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Macau had been ruled by the Portuguese for 4 1/2 centuries until it's return to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. Walking down the narrow street and stopping at cobblestone squares makes you think you have stepped into a little piece of Europe. After a stop at a candy store, we continued our walk to the Moorish Barracks, built to house an Indian regiment. Not much to see since it is not open to the public. Next was a small square with a natural spring, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Macau. We sat and admired a very well kept old house. Wandering up a narrow road, many scooters went by us - a popular form of transport and also very practical for these one way, narrow roads.
We walked through Senado Square, Macau's urban center for centuries. New additions include a McDonalds and Starbucks. The area has lots of shopping and we took a little time to study some items of interest. We walked through a park with many cobblestone mosaics and rested at an observation point. Since this was Saturday, we got to people watch many locals enjoying a bit of nice weather. We continued on to the ruins of St. Paul's. Basically all that remains is the front facade of the church, and it is now seen symbolically as the altar of Macau. Right around the corner was a small traditional Chinese temple. It is interesting to think how close these two religious structures are located.
Next we picked the shrimp, scampi and crab. This was also part of the show as the scampi were break dancing across the room trying to find the water. After the price was agreed upon, the bags of seafood were delivered to the restaurant where it was prepared. I was not very wild about the food, especially after seeing them all alive only a few minutes before, and was glad I had eaten a lot for lunch. Although for me it was one of the worst dining experiences, the "show " before the meal was very memorable.
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When you travel with Jaimie and Mario as your guides, plans change frequently. We had planned to go to Disneyland but after some internet research we found out the park has only half of the attractions as the California park. We decided to take a trip to Macau, a tiny territory which is about an hour by fast ferry from Hong Kong. Macau consists of the Macau Peninsula, attached to Mainland China and the islands of Taipei and Coloane which are attached to the mainland with a bridge. 
We hopped into a cab to go to the ferry, only to find all the early ferries were sold out. No worries after Mario negotiated a cab ride to Hong Kong Island - we went to the other ferry company and bought a ticket for a ferry which was boarding in only a few minutes. We went through immigration and got settled into our seats. The ride went quickly. It was interesting to see the numerous islands along the way. Upon reaching Macau, going through immigration, and watching Mario work his magic once again to negotiate a taxi ride, we set off for the historic center of Macau. First stop was A-Ma Temple which was set into the side of a rocky hillside. There were many Chinese and a few westerners visiting, viewing and praying. The people prayed using fist fulls of incense sticks which they deposited a few at a time as they proceeded from one altar to another. Built in the 1500's, it had a statue of the Goddess of Fisherman 
Next stop was St. Lawrence Church, built by the Jesuits in the mid 16th century and a place where families of Portuguese sailors came to pray for their safe return. We admired the gardens which contained some plants familiar to us from Florida. Next was St. Joseph's Seminary and Church, but unfortunately it was closed to the public for renovations. By this time, all this walking was making us hungry. We stopped at a Chinese restaurant where we enjoyed big bowls of noodles. It was delicious. When in Asia you do not see many forks and spoons, so I am learning the art of eating with chopsticks. 
Since the next point of interest was quite a hike, we found a taxi to take us to the Guia lighthouse and fort. This fortress was built in the 1600's and includes the fort, chapel and lighthouse. It is perched on a hill and has a course of interesting exercise equipments you can use along the footpath to the top. We did stop and find some energy to try out several fun pieces of equipment. Upon making it to the top we were happy to enjoy the air conditioning inside the chapel. It was all downhill to our next destination, one of the many casinos on the island. This is one of the major reasons why many tourists come to Macau. First we stopped at Macau Palace but learned that men we not allowed in wearing shorts. We moved on to The Sands. This casino was larger and every bit a Vegas-style casino. Lucky for us, they did not care about whether you were wearing shorts. Jaimie and Mario tried their luck at gambling. Mario played blackjack and left the table with his big winnings of $25. We looked around a new Disney-like fishermans wharf waterfront area for a dinner place. We decided instead to go back to Hong Kong and try to find a waterfront restaurant Tom had gone to ten years ago on a business trip to Hong Kong.
We waited for the next ferry back to Hong Kong and rested for the 1 hour ride. We took the MTR back to the Kowloon side and then took a taxi to Lei Yun Mon. Ordering your meal here is quite an experience. There are many fishmongers, each trying to sell you their fish. They deliver your fish to one of the restaurants, where you have it cooked. There is much competition among the vendors, and they all say that they are the best. Picking the fish was the best part of the dinner for me. First our fish seller held a small shrimp over a tank with an enormous fish. When he dropped the shrimp ,the fish lunged for it instantly. I showed much surprise, and the fish seller did this show for us a few more times. 