Around Macau

We have been so overwhelmed by all that Hong Kong has to offer that we almost forgot we meant to explore other places while we were here too. Fortunately, we were able to throw together a last-minute trip to Macau, just a couple of days before Ian's parents arrived. We spent two days exploring the city and its casinos (stay tuned for the casino post, coming soon). The Portuguese influence is still apparent in the city's architecture and food. Although 95% of the population of Macau is Chinese, Portuguese is still one of the official languages and I had a great time reading signs and menus. I didn't "ultrapassar a linha amarela" but I did have a "bom ano novo." Who wants to practice Portuguese with me? Maybe we can start up weekly lunches or something.

We took our guidebook's recommended walking tour of the historic center of the city and promptly decided that Lonely Planet plans terrible walking tours. We did some wandering on our own and really enjoyed ourselves. We took so many photos of the city and the casinos that we are having a very hard time choosing just a few to post. Here are some from our walking tour:

We lucked out and arrived in Macau on the last day that Christmas decorations were displayed. The dozens of Santas and reindeers we saw were all gone the next day.

The Cathedral of St. Paul, now just a dramatic facade (with a crypt!).

Incense coils at the A' Ma temple. I'm more than a little obsessed with these. Sadly, Ian just read something that said they're incredibly toxic.

Very common throughout Asia: bamboo graffiti.

The Macau Tower, looking very much like the Space Needle. We saw some people bungee jumping off the top.

Poor Piglet, but these were insanely tasty. Don't tell Charlie.