Macao - the Vegas of the East

It was the first weekend of August and I had been invited to join a group of Aussie guys for a weekend of golf and go karting in Macao. I was looking forward to a break after working like a madman for the last few weeks straight. The lifestyle barometer was looking up with the prospect of a third game of golf for the year too.


When I got to the ferry terminal to meet all of the team for the first time, I learn that the buck is not only already married( the monday before) but has been together with his wife for years and they have kids too!

We had beers on the ferry, went to the hotel then dinner at o manuel a tiny portuguese restaurant in Taipa. You don't pay for the decor but the food was good traditional Portuguese , olives, bread, baked fish, duck rice, garlic prawns etc.



Saturday up early for golf in China, requiring a border crossing and a fair bit of transport logistics. It happens to be the hottest day of the year at about 36 degrees on the Orient Zhuhai course. Fortunately there is a breeze and unfortunately plenty of water hazards around the course. I lost 5 balls on the first nine holes and found 3 on the back nine. It was a good game despite the score.

For dinner we dress in the team hawaiian shirts a another Portuguese place (even better than the night before). We're seated at a table next to an Asian couple wearing matching caps. The proprietor quickly moves them to a safe distance from us on the other side of the restaurant. Another bucks table is nearby and doing vodka shots with the waitress, a bit strange given it is really a family style restaurant. A volley of Jokes are flying around our table for the entire two hour dinner. Stage 2 involves a long walk to a bar where our buck downs a flaming lamborghini.


At the next stop the 8 piece house band is playing and the place is jumping. The Buck downs another three tequila slammers and earns the 'best on ground' award. A vodka red bull keeps me going until 4am and then I conk out. Fortunately there's a taxi outside the front door and Im at the hotel and asleep 15 minutes later.


Sunday breakfast is quick, only minutes before closing time at 10.30am then we pack up and are off to the go kart track. On arrival it buckets down with rain, the track becomes a river and the karts are sliding all over the place. We pull the pin and head for the Ferry back to Honkers after a real boys weekend....even without seeing a gaming table!