{"id":1669,"date":"2014-05-05T21:23:44","date_gmt":"2014-05-05T21:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=1669"},"modified":"2025-04-21T21:14:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T21:14:02","slug":"whats-in-macau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/whats-in-macau\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in Macau?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is Macau Worth the Splurge?<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a quick calculation, I realized that a day trip to Macau from Hong Kong would set us back roughly \u00e2\u201a\u00ac85\u00e2\u20ac\u201djust in transport costs for two<\/em>. Whoops… this was supposed to be a budget trip! As often happens, I was torn between saving money and discovering a new corner of the planet. During the decision-making process\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich really only lasted about a minute\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI found myself wondering:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even in<\/em> Macau? Is it worth blowing the budget on this rarely mentioned destination?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well… you tell me.
Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I found in Macau:<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Futuristic scenes<\/strong><\/h4>\n

On the bus ride from Macau\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s harbor into town, I was glued to the window\u00e2\u20ac\u201dface and palms pressed against the glass, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. I could\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve sworn I had teleported to a futuristic floating city in the clouds. The mist (or was it smog?) only added to the illusion. Maybe I should ease up on the sci-fi marathons…<\/p>\n

\"Macau<\/a>
Macau in the clouds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fabulous food<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Macanese cuisine is an exquisite fusion of Chinese, Portuguese, and African influences. Think: slow-cooked comfort food spiced with chili, turmeric, cinnamon, and coconut milk. Dishes like Galinha \u00c3\u00a0 Africana<\/em> (spicy African chicken), bacalhau<\/em>, minchi<\/em>, and\u00e2\u20ac\u201dof course\u00e2\u20ac\u201dpast\u00c3\u00a9is de nata<\/em> are everywhere. Soul-warming, spice-kissed dishes uniting distant corners of the world? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly my cup of tea.<\/p>\n

\"Portuguese<\/a>
Portuguese Bacalhau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Chinese<\/a>
Chinese sweet pork jerky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"pasteis<\/a>
pasteis de nata- I preferred the Portuguese version<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unseen parallels with the old colony, Portugal<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Beyond the food, I was stunned by just how Portuguese<\/em> Macau still feels. Winding alleys, azulejo street signs, pastel-hued churches, wide boulevards, age-old fortresses, and that familiar sound of tires rumbling over cobblestones\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 It truly felt like I was back in Europe\u00e2\u20ac\u201dPortugal, just with more Chinese tourists.<\/p>\n

\"colonial<\/a>
colourful alleyways<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"colonial<\/a>
a mix of both worlds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"colonial,<\/a>
Portuguese tile murals<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"<\/a>
sunny wide boulevards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Classic Asian elements<\/strong><\/h4>\n

But just as you start thinking you’re in Lisbon, the scent of incense, a flurry of Chinese signage, the sound of slurping noodles, and the hum of photo-happy tourists remind you\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyes, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still in Asia. And what a wild, wonderful blend it is.<\/p>\n

\"Macau<\/a>
special animal parts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"<\/a>
the classic asian fan club<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"<\/a>
tricycle taxi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lots and lots of\u00c2\u00a0gambling<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Gambling has been legal in Macau for over a century, and the city is now the<\/em> gambling capital of Asia. Casinos here are bold, glitzy, and everywhere. As you stroll down the streets, you can almost hear money flying out the windows. Even if slot machines aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t your thing, the sheer extravagance of it all is worth a look.<\/p>\n

\"under<\/a>
“under the sea”- themed extravaganza at the casino<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"casinos,<\/a>
mirrored casino facade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"casino,<\/a>
lively night scene<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"casinos,<\/a>
Grand Lisboa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

A dark sea of tourists<\/strong><\/h4>\n

With dazzling casinos, Euro-Asian charm, and finger-licking food, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no surprise Macau draws crowds<\/em>. Mostly from Hong Kong and mainland China. Add to that the fact that Macau is the most densely populated region on earth (20,497 people per km\u00c2\u00b2!) and, well, you might start to feel a bit\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 compressed<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the upside: you can be as touristy as you want and nobody bats an eye<\/strong>. Snap food pics, strike silly poses, sample snacks shamelessly. Everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing it. And if you need a break, wander off the main roads\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be surprised how quickly you find calm.<\/p>\n

\"tourists,<\/a>
where’s Waldo?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Macau may not be the kind of place you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d choose as your main travel destination. But curiosity lured me in, and I left with no regrets. It might\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve cost a bit more than I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d planned, but sometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth blowing the budget just to scratch that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s over there?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d itch.<\/p>\n

Because in the end, it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about ticking off another place\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit was about being surprised, delighted, and reminded (yet again) that the best trips don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always make the most sense on paper<\/p>\n

So should you take a side trip from Hong Kong or Mainland China to visit Macau? For me, that’s a yes. What about you,<\/p>\n

Would you blow your budget to check out Macau?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post “What’s in Macau<\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is Macau Worth the Splurge? After a quick calculation, I realized that a day trip to Macau from Hong Kong would set us back roughly \u00e2\u201a\u00ac85\u00e2\u20ac\u201djust in transport costs for two. Whoops… this was supposed to be a budget trip! As often happens, I was torn between saving money and discovering a new corner of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,84],"tags":[5,33,20],"country":[],"class_list":["post-1669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-macau","tag-asia","tag-islands","tag-off-the-beaten-track","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1669"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4569,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions\/4569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1669"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=1669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}