The Hindu Business Line : Bet on it

Attribute it to pulp literature or Oriental action films, Macau conjures images of bandits, casinos and women who are part of a plot that has mystery, action, sex and scandal. While many of these notorious plots may have been set on the islands in the early 1900s, present-day Macau is trying to create for itself a new identity by wooing business and pleasure-seeking budget travellers.

Last year, tourist arrivals zoomed to 3 crore, with one lakh visitors from India - marking a 116-120 per cent growth. To cater to these swelling numbers, this tiny 28-km Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) has nearly 57 hotels, with newer ones set to add as many as 5,000 rooms, prompting Sujit Banerjee, Secretary Tourism, Government of India, to remark: "The Macanese should be invited to India to replicate similar hotels before the Commonwealth Games and resolve our room shortage problem."

Our visit to Macau happened by chance. In Guangdong, formerly known as Canton, a province on the southern coast of China, we were visiting an Indian family which urged us to make a day trip to Macau before returning to India. A quick visa through a local agent and we were ready to walk through an air-conditioned market that ended where Macau began. Yes, it was that simple. We crossed no-man's land between Chinese China and Macau China to be greeted by bilingual Portuguese and Chinese signs ushering us into the ex-Portuguese colony.

Scooties, pedicabs on the go

The blend of East and West, modern and traditional is intoxicating. Our first thought was how to pack it all in, with just 18 hours in hand. Mentally resolving to return for a longer stay, we hitched a scooter ride to the heart of town.

Everything is within walking distance in Macau. It is hard to imagine that this was once a lush green peninsula with sprawling paddy fields. Today, every inch of space is used to build hotels and apartment blocks - the former to attract and entertain tourists, and the latter to accommodate a mix of Chinese, Macanese, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese residents.

Pedicabs or tricycle rickshaws, a rather romantic form of transport around Macau's waterfronts, give you a dekko of the island and charge you by the hour. You might want to leave a generous tip because they make excellent guides also.

Portuguese influence

Located on the west bank of the Pearl River Delta in South China, Macau is a World Heritage Site thanks to alluring Portuguese buildings like the Leal Senado Building and the Holy House of Mercy. Macau, like Hong Kong, was handed back to China a few years ago, but like its British counterpart it will keep its own currency, border posts and special economic and political status for another 50 years.

We took in the sights - the island's main road, Almeida Ribeiro, and to the north the impressive ruins of Sao Paulo containing St. Paul's, Asia's biggest church at one time. The Temple da Deusa A-Ma, next to the inner harbour at the bottom of Barra Hill, is 600 years old and was erected before the Portuguese arrived. A quick halt at the maritime museum means going back hundreds of years to a world of lighthouses, sea wars, fishermen's temples, festivals and mussel farming; we followed it up with a visit to the Golden Lotus Plaza, a memorial site marking Macau's return to China in 1999, and a walk through the Wine Museum and the Macau Grand Prix Museum.

Save your pennies

Surviving on a shoestring budget acquires a whole new meaning in Macau. An Australian student on a group tour got chatting at Margaret's Cafe, famous for egg tarts, a not-to-be missed Macau speciality. He suggested a cost-effective way of tackling hunger pangs by trying samples. From freshly baked ginger cookies to cupcakes and Swiss rolls, you can grab a fresh round at every corner, without paying a penny. And it is perfectly legit to do so too.

Also, the more time you spend on the premises of a casino, the more bargains you can avail, as stall owners want you to spend the maximum time in their gaming dens. Cheap food and wine at competitive rates are easy to get, and if you are a charming haggler, all the better.

His parting shot was, "explore hotel lobbies for an inexpensive way of feasting on grandeur"; and we did just that. The glitzy hotels may be a tad gaudy but are imposing nevertheless. The MGM Grand Macau's lobby, for instance, opens on to the Grande Praca, which is a facade of a small village, and the Hotel Grand Lisboa has fittings and displays with gold and glitter that would put Vegas to shame. And the Venetian is a tourist destination in itself - gargantuan in size with inner delights that include a full-sized concert hall. And if you want to save some more, stick to walking.

Local food

Macanese cuisine is a blend of Chinese and other Asian flavours, together with influences from Portugal and its colonies. A local delicacy is the African Chicken baked in coconut and peanut paste and sprinkled with garlic and chillies. Cantonese Dim Sum is a must-try and, while you are at it, you might also wolf down a couple of drinks at the Laeterias (milk bars), which are present everywhere, serving ice and fruit-laden fresh milk.

The evening is perfect to hit the many food festivals that are held here round the year. The Taiwanese and Koreans, we are told, come here just for the food, which is a delectable mix of Macau, Asian, Greater China and Portuguese cuisine featuring fish, chicken and pork. The game booths and cultural performances in neon-lit streets add to the festive bonhomie.

Greyhound races

The Canidrome is Asia's only greyhound racing stadium. Here you can bet on dogs the way you would at the Derbys. For other racing sports, there are the Macau Jockey Club's flat horse races on the island of Taipa, the Far East's gala motorcycle and Formula III car racing event and the Macau Grand Prix, with some of these annual events attracting hordes of Westerners.

We didn't have time to check out the casinos, but before an early dinner we did walk through some of them. A couple of the grand ones have created a night effect, so even at 8 a.m. you could kid yourself into believing it's midnight and gamble away to glory.

Fact File

Macau is made up of the busy Macau peninsula and two small islands of Taipa and Coloana linked together with land reclamations and connected to Macau by two huge bridges.

There are daily flights to Macau from New Delhi and Mumbai; from Hong Kong you could take a ferry to Macau, which is an hour away.

There are no export duties in Macau, so you can shop for antiques, gold and cameras duty free.

It is an ideal short-holiday destination, with 52.8 per cent of all arrivals being same-day visitors.

Hong Kong dollar is freely used in Macau alongside the Macau Pataca.