words + photos by Jeanine Barone

Macau’s glitzy side with its mega-watt casino resorts is certainly seductive to the majority of visitors who flock to this former Portuguese colony that’s set in the South China Sea. Instead, I was enthralled with Macau’s more serene side:


• Macau is chock full of green spaces. In leafy Camoes Garden, named for Portugal’s national poet, it’s worth hanging out to observe the local men who, instead of walking their dogs, stroll while carrying their pet song birds in elaborate cages. Also, check out the reflexology path where you’ll get a much-needed foot massage by walking barefoot over the rough pebbled surface.

• One of the most curious exhibits at the Museum of Macau is the cricket fighting display, complete with tiny cricket coffins and tombstones. (Don’t worry, there are no live crickets here.)

• The upper level of the Museum of Macau opens to a lovely green patio that’s ringed by cannons and the old crenellated walls of this fort that was once a defense against the Dutch. (This is also the site for the annual Macau International Music Festival.)