MACAU 2012
After our amazing time in Hong Kong, we boarded the local ferry and ventured over to Macau. After only two hours on the ferry, we arrived at yet another coastal paradise. Amazing Portuguese architecture surrounded us everywhere we went. Huge monuments that were dedicated to the saints of their time cascaded around us, and beautiful churches were intertwined along the cobblestone lined roads. It was amazing, and we definitely did not feel like we were in China. Unfortunately, Macau is now considered the "Las Vegas of the Orient", and the amazing Portuguese-influenced area is now competing with gaudy obnoxious casinos. Although Macau really did literally "glow" at night, these casinos have erased all traces of local stores, eateries, and shops. They have fallen victims to this casino monopoly and as a result the owners have packed up their dreams to pursue new prospects in the casinos. Yes, I understand that I may be completely bias against casinos, but after doing countless reports on the affects of casinos on local communities (some positive, most negative), I think that my reasons are completely valid. Case-in-point being Macau.
Another interesting matter that we experienced in Macau was the difficulty we experienced in obtaining a taxi. It seemed as though all the taxi drivers are "owned" by the casino hotels. Therefore, it was nearly impossible for us to find anyone to take us to the airport. We were completely dumbfounded by this. Not one taxi driver would even glace at our direction. After some negotiation and a large amount of bribery, we were able to get a taxi to the airport. Our theory is that the casinos pay either commission or some amount of money to the drivers in exchange for "priority pick-up" for their guests. Whatever the reason, those taxi drivers left us poor backpackers fending for ourselves on the side of the street.
Overall, if you are the type of traveler who enjoys the casino atmosphere and can gamble hours on end, then Macau definitely is the place for you. The food in the casinos was delicious and we became pretty good at playing the local penny slots :) It was just not the experience I had hoped for personally. In the end though, our trip was phenomenal. All experiences, good and bad, make traveling that much more beautiful. The positive and negative aspects that you encounter in a country make it entirely what it is. You can't expect everything to be candy-coated in your life, because that isn't realistic. You have to learn to appreciate the reality and the hardship that accompanies that country and most importantly, learn from it.
Overall, if you are the type of traveler who enjoys the casino atmosphere and can gamble hours on end, then Macau definitely is the place for you. The food in the casinos was delicious and we became pretty good at playing the local penny slots :) It was just not the experience I had hoped for personally. In the end though, our trip was phenomenal. All experiences, good and bad, make traveling that much more beautiful. The positive and negative aspects that you encounter in a country make it entirely what it is. You can't expect everything to be candy-coated in your life, because that isn't realistic. You have to learn to appreciate the reality and the hardship that accompanies that country and most importantly, learn from it.