On the South China coast about 40 miles west of Hong Kong is a rather "rugged elegant" place called Macau.

This Portuguese enclave, which was first settled in the 1550s, has adopted a few Chinese characteristics since it was returned to China on December 20th 1999. Today, 465,000 residents are registered in Macau. 95% of the population are Chinese. 5% are Portuguese, Europeans and people from other regions.

Macau was once primarily a fishing village and shipping port. The name "Macau" or "Macao", as some say, was derived from the seafarers' goddess A-Ma or Ling Ma. Macau gradually lost its place as a trading port when Hong Kong was ceded to the British in 1840s.

Macau Today, A Service Industry

For forty-two years until 2002, one man by the name of Dr. Stanley Ho had a monopoly on the 10.5-square-mile territory. His monopoly? Gambling.

Three years ago, Ho was forced to begin sharing the success he first created forty-two years ago when he began turning Macau into a gambling and entertainment empire.

Macau's Las Vegas, The Monte Carlo of The East

Macau's $1B "City of Dreams"

On May 17th 2005, an artist's impression of the world's first underwater casino to be built in Macau's Cotai Island was put on display in Hong Kong. The developer Stanley Ho's Melco International Development Ltd. is selling $167.8 million worth of shares at a discount of up to 6.7 percent to the market price to fund the land purchase and finance one five star and two four star hotels together with a service apartment complex, a gambling house, a shopping mall and an entertainment performance hall. To accomplish this task Stanley and his eldest son, Lawrence have partnered with Australia's Kerry Packer Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd (PBL). If successful, the Melco PBL Holdings Limited 50/50 joint venture will have the opportunity to buy the rights to a 25 year continuously renewable lease from the Macau government for 113,325 square meters of land on the Cotai Strip to create their underwater resort.

For the past forty-five years Macau has been a gambling territory that is expected to surpass Las Vegas this year as the world's biggest gambling market.

Unless you are in the gaming business, you would never guess that the territory's casinos had become such a draw for the newly affluent mainland Chinese people.

Approximately 4,000 Chinese are attracted to gambling and have the means to do so.

Steve Wynn, who just opened a $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas last month in conjunction with the city's centennial celebration, is also building a casino in Macau. Wynn's Macau resort is expected to debut in 2006. Period!

The former Portuguese colony expects to bring in more than $5 billion in gambling revenue this year.

Ho's new casino "will be surrounded by water and marine life," said Melco Group Managing Director Lawrence Ho, who is Stanley's eldest son.

However, there are far more culturally rich reasons to experience Macau than the 450 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines Melco International Development expects to put into place by mid-2008.

Tourist arrivals to the city, less than an hour from Hong Kong by ferry, rose 45 per cent to a record 16.7 million last year.

Gaming revenue, meanwhile, rose 43 per cent, according to government figures.

The city's economy expanded a record 28 per cent.

Already this year, Macau had recorded 4.45 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter, an increase of 18.8 per cent from the first quarter of 2004.

Of the millions of tourists expected to travel to Macau this year, at least a dozen or two had no intention of gambling.

Tailors, Temples & Trishaws in Macau

Last month, seventeen intrepid women from San Francisco flew to Hong Kong, dropped their bags in Kowloon at the crack of dawn, and then promptly took the 45-minute ferry to Macau.

Their destination?

Nowhere close to Ho's twenty-five year-old flagship casino called Casino Lisboa or any place remotely related to gambling.

Rather these women were on a mission to select fabrics from a tailor named Al who would not only duplicate the favorite garments they had brought with them from home, but who would hand deliver all of their newly-made suits, dresses, shorts, pants and jackets to their Hong Kong hotel, in less than five days.

Here is an account of a ten-hour adventure to Macau -- which did not include one minute or one dollar spent in a casino.

Our Host, Evie Sits with Rosemarie on the Ferry to Macau

After fifteen hours on a plane, followed by an hour in the Hong Kong airport, an hour on a bus and nearly another hour on a ferry heading to Macau we were all ready for lunch by the time we reached our Portuguese restaurant, A Lorcha.

Fortunately, our hosts knew the owner, and while he was not there to greet us, they knew his food and wine selections well enough to choose for us all.

Little did we know at the time that we were being taken to one the Top Ten Restaurants in Macau - as currently selected by Yahoo! Travel.

