Macau

Yesterday we went to Macau, a small island reachable from Zhuhai over a pedestrian bridge. Macau was under Portuguese control for 450 years before being ceded back to China in 1999, and is now considered a Special Autonomous Region, similar to Hong Kong (but much older). We needed our passports to get in and had to go through Chinese customs to return to the mainland. They have their own currency, the pataca, but every store and restaurant seems to accept (and prefer) the Hong Kong dollar, which is of equal value (about 12 U.S. cents each).

Macau is a city of juxtapositions, with Catholic churches and European plazas nestled just down the road from gigantic casinos awash in blazing neon. All signs are in Chinese, Portuguese and English, though very few people seem to speak or understand the latter two languages. Macanese food has strong Portuguese influences, and many dishes feature bacalhau, or dried salt cod, which is quite delicious.

Macau has always been very poor, and the gambling has been quite a boon. In fact, gambling revenues there have recently surpassed Las Vegas (although the Chinese government has had to crack down on local mainland officials going over to gamble with municipal funds). We watched a water and light show at the Wynn casino to the music of "Money Makes the World Go Around" from Cabaret. That pretty much said it all.

We are off to Hong Kong tomorrow -- more news to come!