The Venetian

Today was my last day of work before the three-day weekend when Chris and I can sight-see at leisure.  I went in to work as usual, and he came down to Taipa a little later to explore on his own before meeting me for lunch.  We went to my favorite spot to eat when I want some fast, delicious food.  It is a locally owned restaurant that serves ku gua (bitter melon) with stewed beef in a savory broth with red beans and rice.  I fell in love with bitter melon sometime last spring and was delighted to find that it is a staple food in the south of China as well.

I went back to work and Chris continued sight-seeing.  Around 4:30, I finished up and we met again to explore the historic Taipa Village.  Taipa Village is known for quaint little shops, cute restaurants, beautiful courtyards and parks, and a Taipa Village museum.  We mostly wandered and when it got dark and started to rain (remnants of the typhoon) we decided to window-shop at the Venetian, which is sadly within sight (on the horizon) of Taipa Village.

I am not a glitzy person by any means, but the Venetian is breath-taking (in its own over-the-top way) even if you don't get into that sort of thing.  It is not just a casino (I can't legally gamble, as a state employee), but also a resort hotel with a huge shopping mall and daily showings of Cirque du Soleil.   My Lonely Planet travel book says:  "Well, you need a map to navigate this elephantine resort complex, and getting lost is not unheard of!  With 3000 lavishly decorated suites in its 32-storey tower, this man-made wonderland has countless amenities catering to luxury over hedonism."  Yes, that is 3,000 suites!  About the Venetian casino, Lonely Planet says, "As the world's largest casino and three times the size of its Vegas counterpart, you're guaranteed to get lost in this behemoth.  Gambling tables are omnipresent and time is irrelevant in this labyrinth."  Wow, I'm kinda glad I can't gamble.

I forgot my camera today, so these photos are a mixture of what I took the first time I visited the Venetian (with Jess, about 5 weeks ago) and some that I found with Google.

Dinner was Mexican food, which is actually very good here, and then it was back home for some R & R.  I'm looking forward to showing Chris the reservoir and the lighthouse on Guia Hill tomorrow.