19th May 2007 Hong Kong - Macau

I start slowly but earlyish and make my final stroll through Kowloon to China Hong Kong ferry terminal before 10am, through a plush air-cooled shopping mall of designer goods and such. I procure a ticket on the 11am ferry and pass some time partaking of a coffee and bland blueberry Starbucks scone. Boarding time arrives, so I board along with many noisy Chinese passengers, passing first through immigration. The catamaran soon departs and whizzes past the islands, arriving slightly more than an hour later.

Macau immigration is as simple as Hong Kong's, finding the bus stop takes a little more effort but I manage ok. The bus takes a round-about route through the city, I alight off the end of Almeida Ribeiro and try to locate a place to stay, finding a reasonably priced basic room in San Va Hospedería, seemingly OK until I get bitten by bedbugs later while listening to my neighbour clear his throat noisily across the thin wooden separator. I make my way to a nearby eatery and have some braised rice with bony chicken and beer. It proceeds to rain heavily, giving me the opportunity to "Carry on, Jeeves" a bit more, but I eventually tire and head back to my lodgings under the protection of a newspaper.

Retrieving my raincoat I head out to perform my next errand, an onward flight to Vietnam. Internet proves illusive, as do travel agents. I eventually use the business centre in a posh hotel, pretty wet by now.

Ticket procured successfully, it's time to do what one does in Macau, and visit the casino. I chose the biggest one around, the mighty Grande Lisboa, housed in a glowing, glittering golden dome of several floors. A little bemused, I eventually figure out how to get chips, first having to buy HKD, and take a long time to find roulette tables. I soon get into the swing of things, losing for a while, clawing some back, losing again, recovering slightly until eventually my lucky 11 comes in with two chips on it. I've doubled my money and then some (though the "then some" disappears later).

I've been here for too long, cash in my chips and leave to have a celebratory dinner and portuguese wine! A little sketchy after finishing dinner and Jeeves, I roam the streets looking for something I won't find, or won't like if I do find it. I circle the city, taking some photos and eventually make it back to my pousada where I'm dinner.