Church Seekers & Gamblers’ Heaven in Macau
Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong. Then where should the fans of this fate fight? Macau with an area of 29 sq km was transformed into a heaven on earth for them. Gambling is indeed legalized in Macau, so those of you who come there only need to invest money and hope to the god of luck. Macau is indeed quite far for those who want to gamble, fortunately now there are trusted online gambling in Indonesia. No need to go far to Macau, just use your cellphone, you can directly access the live casino on your cellphone and bet freely there. Choose a trusted online gambling site, which usually has the most complete gambling options such as online casino, judi slot, poker, and sportsbook.
Macau is the Portuguese pronunciation of the local dialect A Ma Gao which means temple of A-Ma. This is a place of worship for local people before the Portuguese colonizers came in the 1550s. The people themselves call this area Ou Mun. Since being handed back to China in late 1999, Macau has been transformed into a gambling location to rival Las Vegas. With 29 giant casinos and hundreds of nightlife spots, Macau is a magnet for those who want to try their luck from Hong Kong, mainland China and other parts of the world.
Macau has an international airport, but Hong Kong residents usually go to Macau using the fast Turbo Jet Ferry from the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan. The ticket price is HK$172. The ferry departs every 15 minutes for 24 hours. However, between 00.00-06.00, the ferry departs once an hour.
When we bought tickets, it turned out that many people gave hand codes. Apparently, a lot of touts were standing around the counter. They offer tickets at a discounted price, HK$150, but who can guarantee, we don’t even care. After an hour’s journey, we arrived in Macau at 20.00 local time.
The glitter of the giant casinos makes the night sky in Macau turn red. Casino buildings vary in shape to attract gamblers. Some look like emperor palaces, giant light bulbs, Tibetan palaces, or dragon mouths. Just got off the ferry, and some people were handing out flyers. The content is an offer of plus-plus entertainment packages, ranging from striptease which is priced at HK$ 300 to advertisements for commercial sex services starting at HK$ 800.
Do not be surprised, apart from gambling, prostitution is also legal in Macau. It seems actor Chow Yun Fat has a special place for Macau. The face of the actor who is famous for the film Gods of Gambler (God of Gambling) appears at the taxi doors with a gambling style. All information signs are in two languages, Portuguese and Chinese.
After we filled our stomachs, we decided to head to the end of Avenida Street, Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues. Here there is a fairly large open space and we can look out over the many large casinos around us. The night is getting late, but this city is showing no signs of going to sleep. Hundreds of people back and forth in and out of the Casino. Enter the casino with cheer, and many leave with limp faces. I can’t imagine how many people come here on the weekends.
Tired of the hustle and bustle of the gambling world, we retreated to the old city of Macau. The atmosphere is in stark contrast to the distance of less than 2 km, it was as if we were thrown into the 16th century. The colonial buildings that are still well-maintained, the streets with stone tiles, brought directly from the Portal, have survived to this day. We headed into the hills to see the ruins of the church of Santo Paulo.
Igreja de Santo Paulo, that’s his name. Located in the hills, this church is a memory of Portuguese rule in the past. Built between the years 1602-1640, this church burned down in 1835. Only the facade remains today. The remains of the ruins of this church became an icon of Macau. It was early in the morning. We went back down to downtown Macau. The gambling city that never sleeps.