Yesterday started early with a Jet boat ride across to Macau. Captains Tony and Carol Zhao who were made Senior Soldiers in Tonga and went from there to College in Hong Kong have just been appointed to the Macau Corps as assistant officers. It was a privilege to catch up with them for a Pastoral visit on behalf of Commissioner McKenzie. They are a great couple, passionate about meeting the needs of the 500,000 people in their ‘community’.
Macau is a fascinating island group (3 islands): it has an amazing Portuguese and Chinese heritage that results in a blend of Catholic Cathedrals and Chinese Ancestor worship. Today with over 70 casino/hotels and more to come, it is a busy, multicultural, multi-layered society.
The officers often ‘pop over’ to China for lunch and cheaper food etc, the border is about 500m from the Macau Corps. Everyday hundreds of people hand carry loads of goods across the border from China to stock the Macau shops: by doing this the shop keepers avoid paying taxes and cartage costs, some people will do 10-15 trips a day through the gates and across the river boundary.
I had the privilege of having lunch in the revolving Restaurant 360 on the 58th floor of the Macau Tower (for those from Auckland it’s the same building as the Skytower, but 10m taller, designed by the same architect team and has the same skyjump company throwing people off the building).
Although it doesn’t sound much like it, it was actually work you know! The day finished (very late) at The Peak taking in the nightscape of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula.
