As I’ve noted previously, Mr. Selfish and I didn’t gamble much at Macau. Instead, we mostly wandered around looking for Portuguese similarities. We had found Lisbon to be quite charming (although cold and rainy).

The first thing I knew that I wanted was Portuguese egg tarts. The ones that we devoured from Pastéis de Belém in December made a lasting impression on me. Through my research, I learned that the ones from Lord Stow’s Bakery were supposed to be the best. After much searching, it ended up being inside the Venetian. They were very good but not as fresh, warm, and gooey as the ones from Belém. The turnaround in Belém was intense, and you could see them baking the new egg tarts in the back. At Lord Stow’s, it seemed just like a storefront. Nevertheless, they fulfilled my craving at the time for egg tarts.

We also heard about the pork chop buns from Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei were not to be missed. We had a difficult time finding it, and I only found them to be “interesting” tasting. The bun was sweet and stuffed inside was a whole deep fried pork chop. Mr. Selfish enjoyed it more than I did.

Mr. Selfish and I then took a stroll through old Macau to enjoy the sights. First, we visited Largo de Senado, which is the large square in the center. Then, we walked past St. Dominic’s Church, which is known for its yellow façade and green windows.

Third, we visited the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church. The church was originally built in the late 1500’s but was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835. Today, only the southern stone façade remains, but it is still a magnificent sight.

Right next to the ruins is the Fortaleza do Monte, which was built in 1626. It was instrumental in holding off the attempted Dutch invasion of Macau in 1622.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Selfish and I had to return to the casinos to take a shuttle back to catch our ferry. All in all, we had an enjoyable day trip to Macau.

Next up, we’re in Chengdu, China – home of the Giant Pandas!