"AN EXPERIENCE I WOULD GO BACK FOR ANYTIME!" Concelho de Macau by I-Believe-I-Can-Fly

Macau is made up of 3 islands - the Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane and linked by the Nobre de Carvalho and Friendship Bridge.

Today Macau had been handed over to China by Portugal, but Portuguese influence can be found throughout the eclave even today as buildings, street names, cuisine, customs, beliefs, language and the people themselves bear connections to the empire. On Peninsula, there are remnants that date back to the early 16th century.

Macau is only 1 hour ride by jetfoil from the cosmopolitan Hong Kong, but the pace of life in Macau is definitely more relaxed and locals are warm and friendly.

With 95% of Chinese population, this ex-Portuguese colony is has an eclectic mix of western and eastern civilisations. Religion plays an important roll of Macanese life. The history of Macau's churches is built on the Portuguese expectation of the eclave to function not only a trading post but also the bastion of Christianity.

Macau and gambling are difficult to be separated. Most visitors come to Macau are drawn by the magnetic appeal of the neon signs hanging outside the enclave's gambling houses. But I had my very personal reason to visit Macau.

As a little kid I was sent to Portuguese school and church. Every evening grandma, my younger brother and myself enjoyed walking around the old town square, the only part in my hometown that has many European-style buildings. Grandma also an expert in making egg-tarts, it tasted exactly the same as I ate in Macau! I miss Grandma!

So watching the world goes by in Leal Senado Square while eating Portuguese egg tarts remind me of my happy childhood days with grandma, an experience I would go back for anytime!