Macau

The old town of Macau is quite pretty, but my goodness the Portuguese could have tried building straight roads instead of settling for a cornucopia of twisting streets. There is, however, a lot of well used public squares (not square) dotted all over the place.

My fear of heights was tested by climbing to the top of the Ruins of Saint Paul's, and the Mount Fortress. Worth it for the views, but my heart was in my throat most of the time.

A free bus took me to The Venetian, which is an extraordinary place. The gaming floor is just like every other casino, but the indoor malls were sublimely kitsch. There was even a gondola ride (and the young ladies that operated them also sung the most angelic operatic odes). I was laughing almost constantly, drawing some very strange looks.

Another free bus to The Sands, boring. A bus that I thought was going to the ferry terminal ended up taking me to the north-west corner of the peninsula. A taxi ride later I was at the Grand Lisboa, a building which dominates the Macau skyline. I lost 500 Honk Kong in quick order, and went to the bar for a beer. This coincided with a free burlesque show, which was odd.

Across the road to Lisboa Casino, a bit run down, then a walk down the side streets. I was starting to feel a bit unsafe, so got a taxi to the ferry, and back to Hong Kong. Bought a free bottle of Glenfidich for about AUD20, not bad.