Today we'll spend the day in Macau with Mom's friends Betsy and Frank. We meet first at Wan Chai station near the Southorn Playground (修頓遊樂場).
Dad remembers this as just being a stretch of dirt ground. A morning fan dance/tai chi class is going on in one corner. The "THWACK!" from all the fans closing echoes across the playground.
Macau is west of Hong Kong and it takes about an hour ferry ride to get there. It's known for it's many casinos and Portuguese influence as it was the first and last European colony in Asia.
We go to City of Dreams (新濠天地) first, one of the newer casinos for the Dragon's Treasure show. We enter a domed standing theatre where animated projections are all around us.
We take a walk through the Venetian and Galaxy hotel and casinos and have lunch.
We check out the Ruins of St. Paul (大三巴牌坊), the facade of a 17th century cathedral that is one of Macau's major landmarks.
Macau is also known for their pork chop sandwichs (豬扒包) and egg tarts. Hong Kong egg tarts are probably descendants of the Portuguese custard tart. We try some from Lord Stow's Bakery and it's the perfect hybrid of the two. It has the flaky crust and appearance of the Portuguese custard tart, but the filling tastes like the mild sweetness of the Chinese egg tart. Chinese people don't like things too sweet.
