The picture above announces one of the ferries I took today between Hong Kong and Macau. All in all, in between all the Companies, there might be ferries linking both cities every 5 minutes.
When Hong Kong was British and Macau was Portuguese my preference and fascination were deeply going for Hong Kong. At the time the city just left me gobsmacked. But 10 years or so after I am amazed by the way Macau negotiated its new status. Of course, casinos remain the main activity (even more than ever) and since the market was opened a few years back, the major American Vegas companies are setting up offshoots here. But what is fantastic is the way Macau retains its identity. Overall there have been links with the Portuguese for over 400 years and, as everywhere they went, the Portuguese left some interesting features without forcing them to the local inhabitants (unlike the Brits and the Frogs). It is always interesting, wether you are talking about Brazil, Cabo Verde, Angola or Macau to see how the coloniser and the colonisee kind of mixed (incuding genetically) but always voluntarily. Each side only adopting what they were interested in. For example, the Macanese adopted some Portuguese ingredients in their food habits and vice versa to create a unique cuisine. I am now about to go and enjoy the city by night (but without gambling).
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