the end of the street, you see this:

This is the remains of St. Paul's cathedral. It's remarkably well preserved, but something looks a little off. Look at the archways. Notice that there doesn't seem to be anything behind them? That's because there isn't. 

The back side of the facade

Originally, St. Paul's was an entire complex of college and the cathedral. Built from 1582 to 1602 by the Jesuits, the cathedral was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia at the time. But, there was a fire during a typhoon in 1835 and the entire thing was destroyed. Everything except the facade. Today it is one of the main landmarks in Macau, and is even listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There's another one off the list!

There is also a crypt on site, where some of the bones of the clergy who lived here are stored. Really an interesting piece of history to see.

The last part of our journey in Macau was more walking around and making our way back into more central shopping and dining areas. And lest we forget we were in Asia, we were reminded by all the Chinese New Year decorations.

Daytime

Night time!

Overall, Macau was a really, really cool place. We were pleasantly surprised by all the history and varying cultures it has to offer, and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area. It was a lot of fun to see and we're glad we had the experience. Also, huge thanks to Auntie Teresa and Uncle Bosco (and Gloria's parents!) for showing us around and teaching us so much about the area. The trip wouldn't have been nearly as interesting and fun without them and we are so grateful.

We leave you with one last picture of Macau. This is one I thought was interesting, with the bright yellow building in front of a drab grey structure. Much like the rest of Macau, a study in contrasts.