Spring into Sydney

Winter in Sydney is a drag. As a city very much about its coastlines, sunshine and outdoor activities, the rain and cold make Sydney – and Sydney-siders – quite inhospitable. While there are certainly blindingly bright sunny days to be had in the middle of August, these are far outnumbered by stretches of miserable rain, cold grey mornings and blustery, tomb-dark evenings that begin as early as 5pm.

Thus, when the bitter gales whipping off the harbor finally begin to mellow and the sun warms and intensifies, Sydney starts its annual metamorphosis from cranky old crone to frolicking party pal. Full revelry won't begin until December, when three months of music festivals, open air cinemas, cultural fairs, cricket matches, food fests and beach parties ensue, but the shoulder season is great time to travel because hotels are cheaper and the beaches are far less crowded.

Every year, spring in Sydney brings with it a full schedule of special events. So, aside from the general enjoyment of outdoor touristic waterfronts such as Cockle Bay, Sydney Fish Markets, Manly Beach and Circular Quay, there are some specific events on that can enhance visitors' cultural understanding of what makes this stunning city tick.

Art

While it's not quite bohemia, Sydney has a very healthy fine arts scene. Just as spring kicks off, the Sydney Biennale is winding down (to Sept 16), but it sets the appropriate tone for lovers of contemporary art. Finalists for the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize are on show in the city until 9 October, while Sculptures by the Sea again sees installations and art works strewn along the picturesque coastal walk from Bondi to Bronte (18 Oct – 4 Nov) – a great way to take in the beaches and enjoy local art works simultaneously.

Glimpsing some local contemporary art in Sydney is made even easier by the Art and About initiative that runs throughout September and October, with exhibitions and installations set up in random places about the city.  For travelers who want a more focused look at Australian contemporary art, the MCA is a prudent diversion, conveniently located at Circular Quay.

Music

Music is a big part of life in Sydney, whether it's a dance festival or opera. Obviously, the Sydney Opera House has an impressive year round program, this spring including Just for Laughs comedy festival (12-22 Oct), Planet Earth in Concert and Blue Planet (25-27 Oct), the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra (13 Oct) and Scissor Sisters (27 Sept).

One major music event that heralds the warmer weather for younger music lovers is Parklife, an outdoor festival with electronic bands, DJs and indie rock/pop/dance artists, held in the gardens of Centennial Park. Classical music is also featured this spring, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra performing concertos by Mozart, Handel and Vivaldi (Oct 13) and Verdi's Aida playing at the Opera House throughout September and October.

Family 

Sydney is a kid-friendly destination with lots of fun outdoor activities geared towards families and younger travelers. Aside from a vast array of patrolled beaches and green spaces, there's Taronga Zoo, a short ferry ride from Circular Quay and the Sydney Aquarium at Cockle Bay in the city. Right next door is Wildlife Sydney Zoo, which has one of the world's biggest crocodiles and hosts weekly Koala Breakfasts where guests start the day with a buffet breakfast amid trees filled with koalas.

In the same precinct is the recently opened Madame Toussauds, open every day, there are daily cruises around the harbor, plus the Sydney Monorail Treasure Hunt that stops at the city's most picturesque points, inviting kids to find clues and enter a competition to win a family holiday on the Gold Coast.

For families interested in sustainability, the Cruelty-Free Festival in Belmore Park in Haymarket showcases vegan food, local organic produce, with more than 60 food vendors, market stalls, live entertainment, face painting and cooking demonstrations.

Beaches 

Sydney's beaches are tough to stay away from when the weather's good.  October and November will have some brilliantly dry, blue days without the punishing heat of summer. Still, beach-goers should don a hat and sunscreen, Australia's UV rays being a lot higher than those of other equally as sunny places around the world.

The most obvious beach destination is Bondi, which has everything: food of all types (fish n chips to fine dining), showers, a gym, a topless area, a skate park, lots of sand and green spaces. It also gets very crowded.

A nice alternative is Watson's Bay, a five-minute drive away on the headland. It's not a surf beach, so it's better for kids, plus there's a park and food/change facilities close by.  Bronte is also close to Bondi Beach, with more park space and seats and barbecues. The sea here is generally rough and not good for weak swimmers.

