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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Peninsula of Macau, Taipa & Coloane Islands

Macau economy depends on tourism and gambling. The latter has had and has a primary role. Macau has become known for many years as the Monte Carlo of the Orient, and now the Las Vegas of the East.
The monopoly of gambling began in 1962 with the company, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), first, with the Casino Estoril and then, the Casino Lisboa in 1970. That monopoly ended in 2002.
New casinos and other complementary infrastructures came into operation in Macau and in the Cotai Strip of Taipa. Macau has seen a very rapid development, so much so that local people are struggling to keep up the pace.
However, in my opinion, if Macau knows how to maintain its culture, its historical legacy, modernize without entering the global homogenization, it is by itself special in the world, the pearl of the orient.


Lisboa Hotel
Bank of China and Grand Lisboa

Nobre de Carvalho (Macau-Taipa) Bridge

Macau International Airport in Taipa Island
Lotus Bridge that connects Taipa to mainland China

Macau Jockey Club (Taipa)

Taipa

Macau Dome, Venetian at the Cotai Strip and the bushes that egrets love
Venetian under construction
More hotel casinos under construction and the old village of Taipa
Venetian
Another hotel casino at Cotai Strip

Some fun time and mainland China just across the river (Taipa)

Macau hosted the 4th East Asian Games. 3 sport facilities in Taipa: Macau Dome, Macau Stadium (by the way, the British team trained here right before participating in the Olympics in Beijing and stayed in the Westin Resort, Coloane) and Macau's Olympic Aquatic Center
Westin Resort with its golf course, Hac-Sa beach in Coloane Island
Hac-Sa Beach (Black sand beach)
Cheoc-Van Beach (bamboo beach) where, quite often, I had my breakfasts on the weekends, accompanied by a good book or the iPod and of course some dives in the beach or the pool close by.
A whale and a white dolphin that died off the coast of Taipa

A house in the old village of Coloane

Seafood in a bucket

I would like to recommend this site for more pictures of Macau http://www.fotoc.com/studio/dado/macau/welovemacau/
Enjoy!

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