Day 3: Macau

Took the ferry over to Macau which is another island that is part of China. The ferry ride was about an hour. Macau belonged to the Portuguese and then in 1999 it was given back to China. It was named after the 'Goddess of Seafarers', whose temple stood at the entrance to the sheltered inner harbor. Similar to Hong Kong it benefits from the principal 'one country, two systems'

Population: 488,000
Official languages: Chinese and Portuguese, Cantonese most widely spoken.

Macau is much more relaxed then the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. People are more laid back. Macau is know for it's casinos, similar to how Las Vegas is to the U.S. We went to the 'Sands' casino and it looked very much like the casinos in Vegas. Interesting the signs inside the casino said 'no use of video camera, camera, or no spitting', which I thought the 'no spitting' portion of the sign was interesting. The waiters come around with soft drinks, coffee, and water. Then we headed to see the female Buddha 'Kum Iam'. Some of the buildings have the bright yellow colors and styles of the Portuguese. Then went to the Macau Culture Center and walked around a bit. That's it for now....