I have fond memories of working in Macau.
A year before the Portuguese handed over their Pearl River Delta colony back to the Chinese, it was still a sleepy, dense little city overshadowed by the flash and sizzle of Hong Kong next door. There were plenty of cute alleys full of old antiques, an odd mix of Portuguese and Chinese traditions, and a general discord between the tacky, supposedly crime-ridden, casinos and basically everything else.
The seeds, however, were already being planted for a drastic reinvention. Fast forward to today: With the Chinese government's smart decision to break up the old gambling monopoly it is quickly en route to becoming Las Vegas' biggest rival. Seedy old casinos are giving way to big brand new palaces from the exact same people that have made Nevada a global destination.
The New York Times has a great snapshot into the new Macau here.
I'm not sure I would recognize it.
One of these days I'll wander back to see if any of the old Macau is still there.
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