Macau Travel Guide

Modern-day Macau is turning itself into a bigger, brighter, flashier Las Vegas. Locals will tell you that their Venetian is bigger than its Vegas counterpart, and it has its own MGM, Wynn, and a host of other familiar names. They'll boast about their slick restaurants like 8 in the Lisboa. So while you still have a chance, see old Macau, they way Wong Kar Wai might have seen it if In the Mood for Love had been set in 1960s Macau and not Hong Kong. Check out the old neighborhood bordered by the Senado square, avenida de AlemeidaRibiero, rua do Visconde Paço de Arcos and rua das Estelagans. The little food shops, the hardware stores, the market (check out the food court upstairs), the temple... If you're lucky enough to stumble on the street vendor serving clay hot pots filled with broth, tofu and veggies in simmering broth on little tables on a stretch of Estelgans, don't hesitate, just sit down and enjoy. If it weren't for the odd mobile phone shop, you could easily believe that nothing has changed in 50 years.

Great ruins of St-Paul. All that remains of the greatest of Macau's churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East where missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Beijing as astronomers and mathematicians. The church, made of taipa and wood, was brilliantly decorated and furnished, according to early travelers. The facade of carved stone was built in 1620-27 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola.

Macau is must see when you are travelling within HongKong. It's a chinese territory that still holds the influences of European flavor. It's a world where you see the chinese and Portuguese culture blended into one. There is still an edifice of an old Church that still stands supported by steel scaffolding behind and a fort that was once used to fend off enemies attacking the island. Cannons are still displayed within the forth, and when you reach the top of the climb of the fort you will see a splendid view of the city. The tower where you can go bungee jumping can be seen from the top of the fort.