On the north side, Manly is a great family beach and easily accessible by ferry (30 minutes from Circular Quay). There is also Clontarf beach a 10-minute drive away from Manly. It's off the beaten path in one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods, so expect to find many residents there.  Another attractive, affluent beach is Balmoral Beach on the north side. It has a lovely promenade and lots of green space, but also gets crowded at weekends.

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Bangkok Cinemas

Going to the movies might not sound like a very exotic travel experience, but Bangkok is ever a city of surprises. Luxurious, clean, (too) well air-conditioned, well-priced and with screenings in English or in the case of 'foreign' films, with English sub-titles, Bangkok's cinemas are everything you wished you had back home.

Though most of what you'll find at the main chains is Hollywood blockbusters and mainstream English-language cinema, Bangkok also offers indie and arthouse flicks, foreign film festivals and documentaries. Film buffs interested in Asian cinema might appreciate the chance to catch a Thai horror film – the genre is very well-developed and includes highly-stylized chill-inducing remakes of traditional Thai ghost tales.

If you travel during 'winter' – the dry season from November to March – you also stand a good chance of catching an outdoor movie screening.Last year, the Goethe Institute, Rock Around Asia and Alliance Francais all hosted open air movie screenings – it's worth keeping an ear to the ground for these unique – and frequently free – cultural events.

Below is a breakdown of Bangkok's main cinemas and what you can expect at each. As a rule, all English-language movies are screened in English, all foreign films have English (and usually Thai) subtitles, and all Thai films have English subtitles. In all cinemas, expect at least 20 minutes' worth of trailers and the King's anthem, for which everyone has to stand. In the bigger cinemas your seat is numbered, but you get to choose where you want to sit before you pay.

Major Cineplex in Siam Paragon, BTS Siam

This is the city's flashiest cinema, run by the biggest chain. The volume in all cinemas is LOUD, the air is cold and queues can get long on the weekends. A popcorn and soda combo is around 155 THB, but you're by no means limited to traditional cinema snacks. Here, you can get sausages, sandwiches, beer, Thai nibbles, and basically whatever tickles you from the McCafe or Starbucks inside the lobby.

The Enigma Shadow Screen is the most exclusive cinema here, with only a dozen or so sofas, complete with cushions, blankets, free-flow popcorn and a complimentary drink (wine, beer or basic liquor). Tickets are 1,500 each, but they don't sell singles, you must go as half of a pair or submit to paying the full 3,000 THB yourself, then looking like you've been stood up by your date.

The next rung down the ladder is a Nokia Ultra Screen. A ticket (700-800 THB) gets you access to the Nokia lounge, which has massage chairs and drinks/food service, including beer, liquors and wine. Inside, recliners are paired together – you get a blanket and food service throughout the movie so you don't have to get up.

For those who don't readily suffer whiplash, a 4D screening is a good option for an action flick. Puffs of air, a 'bucking' seat and 3D effects draw viewers into the movie, though the gusts of wind might be distracting for some. Tickets are 450 THB. IMAX is also a good choice for action films and animation – a great treat for kids who aren't too sensitive to sound (it's quite loud). Most IMAX films are 3D – tickets cost 350-500 THB.

A regular seat in a 'normal' cinema costs from 150-200 THB, with specials for students on Wednesdays. They're comfortable, if somewhat chilly, and include 'love seat' sofas at the back at extra cost. SF Cinema at Central World also offers deluxe and normal cinemas for roughly the same price and with similar services, though not as conveniently located near the BTS (it's between Siam and Chitlom stations), though there's another one – SF Cinema City – inside MBK.

Lido and Scala, BTS Siam

These stand-alone cinemas were amongst the first in Bangkok, constructed in the late 1960s and sporting funky retro décor. As with any old-style cinema, you trade some modernity for ambience, but there's no compromise here on comfort. At Scala, which is a single-screen cinema, tickets cost 100 baht each and popcorn is 30 THB. The theater is a grand, plush space, truly reminiscent of yesteryear.

Nearby, the somewhat less glam Lido offers three screens. Both cinemas are run by APEX and all have Dolby Surround Sound. They screen a mix of independent, art house, documentary and blockbuster flicks. Rumors abound that Scala and Lido will soon be pulled down for more development in the Siam Square zone, and though various local groups vehemently oppose it, these vestiges of 1960s Bangkok could be living on borrowed time. Better check them out while you have the chance.

House RCA, Rama 9

A little off the grid for foreign travelers, House in the clubbing zone of RCA screens independent and foreign films for 100 THB per ticket. In the true spirit of indie films, this boutique space is hip and modern, there's a café onsite and a film and DVD library where you can buy and rent (if you are a member) a selection of Thai and foreign films. There's WiFi for a fee and the cinema is inside a complex with various restaurants and a shopping center for convenience. The cinema frequently screens its own 'pop-up' film festivals with reduced ticket prices, so it pays to keep an eye on the schedule for the latest information.

Caveat: In any screening with enough people in it, you may encounter chatting, will probably hear some snoring (but to be fair, the seats are really comfortable) and it's practically guaranteed there'll be someone texting or even chatting on their phone during the movie. There's not really anything you can do about it besides move to an empty seat after the movie begins.

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City Insider - Montmartre

Pigalle.  Le Moulin Rouge and le Moulin de la Galette. Artists and cabaret dancers.  Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane Avril.  Drinkers and “poseurs” - the very word Pigalle seems to sum up all that is naughty about Paris, or at least all that people think is naughty.

Today, Pigalle tries hard to live up to the expectations of the visitors who still come looking for traces of the romanticized Naughty Nineties (of the 1890s variety, I hasten to add).

Pigalle, with its dubious cinemas and peepshows, is at the foot of probably the most famous of the hills in Paris, Montmartre. Montmartre has many claims to fame : it was (and still is) home to innumerable artists and writers. It was briefly an independent commune in the 19th century. And it is the site of the only vineyard in Paris.

Part of the fun is getting to Montmartre.  You can walk up the steep cobbled streets from Pigalle.  Or you can take the funicular train, for a quick ride up the hill, admiring the view as you go.

In the early 19th century, Montmartre was a pretty country village, way outside Paris.  Since Baron Haussmann had not yet built the wide streets and avenues that would so alter the physiognomy of Paris, access to Montmartre was difficult and so land was consequently cheap.  Artists gradually settled there, and the inhabitants of “La Butte” (the knoll) read like a roll call of the French literary and artistic scene of the 19th-century - Berlioz, Heinrich Heine, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Van Gogh, Utrillo.  The artists congregated in cafes and bars, or at the Moulin Rouge nightclub, whose singers and dancers such as Jane Avril and la Goulue were immortalised by Toulouse-Lautrec in his paintings.

Today, coach-loads of visitors follow in the artistic steps of these 19th-century Bohemians, gravitating to the pretty Place du Tertre. This little square, which has come to symbolize Montmartre in the eyes of many visitors, still manages to retain a charming village atmosphere about it, especially in the mornings, before Montmartre has welcomed its day's quota of visitors.


Later in the day, artists of varying skill and price set up their easels on the cobblestones of the Place du Tertre. Visitors stroll, sit and have their portrait sketched, or sip a drink at a pavement cafe.  There are paintings galore on sale, too, mainly endless romanticized reproductions of Montmartre.

Dominating Montmartre is the striking white Basilica of Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart), an integral part of the Paris skyline, with its 19th-century Romano-Byzantine inspired  cupolas and dome.  From the dome there is a superb view of the city, and on the steps in front of the church, you can sit and listen to folk musicians, gospel singers and would-be rock stars strutting their stuff.

One of the surprises of this admittedly major tourist mecca, is the existence of a tiny vineyard, the Montmartre vineyard.  The vineyard celebrates the start of the grape harvest on the first Saturday of October, and if you ask for it in the local restaurants, you can taste the wine which is usually consumed its exclusively in the cafes and restaurants around the Butte.

Around the vineyard are pretty ivy-covered houses, little flights of steps, and the famous rustic looking “Au lapin agile” bar, the haunt of well-known writers and artists in the early 20th century, which is now haunted by equally earnest 21st-century hopefuls.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were still many windmills on Montmartre, but only a couple are still in existence today - the picturesque Moulin de la Galette, and on the corner of the rue Lepic, the Radet windmill.

As befits this bohemian neighbourhood, Montmartre cemetery is the last resting place of many artists, among them the Russian dancer Nijiknsky, the Impressionist painter Degas, and the local artist, Poulbot.

Look in any souvenir shop in Paris, and you will still see reproductions of Poulbot’s iconic line drawings of cute wide-eyed waifs, that have come to epitomise the spirit of Montmartre.

