Photo of the Week: Different Sides of Macau

To many people, Macau means one thing: casinos. This little special administrative region of China that was both the first and last European colony in Asia, makes more money from gambling than Las Vegas. It’s a hot destination for rich mainland Chinese.

To me it was about visiting an anomaly: a territory with a curious history, a city of attractive architectural leftovers, and tasting a cuisine that fuses the best of Portuguese and Southern Chinese.

I got what I came for. Beautiful mosaic-like, pedestrian-only zones leading to churches named Lorenzo, Agostinho, and Domingos. I dined on Portuguese chicken—a Macanese specialty hot pot dish loaded with chicken, potatoes, onions, sausage, and boiled eggs in a mild coconut-based, curry-like sauce. I sat in nighttime squares lit with yellow streetlamps. I sipped good coffee and nibbled Portuguese pastries.

I also examined the other side of Macau tourism. A quick walk through the floor of Wynn Casino gave me the impression of a very serious gambling scene. No drinking—just straight up sobriety, with a little nicotine to fuel the adrenaline. Majority Chinese at baccarat, roulette, poker, and blackjack tables.

There is also today’s Macau, the city that’s 95% Cantonese/Chinese with noisy traffic, bustling markets, and great Cantonese food. A look through Red Market introduced me to dozens of fish and shellfish I couldn’t name in addition to almost every part of pig. Lin Fung Temple, far from the tourist zone in north Macau, was a great place to witness locals lighting insense and making offerings of fruit and hell money. Nearby, Lou Lim Leoc Garden is an exquisite urban sanctuary with ponds, pavilions, miniature trees, and arching bridges. There I saw a woman practicing what looked like Tai Chi with a sword.