In the beginning of May, we moved from the Philippines to Hangzhou, China. On our way, we stopped for a couple of days in Hong Kong. Since we had been to Hong Kong several times, we decided that a day trip to Macau was in order. What we had heard about Macau, is that it is mostly a gambling center, and not much else. Fortunately to our surprise, we discovered that there is a charming side to Macau in addition to the gambling. It has a rich heritage as a Portuguese port of call, and a fun set of cultural combinations to try to figure out. For instance we really enjoyed some small custards (obviously of Portuguese origin) we bought as a snack on our way down the hill. But I get ahead of myself.
We took the fast ferry from Hong Kong (Kowloon side) to Macau. It was a very smooth ride despite the weather being a bit grey and gloomy and threatening rain. We arrived at the ferry terminal and took a taxi up to the old fort, which is now a museum. It sits next to the old cathedral. The fort was to protect Macau from various parties who might wish to conquer or plunder it.
It seemed that everyone wanted to pose with the canons, and some even tried sexy poses. 
We saw several people posing in various "alluring" poses around the fort.
Inside is a nice small museum about the history and culture of Macau, complete with a mock street showing the various kinds of architecture.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting for the first time and who wants to know a little more about the history of the place.
The iconic Cathedral ruins,
were mobbed, and visible from many locations. 
It's a great place to do some people watching. This is from down the shopping street below, where we had those custard tarts I mentioned earlier. The street was an interesting mix of Chinese, Portuguese, and a few random other (i.e. British) shops thrown in. There were great little streets and alley ways to explore, unfortunately we were getting hungry for lunch, so we decided to eat. We stopped in at Restaurante Vela Latina, and had a delicious lunch, while it rained outside. 
We also happend on a house, I cannot remember whose it was in the past, but it was open as a museum, and there was a concert inside. A delightful rest from the busy hustle and bustle of tourists outside.
It also showed the architecture of the building off nicely.
We finished up our day by returning by fast ferry again to Hong Kong. I'm certain we didn't see all there is to see in Macau, but we are willing to go back and explore some more if we have the chance. An utterly delightful side trip. But since there is so much to see in China, I expect it may be a while before we get back here.
We took the fast ferry from Hong Kong (Kowloon side) to Macau. It was a very smooth ride despite the weather being a bit grey and gloomy and threatening rain. We arrived at the ferry terminal and took a taxi up to the old fort, which is now a museum. It sits next to the old cathedral. The fort was to protect Macau from various parties who might wish to conquer or plunder it.
It seemed that everyone wanted to pose with the canons, and some even tried sexy poses. We saw several people posing in various "alluring" poses around the fort.Inside is a nice small museum about the history and culture of Macau, complete with a mock street showing the various kinds of architecture.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting for the first time and who wants to know a little more about the history of the place.The iconic Cathedral ruins,
were mobbed, and visible from many locations. It's a great place to do some people watching. This is from down the shopping street below, where we had those custard tarts I mentioned earlier. The street was an interesting mix of Chinese, Portuguese, and a few random other (i.e. British) shops thrown in. There were great little streets and alley ways to explore, unfortunately we were getting hungry for lunch, so we decided to eat. We stopped in at Restaurante Vela Latina, and had a delicious lunch, while it rained outside. We also happend on a house, I cannot remember whose it was in the past, but it was open as a museum, and there was a concert inside. A delightful rest from the busy hustle and bustle of tourists outside.
It also showed the architecture of the building off nicely.
We finished up our day by returning by fast ferry again to Hong Kong. I'm certain we didn't see all there is to see in Macau, but we are willing to go back and explore some more if we have the chance. An utterly delightful side trip. But since there is so much to see in China, I expect it may be a while before we get back here.
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