The many faces of Macau

Malay Mail Online WHEN I told my colleague Meera that I was going to Macau, she said: “Vijaya, don’t bother coming back if you hit the jackpot.” Typical of Meera, given her mercurial sense of humour at times and, with my luck, well... all bets were off. I knew fully well that I would be back to write this article. To many, Macau is a gambling haven. To Discovery Channel buffs, Macau is more than just its casinos. They know of its Portuguese influence. Then there are those who remember Macau for its raffish atmosphere, complete with warring gangsters. And for those who don’t know about Macau, it’s a former Portuguese patina made up of two southerly islands – Taipa and Coloane – and a compact peninsula which dangles off Guangdong province on the Chinese mainland into the South China Sea. Hong Kong is just a 65-km swim away.