A Lorcha 289a Rua do Almirante Serigo Macau Peninsula Tel: +853 313 195 Fax: +853 966 842

Lunch: 12:30pm-3:30pm Wed-Mon.
Dinner: 7pm-11:30pm Wed-Mon.

A Lorcha's green and white check tablecloths make for a relaxed and inviting setting. If you like a sense of adventure, ask your waiter to choose select menu items for you.

After lunch we ventured over to an outdoor temple where we lit incense, prayed, pet a live turtle, and were startled by firecrackers.

Macau has the highest rate of churches per square meter in the world. The peninsula is very different from Hong Kong. Hong Kong's neighbor has a number of baroque churches which are a significant part of the people's heritage.

During Macau's settlement in the 1550s many Catholic missionaries came on the sailing boats that landed on this peninsula.

Today, more than fifty percent of the population in Macau consider themselves Buddhists. Varying reports state that between 7% and 15% are Roman Catholic. The Catholics are divided into six parishes in Macau.

Another religion also still exists called the "a-ma" which relates to the original seafarers and fishermen.

On the particular spot where this goddess set foot on the peninsula, a temple was built to pay homage to her.

Diana & Katy Pay Homage To The Macau Gods & Goddesses

Our third destination of the day, after A Lorcha and the temples, was Al's Tailor Shop.

A ten-minute ride by taxi or perhaps thirty minutes by trishaw, Anne and Coralee opted for the taxi rather than the trishaw.

Anne & Coralee Pose in Front of a Macau Trishaw

Al's Tailor Shop would have been a challenge to find if we did not have a personal Chinese-speaking guide and an address.

Tailor shops are a dime-a-dozen in Macau.

Al's Alley Way in Macau

Identifying a tailor that can be trusted which offers quality work with excellent quality fabrics and a comparable price to match is more difficult.

Al Cheang is a tailor to be trusted.

Prior to leaving on our Hong Kong adventure, I sent an email to our minister, Fred Harrell of City Church - San Francisco and offered to have a suit made for him in China. In Macau, I selected a fine Italian fabric for Fred, who dropped off his favorite suit the night before my departure.

Upon my return, we had the suit pressed before presenting it to Fred. Fred's wife, Terely selected a stunning shirt and tie to match.

The following Sunday, it was our little secret that Pastor Harrell looked like an Italian / Floridian runway model up at the pulpit.

In less than five days, Al's team of seamstresses sewed:

Fred's favorite suit
My favorite crochet dress
My four favorite Kevar skirts (I love them so much I have one in off-white, mustard, red and black)
A pair of worn-to-death Ralph Lauren shorts
Two Donna Karan tops

In comparison, two summers ago, I found some new fabric at Britex in San Francisco and had my favorite worn-out machine-washable silk Ralph Lauren shorts recreated by my mother's seamstress in California. She charged me a god-awful $200 per pair.

Al's re-creation cost me $3 U.S.

The price I originally paid for these designer garments cost thousands of dollars.

For nine pieces at Al's Tailor Shop I paid a total of $200.

While the skirts didn't fit as perfectly as my favorite Kevar skirts, at a cost of $5 each it was worth the risk.

However, Fred's suit couldn't have fit more beautifully. The quality of the fabric and Al's team's ability to turn a three-button suit into a two-button suit was superb.

Alvin & Three of His New American Customers

Al's contact information:

Alvin Cheng 16C, R/C, Patio Fernao Mendes Pinto MACAU

Tel: 853.210305
Fax: 853.212452
Mobile Phone: 853.6856969

If you track down Al, tell him Jennifer King from Rugged Elegance sent you.

A Unique Taste Found in Macau - Durian

As we were meandering the back streets to find Al, we became aware of a pungent smell all around us. Best described as rotten eggs and onions combined with raw sewage, we were silently contemplating the possible sources for this aroma when our host, Carolyn, suddenly perked up and exclaimed "durian!" with a smile of delight. Within seconds she had spotted a durian stall and was making a b-line for it!

Durian

And so began our introduction to this exotic and unique fruit...

Known as the "king of fruit", the smell of the durian alone has caused it to be banned from public spots in many countries. In most others, it is banned from hotels and buildings. A round/oblong green fruit the size of a football, with strong sharp thorns, the durian can be split into five parts when ripe. Each segment contains brown seeds covered with a thick, firm, creamy yellow pulp. The aroma is truly overpowering.

