Macau: Meeting the Beneficiaries of China's Economy

I spent yesterday in Macau and the place turned out to be a bit of a revelation.  Since 2006, Macau has replaced Vegas as the world's largest gambling destination, and that's about all I figured I would see.  There's actually a lot of history and character away from the bright lights and hotel towers.  With its Portuguese roots, there are seemingly as many churches per capita in Macau as there are banks in Hong Kong.

Macau is a one-hour ferry ride (more on that in a later post) from Hong Kong that costs about $20 (US) one-way, depending on the time of day.  I took the # 3 bus from the ferry terminal (cost: about 40 cents, US) to Senado Square in the heart of town.  There's a lot of colonial Portuguese architecture and the crowds of tourists on a Sunday afternoon were a little much.  The going was so slow on some of the little streets on the way up to the Ruins of the Church of St. Paul that I took a break and headed over to one of the casinos before returning to the ruins on my way back to the ferry terminal.

Ruins of the Church of St. Paul

Senado Square

At the casino, I figured out who really benefits from the economic engine of mainland China.  I saw enough unorthodox blackjack play (standing on a 12 against a 10, splitting 7s against a 10, all against pro-house rules that you won't see in the US) and walked past a $10,000 US baccarat bet to wonder just how much of the money being made up north is winding up in the pockets of Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson.