The Grand Lisboa Casino

I think that this could possibly be the most heinous building we've ever been unfortunate to witness. Designed to look like a lotus flower to me it just looks like a mess.

Now I appreciate the importance of our stringent planning laws back home! The other unfortunate thing about it is that as it's tallest building in Macau you can see it from everywhere. If only there canons where loaded!

Liz said that it reminds her of the car that Homer once designed in the Simpsons. Here's a nicer shot at night to end on something more positive!

Non casino based activites

We've not spent all of our time in Macau gadding about in giant Vegas style casinos. There are some more cultural things to see.

The heart of whats left of old Macau is centered in the area between the old colonial square Largo do Senado and the Ruins of the Church of St Peter. The ruins are the most famous sight in Macau and are of a former Jesuit church which burnt to the ground in 1835.

The streets between the church and the old colonial square are really buzzing and atmospheric as the locals, shop keepers and tourists intermingle in the narrow streets.

The square itself is paved in exactly the same pattern as the streets in Copacabana in Rio, Brazil and reminded us of the great time we had there at the carnival in 2007.

The other main thing that we went to see was the Macau Tower.

Another building with a nick-name related to someones erection. This time the lucky recipient is Dr Stanley Ho the casino mogul. At 338m it is the 10th tallest free standing tower in the world, just piping the Eiffel Tower. We took the lift to the 61st floor but kindly refused a go on the worlds highest free fall bungee jump from the top. Some people were having a bit of a prance around the rim though.

It was here at the tower that we met our first eccentric of the trip. Embedded into the floor of observation deck are an array of toughened glass panels that you can walk over.

This poor Indian woman was having a hysteric fit about stepping on the panels. In order to show her that it was safe I started to jump up and down on the one nearest to me. This was not the wisest of moves as it resulted in me receiving a right telling off from her and being banished to the naughty step! In the end she made Liz escort her across the glass in a style reminiscent of Bamby on ice.

When we got back down the tower we saw her again . . . this time having a hysteric fit about going on an escalator! In the end her husband and I had to physically carry her up two escalators. We looked a right sight grappling with a sari clad woman on a moving staircase.

Happy Cakes!

The unofficial national desert of Macau is a little egg custardy type thing eaten hot. I'm not sure what they taste like yet but I'm really liking the little oven!

Venice?

Well we've had a very confusing day in Macau. After being in the real Venice in August we have spent the day at the Venetian a copy of the Las Vegas casino copy of Venice. All very odd!

When we were in the real Venice our hotel was directly behind this building . . .

We couldn't afford to go to the real Cafe Florian in Venice but the Cafe Florian at the Venetian Macau had some wonderful cakes and beverages at much cheaper prices! it was also less smelly and with fewer pigeons!

We spent our last few Macau Patacas having cocktails at the Bellini Lounge with a pianist playing and the fruit machines jangling. Unfortunately we haven't won big at the casino, although we did have a bit of a payout on a Chinese fruit machine. It was very confusing as all the buttons, reels and instructions were in Mandarin. We didn't understand what on earth was going on but still managed to win 30 Patacas, but then I lost it on a dice game called Sic Bo.

Off to Bangkok next if I can manage another night in the smallest hovel, sorry, hostel I have ever stayed in! Looking forward to slightly better digs in Bangkok, I think my inner traveller has gone a bit soft.

Augusters Cupboard . . . Lodge

Before we came away Liz was laying down the challenge that she would be a far more hard core traveller than I would because she had done this sort of thing before.

Well after our 3 star luxury of Hong Kong we arrived at Augusters Lodge in Macau. We instantly found out who the hard core traveller was . . . and it wasn't the wife.

To say that Augusters is small is a bit of an under statement. When the Lonely Planet describes something as "tiny" you had better belive them. In our lovely window less, flourescently lit bedroom there is barely room to open and close the door when our bags are in there. . . it's a good job we have a bunk bed!

It could be worse though, the owner laughingly showed me what he called his V.I.P sleeping quarters - two fold out camp beds in the hall/reception, right outside our bedroom door.

Personally I dont want to sound too down on Augusters Lodge as at the end of the day it's cheap accomodation, it's clean and the owner is really friendly. But then again it may just be that I'm a hard core traveller

Macau or Vegas . . . We can't tell!

On Friday we caught the jet foil boat from Hong Kong to Macau. The journey only took just under an hour.

Macau is a former Portuguese colony much like Hong Kong was for the British. The best way to describe it now is as the Las Vegas of the Orient. In fact a lot of the big Vegas casinos also have places over here. Macau is the only place in the whole of China where gambling is legal. In the evenings and at weekends the Chinese flood into the place and gamble away their hard earned yuan.

The atmosphere felt really different to Vegas. Over there it's as much about the shows and the entertainment as it is the gambling. In Macau it feels more like for the majority of the people it's only about the throw of the dice or turn of a card.

The pick of the casinos for us was the Sands and the Venetian. Its not very often that you will find something done bigger than in Vegas but the Venetian in Macau is absolutely colossal.

This is one of the side entrances!

Apparently it's the Worlds largest casino (3 times bigger than the one in Vegas) and is big enough to contain 90 Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets. Whilst we were there the Venetian was hosting the Miss International Beauty Pageant (a bit like Miss World) which meant that the place was jammed full lovely ladies. This travelling lark ain't half tough on a bloke!

We liked the Sands casino mainly for their house band. They were a really talented bunch of musicians who managed to pull off a cover of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody without it sounding cack! A rare feat indeed!

Where are we now?

p.s. It's not Venice!