Introduction ---

Macau was a colony of Portugal until December 20, 1999. The influence of Portuguese culture can be seen everywhere there. Our five-day visit to it from February 2 through 6 in 2009 was mainly to see the UNESCO-approved world heritage, called historic centre of Macao, which consists of 25 relic sites, mostly constructed in the 446-year colony period (1553~1999). Besides the relics, we also have the chance to observe the new culture of casinos and taste the local food of Macau.

We travelled by ourselves in this trip. Macau is small (27.5 km²), just like downtown Hsinchu, and so we took taxi to reach everywhere we want to see. We visited the 25 world heritage sites one by one. We also tried games in two casinos and won luckily about 20 US dollars. Most unforgettable was enjoyment of the Zaia show in Venitian Resort.

The tempo of our tour was easy, the mood was free, and the entire trip was happy! We hope we can have another tour elsewhere in the world alike in the future.

(Pictures above: downtown Macau seen from its suburb Coloane Island; below: inside Lou Kau Mansion)