There are so many layers to this historic city; hundreds of years of (mostly) laid-back Portuguese oversight mingling with influences from other Portuguese colonies in Africa, Malaysia, India and Brazil, mixed in with the majority Chinese population = a unique blend of cultural and culinary diversity.
Not a whole bunch of English-language books out there about it though, except travel guides. So, I picked one of them…and I do believe it was one of the most pleasant travel guides I’ve ever read. So nice…let’s go and get some egg tarts…
Strolling in Macau by Steven K. Bailey
Macau has been a haven for casino gambling (and other assorted vices) for a very long time, but since the handover back to China in 1999, it’s become known as “The Las Vegas of Asia”. Make of that what you will. The author does acknowledge the impact of the gaming industry and the fact that most visitors are just popping over from Hong Kong on the ferry for a few hours of Blackjack, but that’s not what this book is about.
Part very enjoyable history lesson, this is a guide book to walking the three islands that make up Macau. All of the routes sound so pleasant and interesting, and the author has such a friendly and descriptive style; I could almost smell the incense in the temples and see the tiled streets. One caveat: it was published in 2007, and with the rate of casino construction, large-scale bridge-building and land reclamation, some of the itineraries laid out in the book might not even exist anymore. Do a little extra research before heading out…
.JPG "Rua do Caetano (Macau)")
(image by By English: Abasaa 日本語: あばさー (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
