Split Personality Disorder

Macau is not an island with an identity crisis. It knows exactly what it is, but it may be hard for the visitor to see how it all meshes. Macau was an island populated by Chinese, colonized by Portugal for over 400 years, and handed back to China in 1999. Oh, and it is a hotbed of casinos.


You have your Portuguese architecture...

... across the street from a Chinese garden.

Which is a great place to reflect (or maybe he's bored -- it's tough to tell.)

You find yourself zig-zagging between Chinese...
... and Portuguese...
... back to Chinese...
... and back again.
This last one is the facade of the Cathedral of St. Paul, which is all that remains after it was destroyed by natural disaster.

It is an interesting place to visit and I wish I had allowed more than one afternoon to take it all in. It requires at least two days to begin to get a feel for the place.