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The English university town of Cambridge is half of the famed Oxbridge

The English university town of Cambridge is half of the famed Oxbridge, the convenient twinning of the two ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge into a united academic entity – a concept which exists only in theory, as in practice the two towns are far apart and have had a healthy rivalry for something like 900 years.

Oxford may well be the older of the two universities, but in terms of beauty and pure aesthetics, Cambridge is the clear winner.

Oxford is beautiful, but much of the beauty is hidden away within the privacy of the colleges. Cambridge, on the other hand, flaunts her beauty and fabulous medieval architecture for everyone to see. At every turn of the city’s winding cobbled streets, there is seemingly a college, a chapel, a distant glimpse of an ancient spire – architectural excellence everywhere.

There is no better place to start in Cambridge than by strolling along The Backs - the rather prosaic, unassuming name for what are in fact glorious college gardens that slope down toward the River Cam. The river winds gently along with The Backs on one side and the soaring spires of the colleges and their chapels on the other, while undergraduates and tourists try their hand at painting, often with noisy and hilarious results.

As good a place as any to view the panorama of the river is from the wooden Mathematical Bridge which leads to Queens’ College. One of the quirky things about Queens’ College – which very definitely has its apostrophe ‘s’ after the word Queens – is that it was actually founded twice - once in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou and again in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville, hence the rather idiosyncratic name.

Further along the river is (perhaps predictably) King’s College, a staggeringly beautiful institution that was built between 1446 - 1515 by three Kings – Henry VI, Henry VII and Henry VIII - but this time there is no grammatical hairsplitting about the apostrophe. King’s College Chapel is probably one of the most beautiful buildings in England and has been praised by poets and writers over the centuries. William Wordsworth wrote three sonnets about King’s College Chapel and the highly accomplished architect Sir Christopher Wren is reputed to have marveled at the largest single-span vaulted roof in existence. He offered to make one himself if only somebody could tell him where he should lay the first stone.

Gonville & Caius College (the final word confusingly pronounced ‘keys’) was founded in 1348 and has a charming and unique architectural quality. John Caius designed a series of gates and entrances to symbolize a scholar’s progress through the University. You enter the College through the gate of humility, progress through the gates of virtue and finally – just once in your academic career, the day you graduate - you pass through the symbolic gate of honor to receive your degree.

After you have taken a punt (a shallow, flat-bottomed boat) along the river, another ideal way to explore this beautiful university town is the way the undergraduates get around – on a bicycle. Wherever you go, there are bicycles parked in ancient college entrances and students cycling to and from lectures. And, in case you do decide to try your hand at punting on the river, do remember that Oxford uses one end of the punt as its stern, while Cambridge uses the opposite end of the punt as its stern. The friendly rivalry between these two universities exists on many different levels.

As well as the colleges, the University also has its own exceptionally good Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum. You could spend days exploring this collection, which includes Roman and Greek relics, medieval antiquities and outstanding porcelain and pottery collections. But the stars of the museum are undoubtedly the paintings, with showcase pieces by some of the Italian old Masters.

If it’s true that aesthetic surroundings help to concentrate the mind and inspire students to academic excellence, then it is small wonder that Cambridge has produced a roll-call of renowned intellectuals and scholars over its 900 year history.

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City Insider - Biking in Bangkok

When people think of Bangkok, it’s a good bet that the first thing that goes through their mind is not riding a bicycle. Already legendary for its traffic jams and maze of concrete highways, the massive city of 8-12 million (depending on who you ask) is built for the car. Indeed, it only got its first above-ground electric train system in 1999, and its first subway a few years after that. Suffice it to say, wide, leafy sidewalks with plenty of room for walking and biking do not exist here.

However, despite its spaghetti-tangle of roads, alleys and pathways – or maybe because of them – Bangkok is an excellent city to explore on a bicycle, assuming you’re able to handle it with a medium amount of confidence and skill. There are temples, restaurants, shops – even entire communities – that are nearly inaccessible by car, and that lie well off the tourist trails.

Over the past few years there have been several attempts at creating an Amsterdam-style public biking community with stations located at popular areas where you can borrow a bike to get around on – each has met with varying degrees of success but none have taken off. Part of it is due to Thailand’s climate, which makes it unlikely that you’ll finish your bike ride in a cool, comfortable condition, and part of it is, as mentioned, Bangkok is built for cars – it’s not uncommon to see a designated bike path being used as a type of “parking lane” for vehicles large and small.

