Good Life Goes On

TIMEasia.com | Travel Watch 04/05/99: "Macau Awaits Its Fate, but the Good Life Goes On Illustration for TIME by Samantha Newstead By SHIRLEY BRADY Going to Macau is like having an affair. You don't so much journey there as slip away for a weekend or a day, usually as a sidetrip from a more prosaic travel experience in nearby Hong Kong. You may be charmed instantly, but you know it's only a temporary diversion. Macau's cobblestoned streets, winding alleys, pastel-hued European architecture and leisurely pace give the Portuguese colony an appealing 'Why hurry?' air. Which is odd, given that change is most definitely coming. The grande dame of local hotels, the Bela Vista, closes this week (to be remodelled as the future residence of the Portuguese consul-general). And on Dec. 20 the enclave reverts to Chinese rule. But panic is not a word in Macau's vocabulary--the handover is a done deal, so why not chill out over a glass of vinho verde? "