MACAU
Major airline:
Fly to Hong Kong and take the ferry, hydrofoil, jetfoil, catamaran or helicopter to Macau. Buses depart from Guangzhou.
Capital:
Macau.
Language:
Portuguese is the official language of Macau, with Cantonese the most widely-used, but English is spoken in most hotels, restaurants, stores and casinos.
Currency:
Macau money is the pataca, but Hong Kong dollars are accepted everywhere.
Eating Out:
Chinese food (as in Hong Kong) as well as Portuguese dishes are popular in Macau. Try African chicken (broiled and basted in garlic, red pepper and peanut sauce), roast pigeon, bacalhau (cod — baked, grilled, fried, stewed or boiled), caldo verde (kale soup with potatoes and chouriços — spicy pork sausages), enormous prawns, baked or grilled with chilies, feijoada (stew of pork, kidney beans, cabbage and spicy sausage), Portuguese-style chicken, braised in a coconut milk sauce, porco ananas (minced pork with turmeric, tamarind and pineapple), vaca estufada (pot roast, cooked with bacon, tomatoes, onions and garlic).
Shopping Specialties:
Jewelry, especially gold, Chinese antiques, porcelain, pottery and knit-wear.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Macau Government Tourist Office: www.macautourism.gov.mo
More things to see and do in Macau:
Hong Kong and Macau City Guide