You either love 'em or hate 'em. Carolyn loves 'em...ever since she was introduced to them by her mother at durian parties at the age of 2 in Ipoh, Malaysia. The other sixteen of us hated 'em. Most of us hesitantly tried a nibble at Carolyn's insistence. Very few of us swallowed.

Devotees (mainly from the Far East) are positively delirious about their favorite fruit. They describe the erotic sensuality of eating durian...that they experience a glow and sense of euphoria afterwards.

Stories have long been told about the effect of eating durian and drinking brandy ... death!

Whether that be true or not, it is true that eating durian actually raises your body temperature. Perhaps this is why it is even thought of as an aphrodisiac..."when the durians fall down (off the tree), the sarongs go up" so the saying goes! But only if both participants are durian lovers...otherwise it would surely have the reverse effect if one of the parties felt as the 16 of us did!

There are many websites devoted to durian (www.durianpalace.com is a fun one), there are durian festivals, durian eating contests, durian parties, endless tips on how to select a good one, durian recipes...it is truly an obsession to durian lovers.

As a look of ecstasy came over Carolyn's face, and a group of locals gathered to watch the spectacle of a Westerner actually enjoying their fruit as much as they do, only one thought came to the minds of the rest of us..."to each their own".

Durians are available in the United States. Most come from Thailand and can
be found in Chinese fruit and produce stores. The prickled prizes can be
seen hanging or stacked up all around San Francisco's Chinatown.

Try one if you dare...

Our next Macau adventure led us to landmark temples, and additional treasures for sale.

The Ruins of St. Paul

All that remains of Macau's greatest church is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase.

The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1602 but was gutted in 1835.

Fine art of carvings and statues can be seen on the surviving facade.

It is now one of the primary, if not the primary landmark of Macau.

At the base of the steps of the church is a charming, old colonial shopping district.

Here you will find antique, clothing and food shops of every kind.

I found three antique treasures in Macau.

Two were a pair of hand-painted boxes,which I was able to fit in one of my two oversized Tumi suitcases going home, and the other I miraculously was able to carry as part of my hand luggage -- after a little wrangling with the airlines.

Macau Antique Treasure Boxes

The antique boxes were purchased from Mobilia Mei Choi, one of the many antique shops near the historic landmark:

Mobilias Mei Choi Rua De S. Paulo No. 34 AA Macau

Tel: 853.357625
Fax: 853.357625

The cost?

840 HK Dollars.

Divided by approximately 7.8, this amounted to $108 U.S. for both boxes.

Macau Treasure Chests

The third treasure, a Celedon Armoire, is one I am still dreaming about and now wish I had purchased.

It was discovered in an antique shop just down the street from Mobilias Mei Choi.

At the end of our day's journey fifteen of us jumped in cabs to get back to the Ferry building. However, two of us were a bit more adventuresome. Diana and Rosemarie took advantage of the opportunity to experience a trishaw first hand. Hair disheveled after the thirty minute journey they were none the worse-for-wear.

Diana & Rosemarie Aboard Their Trishaw

In fact, I believe if we asked Diana and Rosemarie to rank their Top Ten Highlights of the Day, they would say that their Trishaw Trip was one of them.

Trishaws aka Pedicabs

Trishaws, also known as a pedicab, is a tricycle carriage with seating for two passengers which serves as a taxi.

It is a slower, more charming form of transport than today's traditional taxi.

Trishaws are propelled by bicycles with several gears. They are not at all the same as the rickshaw -- which originally came into existence in India.

The Ferry Terminal and Hotel Lisboa are the Trishaws two main pick up locations.

It is good advice to settle on an agreed-upon fare first.

One should expect to pay about 10-30 patacas for a single adventure, or about 100 patacas an hour for sightseeing, depending on where you go.

Some places of interest in Macau are located on hilltops. However, it is physically impossible for pedicabs to take you up the rather steep inclines.

Evidently, it is said that the colonial charm of Macau's past has been disappearing over the past six years. With no past experience to compare it to I believe all seventeen of us would say that Macau is a destination worth visiting.

The tailors, temples and trishaws we encountered made the all-day adventure a highlight of our five days in China.

To get into Macau visas are required by all visitors except Nationals of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, People's Republic of China, Republic of Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uruguay for a stay of less than 20 days.

For those who will never be attracted to gambling in Macau, there are many other reasons to visit this former Portuguese colony.

Thanks to those who are investing in this land, it is only going to get even easier to get to this destination and perhaps worth spending at least ten hours in Macau once you arrive.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "well-tailored" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC

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