Macau - Visit50

People ask to take a photo with you you all over Asia. They’re not asking for help taking a photo of them. They want you in it! To help you avoid the surprise of this happening, I’ll share some details of the experience.

Feel like a celebrity in Asia!

If someone holds out their camera and asks if you can take a picture, and motions with their finger on the camera trigger, you’d probably assume they want you to take a photo of them. That was not the case. People were constantly asking to take a photo with me. WITH me. I feel like a celebrity!

They wanted to have a photo of the two of us in a photo, like you would if you saw a celebrity. This happened more than a dozen times in my day trip to Macau.

And when it’s a group, they often want a group shot as well as individual shots with me. Bizarre!

I saw this for the first time last year in Taiwan, but it happened much more during my day in Macau.

I’m a celebrity rockstar!

Here’s a few of them that ended up on my camera as well:

This guy below asked me to be in a photo with him – on my camera. Then he asked for this pose – we look like we just signed a treaty

Macau’s Ruins of St Paul. People kept coming up to me and asking to take a picture with me. This group of 7 girls showed me their camera, wanting me to be in a group photo. Then a two-shot. Then another girl joined, but also wanted an individual shot with me. This went on for about 20 photos!

For more on a Macau day trip, I’ve put together a 29 photo tour for you.

If you’re in Hong Kong for a week, make time to do a Macau day trip. It’s so interesting to see a place with both Portuguese (It’s a former Portuguese colony) & Chinese influences. The best site by far is the Ruins of the Church of St Paul (photos below). The rest is seemingly filled with casinos everywhere. Here’s a photo tour of Macau.

Arrive early – it certainly gets crowded, especially at the Ruins of the Church of St Paul.

Ferry from Hong Kong to Macau

The ferry from HK to Macau can offer beautiful views. Try to get a window seat. Double check, but it typically leaves every 15 minutes.

start your Macau day trip with a Ferry ride to Macau — Ferry ride to Macau

When to start your Macau day trip?

Start your Macau day trip early – it’ll get crowded. I always aim to start as early as possible at the most touristy spot on my list. Enjoy it without the crowds. As you’ll notice from the below photos, I did not follow this recommendation.

The walk to St Paul Church is beautiful. It’s situated on the hill, allowing you to enjoy it the whole walk up.

Macau day trip - start heading to Ruins of the Church of St Paul — Heading to Ruins of the Church of St Paul in Macau

Ruins of the Church of St Paul in Macau

This is the crown jewel of Macau, from my perspective. It’s an essential part of any Macau day trip, and I start your day there.

Interestingly it’s only the elaborate outdoor stairs and facade – the rest burned down years ago.

History of the the Ruins of the Church of St Paul

The Ruins of the Church of St Paul were built in 1617. Some consider these ruins to be greatest monument to Christianity in Asia. However, in 1835 a fire destroyed nearly everything besides the facade pictured here.

Below is more info on the Ruins of St Paul:

The story of the Ruins of the Church of St Paul in Macau — Backgrounder on the Ruins of the Church of St Paul in Macau

The Ruins of the Church of St Paul – built in 1617. Some consider these ruins to be greatest monument to Christianity in Asia. In 1835 a fire destroyed nearly everything besides the facade pictured here.

Graduate Panda at the Ruins of the Church of St Paul on my Macau day trip — Graduate Panda at the Ruins of the Church of St Paul in Macau

Portuguese architecture on your Macau day trip

I find the history of places to be fascinating. For example, you won’t be able to miss the colorful Portuguese architecture on your Macau day trip. Loved it!

Santa made an appearance on my Macau day trip! — Santa in Macau!

Portuguese architecture is a must see in any Macau day trip — It doesn’t look like it belongs in the middle of Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China

Food in Macau

The food is delicious and fascinating. Make sure you leave time to get some local meals on your Macau day trip. There’s both traditional Portuguese and Chinese cuisine.

Menu - Hmmm...shall I order A Stomach of Ox or Pork Intestine? — Hmmm…shall I order A Stomach of Ox or Pork Intestine?

Malaysian street food -- you choose it, they cook it — you choose it, they cook it

Largo de Senado in Macau

The most famous town square in Macau is the Largo de Senado. This stands for ‘Square of the Senate’. I love that they keep the Portuguese name.

stop by Largo de Senado ('Square of the Senate') on your Macau day trip — Largo de Senado (‘Square of the Senate’) in Macau

Largo de Senado ('Square of the Senate') in Macau — Largo de Senado (‘Square of the Senate’) in Macau

sex shop in Macau — A guy was giving me directions — “you’ll see about 5 Nike shops in a row, then sexy shop, then a few more Nike shops, then turn right.”

Casinos in Macau

Macau is filled with casinos! So many people come to Macau to gamble from mainland China. Macau is the Vegas of Asia!

Make time to go inside on your Macau day trip. They’re actually very different than what you might expect in the west. For example, my favorite game is Blackjack, but it’s hard to find in many of the casinos. However, you’ll have no trouble finding Bacharach. The casino I went to had 7 floors of only that game!

you can't miss the casino lights on your Macau day trip — Macau casino lights

Photos with strangers

Strangers kept coming up to me and asking to take a picture with me. This happens so often in Asia. It will likely happen at least once during your Macau day trip. Be polite and enjoy being the star of somebody’s photo! You have to love Macau!