The dark side of Macau

I spent a little longer in Macau then I'd intended, having already booked my flight for the end of the month but cutting my time in the People's Republic of China mercifully short due to various stresses. I completely failed to make the most of this extra time though, and didn't even bother leaving the four square kilometres of the peninsula to check out the islands. There'll be more islands in other places - this was my China detox.

I always seem to end up getting stranded in these colonial outposts, and Macau is one of the nicer ones. For once, the colonists were Portuguese too, not British, so I didn't even have to feel guilty!

I don't really have a theme for these compulsory pictures of tourist sights. I notice all my pictures are usually taken in the day time, because my camera doesn't take very good night shots and I'm usually in bed by nine, so I stayed up late to get some blurry night time photos. Sorry to disappoint anyone who came here hoping to read about the disgusting stuff that goes on here - read this instead. But if you want a less depressing, conservatively bland experience, check out my photos.

Macau
(澳門)

Macau Tower and extremely disappointing 'Laser Show' (left).
Yeah, those little blurs of colour. Dazzling!

Rua de Felicidade in the former red light district, which featured in the opening chase scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom because Shanghai didn't look Chinese enough.

(Before you point out that I criticised all those historical sites in South Korea for boasting about their appearances in period dramas, this is different. This time it's something I like)

The Las Vegas of the East. It couldn't be less my kind of thing unless they shoved sport in there. Sweet Jesus Christi, save me from this den of sinners

Oh, I never knew that actually worked. Now I get what all the fuss is about.

St Dominic's Church with projected orchestra, maybe to rub in how cheap you are for not paying to go inside

Largo de Senado early in the morning, just as day is dawning, before the humans arrive

The Portugal of the East. I'd been craving colourful European architecture since visiting Shenzhen's Window of the World theme park and being strangely comforted by its fake Belgian streets. This'll do

Grand Lisboa hotel and casino not looking at all massively out of place

2-D ruins of Sao Paulo Cathedral

Some other church I forgot to write the name of. There are a lot of churches here, alright?

Nefarious Illuminati gravestone at the Protestant Cemetery (R.I.P.)

A-Ma Temple, which was here first

Blood, devastation, death, war and horror at Mount Fortress

Mandarin's House, between typhoons

No, I didn't try it on. But only because people were looking

Some guy (bottom left) jumping off Macau Tower.
I'll do these things one day, but I need to save something to liven up middle age