Overview

Sixty kilometres west across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong lies the former Portuguese enclave of MACAU. Occupying a peninsula and a couple of islands of just twenty-six square kilometres in extent, Macau's unique atmosphere has been unmistakeably shaped by a colonial past – predating Hong Kong's by nearly three hundred years – which has left old fortresses, Baroque churches, faded mansions, public squares, unusual food and Portuguese place names in its wake. As a place to play rather than do business, Macau is also decidedly laid-back compared with Hong Kong, but what really defines the territory – and draws in millions of big-spending tourists from Hong Kong and, increasingly, the mainland – are Macau's abundant casinos, the only place in China where they have been legalized. The colossal gambling income generated is currently funding a local economic boom, with the ongoing construction of high-rise hotels, flyovers, bridges and large-scale land reclamation, all forever changing Macau's appearance.

Considering that costs are a good deal lower here than in Hong Kong, and the ease of travel between Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau, it's a great pity not to drop in on the territory if you are in the region. A day-trip from Hong Kong is possible (tens of thousands do it every weekend), though you really need a couple of nights to do the place justice. Another reason to visit is the extremely low airfares to Singapore and Bangkok – what might be the first signs of Macau positioning itself as a bargain gateway to the rest of Asia, next to the expense of travelling from Hong Kong.

The Macau currency is the pataca (abbreviated to "MOP$" in this book; also written as "M$" and "ptca"), which is worth fractionally less than the HK dollar, and basically equivalent to the Chinese yuan. HK dollars (but not yuan) are freely accepted as currency in Macau, and a lot of visitors from Hong Kong don't bother changing money at all.