However, there are plenty of companies in Bangkok that will take care of all the logistics for you. A quick internet search will turn up dozens of tour companies that will take you on a back-roads tour of some of Bangkok’s hidden neighborhoods and little-known areas, from engine workshops to vegetable markets to mangrove swamps.

If you’d rather take the initiative on your own, there are also plenty of places that will rent you a bike, a lock and a helmet (always wear a helmet!) for you to explore at your own pace. If you’re going to be here for a while, you might think about buying your own bike – there are plenty of great bicycle shops in Bangkok that offer everything from basic cruisers for lazy park rides to carbon fiber racing bikes that cost as much as a condo down payment.

If you do take off on your own, here are some of the areas you can explore:

- Rattanakosin: Although there aren’t a lot of bike paths here, it’s still a great place to see on a bike. This is the heart of ‘old Bangkok’ where you can see the Grand Palace, Wat Po, and plenty of colonial-era architecture.

- Lumpini Park & Benjakitti Park: Two of Bangkok’s green spots perfect for jogging, walking, picnicking and bike riding (Lumpini only from 10am-3pm). They are actually joined by a wide elevated walkway that you can ride along.

- Suan Rot Fai (Chatuchak Park): This lush and expansive park is a very popular place for Thais to come on the weekend. You can rent bicycles for 40 baht and pedal around to your heart's content. Lots of trees for shade and food & drink stalls too if you get hungry.

- Prapradaeng aka Bangkachao: Bangkok’s ‘Green Lung’ is a giant expanse of mangrove swamp and jungle with very little development that is veined with raised cement pathways perfect for riding. It’s on the other side of the river – catch a ferry at Khlong Toey pier just off Rama IV Road.

With that in mind, always remember to be patient and give the right of way to basically everyone. Bangkok’s drivers are very fluid and aware of their surroundings, but accidents do happen. Ride safe and slow, and you should have a great time.

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The Battle of Good vs Evil - India’s Dussehra Festival

Take a brave group of gods and heroes and a beautiful virtuous queen whose legendary stories every Hindu knows by heart. Add a really, seriously nasty evil demon king and then throw in a spectacular open-air burning of the huge effigy of said evil demon king and ten days of celebrations, prayers, feasting and traditional plays, and you have (in a very rushed and inadequate nutshell) the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

Every year in October, as the cooler winter climate starts to dilute the harsh Indian summer, the season of Dussehra begins, signaling a stretch of pleasant weather and noisy, public festivities.

The festival itself is actually preceded by nine days of prayers and celebrations, and is the best time to experience the visceral punch of a Ramlila, a performance of the story of Ram and Sita and their conflict with the demon king Ravan.

Much like the colorful Bollywood films known the world over for their energy and emotional zest, Ramlila’s recount these much-loved legends in vigorous song and dance.­­ Ramlila’s vary from simple village productions to spectacular traditional performances, such as those in the Uttar Pradesh city of Varanasi, that last for an unusual 31 days. Here, traditional roles are handed down from generation to generation within the same family, such is the prestige of acting in one of these sacred plays.

Since everyone knows the story of Lord Ram and Sita by heart, watching a Ramlila production is an exercise in nostalgia and familiarity, and a perfect time for friends and family to come together – after the show, crowds drift home, talking, singing, and eating (usually vegetarian snacks during the festival). At this point, good has been overshadowed by evil, as the demon Ravan captured the virtuous Sita, but everyone knows that on the final night of the festival, after a long and epic battle, good will once again emerge victorious.

And so, on the evening of Dussehra, as the sun is setting, huge crowds flock to parks and communal grounds, where enormous bamboo-and-paper effigies of the evil king and his equally wicked sons are erected. Brightly painted and standing 20 or 30 feet tall, the images are torched to the cheers of the crowd who has come to see evil vanquished for another year.

Sometimes there are interesting twists that add a contemporary dimension to the ancient tradition. A popular production in Delhi every year adds a fourth effigy meant to represent a social evil or problem that affects the city. People to vote on what that effigy should represent and once chosen, a symbolic burning of the problem takes place, uniting the city around the elimination of a common problem – at least for another year.

