Macao

The turbojet ferry from Hong Kong to Macao takes just over an hour. Macao, a former Portuguese colony, still has a lot of Portuguese atmosphere. You can feel the colonial history in the architecture and the food, and the street and shop signs are bilingual Portuguese-Chinese.

It was raining hard when I arrived, but it soon cleared up, and it was going to be a hot day. Circling the old center, climbing the steps to the fortress, looking for shade in a beautiful Loc Lomo park, with lotus flower ponds, old people playing chess, couples and families escaping the city heat. Macao is much more laid back than Hong Kong, a welcome change of pace. I returned to busy Hong Kong the same evening, and mingled again with the millions...