What's Up Al ? 遊記隨筆 生活點滴

Glamorous / vulgar, over-the-top / down-to-Earth, 3,000 Dollars a throw card game / 12 Dollars a Filet-O-Fish, space-age / historical, in-your-face / mellow, opulent plush brand name shops / green gardens at the city corners, the land of make-believe / a city of deep-rooted cultural traditions - Macau (澳門) was all those and more ! Macau and the bridge-connected island of Taipa (氹仔) rewarded those (us!) who spent the time exploring, a gold mine of wonders; one would see pensioners doing their morning tai-chi routines at the city parks while croupiers walked past yawning, having done their night shifts at the many casinos; or would you wonder at the too-many jewelry shops selling all manners of expensive items from Rolex watches, diamond rings and gold necklaces, well wonder no more, these were pawned items which were never reclaimed by their losing gambling owners ! Feeling lucky today ? Well you had come to the right place - Casino Lisboa, Wynn, MGM, Starworld, Galaxy, Venetians, Parisian, City Of Dreams all couldn't wait to wring your wallets dry. Better stay put and enjoy the many spectacles on display : musical water fountains, mesmerising neon lights, the atmospheric ruins of St. Pauls's, award-winning hotel receptions with over-the-top decorations fit for ancient royals (you would feel like you had just stepped into a museum in an European city somewhere), the golden sunset on the hill top view point of Farol da Guia (東望洋燈塔) where Macau used to hoist the typhoon signs and the many not-too-subtle feng-shui inspired buildings and structures around town, all designed and constructed to draw and maximise that all-important "chi of fortune" (財氣) ! One Top Tip : the half-hourly free shows at the Wynn Macau's main entrance staging an over-the-top money tree and an in-your-face flying dragon would definitely wow you over !