In the last few days before Dussehra in Delhi, all roads lead to an otherwise unremarkable suburb in the west of the city, where itinerant craftsmen converge to make the effigies that will be burned. Hundreds of huge bamboo heads and bodies line the streets – heads on one side, bodies on the other – with jolly looking crowns and as-yet-unpainted faces laid out everywhere else as preparations inch toward completion. Gangs of workers carefully load the constituent parts of one demon king after another onto fleets of vehicles for delivery all over the city and surrounding areas, where families, friends and groups of all sizes can celebrate without having to leave the comfort of their homes.

Dussehra is yet another example of a vibrant, Indian festival that delights locals and amazes visitors as they travel through this exotic country. Indeed, festival preparations themselves are as much a metaphor as the festival itself – making these effigies of reviled demons is a thriving, lucrative business, employing many people, thereby proving that good can indeed come from from evil.

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Macau is Las Vegas of the East

If ever you wished to see contrast personified in front of your very own eyes, then head to Macau – it’s hard to imagine a bigger mix of timeless history and frenetic development occupying such a small space.

Macau is geographically part of China, but was historically part of Europe for some 350 years. When Portugal handed back this tiny parcel of land to China in 1999, it was the last vestige of the once-significant European occupation in the country.

Macau, like its bigger glitzier neighbor Hong Kong, is now a special administrative region of China – in effect, it’s China-but-not-quite-China, and that’s what makes it so intriguing.

Indeed, its history is full of interesting tidbits – for instance, there used to be two rather sleepy little islands called Coloan and Taipa that were connected by bridges to the Macau peninsula. But when progress came knocking in the 17th century, the land between the two islands was filled and reclaimed and presto, one much bigger island was the result.

But even after all the changes, traces of 350 years of Portuguese rule remain. For instance, road signs, shops, and menus are all still in Portuguese – but the most obvious is the architecture. The old, colonial buildings are wonderfully rococo European, with little forts and churches standing as solidly now as they have done for the past three centuries. There are quiet little piazzas and cobbled streets, but you do have to look for them, and treasure the fleeting moments of silence they offer away from the din.

Why?

Because all around them 21st century China has mushroomed at a breathtaking pace. High rises, hotels, casinos – ah, where would Macau be without casinos? – jostle for space, each one more fantastic and eye-catching than the other. Weird and wonderful architecture, mile upon mile of glitz, reclaimed land, and enough neon to rival Las Vegas - that is Macau today.

All paths in Macau lead to the historical showpiece, the ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was built in 1602 and destroyed by fire in 1835. Although only the southern stone façade remains today, it is much visited and much beloved, though the shop-ification of the narrow cobbled streets around the cathedral may come as a bit of a shock. The slender pathways were empty and quiet 20 years ago, but now present a buzzing commercial district, where, should you choose, you can buy HK$40,000 bottles of wine. Still, the view from the top of the steps is pretty fantastic, the skyline of Macau laid before you in all its spiky glory.

Puff up the hill even further, climbing up behind St. Pauls’ to the Fortaleza do Monte, a 16th century fort with even more amazing views of the skyline. There are cannons all around the battlements, and inside the gardens, the Macau Museum.

Situated on the southwest tip of the peninsula is the A-Ma Temple, a Taoist temple built in 1488, and dedicated to Matsu, the goddess of seafarers and fishermen. It is always busy and crowded, the ceilings festooned with hundreds of huge, fabulous incense spirals, and offerings to the deities hanging from the branches of every tree.

But the main reason huge crowds of mainland Chinese flock to Macau, especially during holiday times, is to gamble. There are casinos literally everywhere. Huge luxurious hotel complexes have been built, the largest being the uber-glamorous The Venetian Macao, a Las Vegas-owned sister to the namesake hotel in Vegas, and currently the world’s largest casino.

It’s no surprise to learn, then, that gambling tourism is Macau's biggest source of revenue, accounting for some 50% of the economy, and after the large foreign-owned casinos started operations there, Macau quickly overtook the Las Vegas strip in gaming revenues. And of course, when all the lights come on in the evening in a blaze of neon for mile upon mile, it is quite a wonderful, glowing testament to both beauty and luck.

But to step back in time, take a bus from anywhere on the peninsula to the island(s) and once you are past the rows of expensive residential tower blocks, you quickly get back to an older, rural, more peaceful and traditional Macau, especially in Coloane. Beaches, thick wooded trails, and families out for a stroll are in delightful contrast to the glitz and shimmer of new Macau. But hurry – at this pace, the already scarce traces of an ornate, colonial past won’t last too much longer.

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