MACAO—While in Hong Kong some years ago, I took a ferry across the Pearl River Delta for a day trip. The objective: bungee jump off the tallest thing on earth a person could leap from—Macao’s AJ Hackett Tower. On that overcast day, the view from 765 feet wasn’t too exciting, and little did I know the wealth of heritage and gastronomy sitting right under my nose.
After the adventure, I looked up Macao and quickly realized I’d made the same mistake as many first-time visitors: I’d just breezed through. I atoned for my negligence with a return visit to pay homage to its rich heritage. Like neighboring Hong Kong, it is a Special Administrative Region of China; upon Macao’s handover from Portugal in 1999, China promised the region could maintain its established system of government with a great degree of autonomy. The cultural hybridity seen throughout Macao, resulting from over 400 years of Portuguese rule, is what makes it so unique. Imagine Asian temples and buildings erected on maritime-themed Portuguese tiles, Cantonese banter echoing throughout streets with Portuguese names, and Chinese hot meals accompanied with vinho verde.
