With one forty-minute boat ride, I was able to scratch three cities off my list. Last weekend, we took the high-speed ferry from Hong Kong to Macau.Macau is a sister city to Hong Kong. Well, kind off. They were both colonies of European powers until they were each handed back to China a few years ago.
But, the similarities stop there. Macau’s history goes back almost 400 years, instead of Hong Kong’s 150. Also, Macau was colonized by the Portuguese, not the British, so it has a slightly different vibe to it. Macau is a fraction of Hong Kong’s size.
And most significantly, Hong Kong has limited its gambling to two large horse tracks and a scattering of Off Track Betting establishments while Macau has decided to go for broke. Macau is attempting to make itself the destination for gambling. So far, its’ working. Macau now surpasses Las Vegas in annual earnings.
The most famous casino in Macau is probably The Venetian. The exterior evokes Venice and comes complete with a full-size Campanile from St. Mark’s Square. But it is the interior of The Venetian that makes it a must-see destination. The casino is a large, multi-level building -it is actually the fifth largest building in the world if measured by square footage. Snaking it’s it way through the interior of the whole complex is an artificial waterway with multiple arched bridges, gondolas, and gondoliers in striped shirts and flat straw hats. For an exorbitant amount, you can actually take a twenty-minute gondola ride through The Venetian.
We settled for some pictures.
Macau: check.
Vegas: check. (ah, close enough)
Venice: check. (my pictures are a little fuzzy -no one will be able to tell the difference)
-Jack
How much did I gamble during our one-day visit to Macau? Not a single pataca.
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