Thanks to American visionaries Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, and local counterparts Stanley and Pansy Ho (the local father/daughter powerhouse), it was evident Macau was meeting expectations as the Vegas of Asia, with a sumptuous buffet of resorts, casinos, shopping and entertainment laid out around downtown Macau and the Cotai Strip for all to enjoy. Even with that, however, Macau benefits from having been a real place long before casinos opened their doors. Since my last visit, many glossy lifestyle magazines cropped up, including an edition of Tattler and Macau Closer, edited by Teresa’s son. There is also a spectacular new Cirque de Soleil show, Zaia, doing a great business at the Venetian Macau, thematically touching on world peace and the environment. Even with Macau taking its place as a 21st century city, however, it has not shaken its original character or rough, old-world edges—and that’s a good thing.

The Macau Museum was as compelling as it was two years ago. The original Grand Lisboa, where the Roger Moore-as-James Bond flick Man With The Golden Gun was shot, has a new paint job. Macau Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf are still providing entertainment for sophisticates with families, while temples and bustling markets are making a taste of Mainland China accessible to people coming in from outside Asia. The old house of 19th century trader Lou Kau is the perfect place to be surrounded by old world Chinese beauty while his Lou Lim Ioc Gardens is a perfect place to simply breathe and take in impromptu music and opera performances and Tai Chi sessions, even as modern Macau grows up around it.