Photos of a few days' holiday in Macau and Hong Kong at Christmas and New Year, 2005-06.
Macau is a former Portuguese colony on the coast of China. Its economy depends heavily on gambling, but Macau with its unique combination of Portuguese and Chinese culture has much more to offer the visitor than just gambling.
From Macau I caught a ferry to Hong Kong where I arrived around midday. Although it was experiencing the coldest winter on record, while I was there Hong Kong was only cool, not cold, and the wintery gloom and the lousy coffee were much harder to endure than the temperatures. From my base in Tsim Sha Tsui (the Nathan Road area of Kowloon) I spent three days sightseeing and shopping.
I stayed at the rundown and shabby - but perfectly decent - Ramada Hotel in Chatham Road. The Ramada is remarkably good value for Hong Kong, being cheaper than the YMCA Salisbury. That, and its convenient location, make the hotel a good alternative to the Y. Of course it might have been renovated since my visit.
On my last evening I visited Temple Street night market, then flew home via Singapore the next morning.