China’s SAR’s (no, not the syndrome)

Since Macau and Hong Kong, China’s Special Administrative Regions, are only about an hour away from each other by ferry, we decided to visit them on the same trip. Everybody knows Hong Kong was a British territory from the 19th century to 1997; what you might not know is that Macau was a Portuguese territory from the 16th century to 1999. However, they couldn’t be more different. Hong Kong is a big city that looks a little like New York’s Chinatown, except that it’s perched on a hill and has an enormous harbor, while Macau is a quaint little place that looks like a Portuguese village, except that there is a huge area filled with casinos, some older, some brand new and Las Vegas-style. All in all, they complement each other and are great visited together.