Gabriel as you wind up your travels and return to the US I must say this past year of travels has been my favorite. You always do such a great and unique job documenting your travels. The Greek islands segment was my favorite but all of it was fantastic. Thanks for taking us along and sharing your insights as you explore the world. Frank
Yes, lots of tourists from the People's Republic. You can hear it in the snatches of Mandarin in the crowd besides the Cantonese. Macau was always a brief trip for Hong Kongers, especially since gambling is allowed there. It's like people in Southern California heading to Vegas for the weekend
Loved this in depth video of Macao. Loved the music you used for the church and the scenery from the fort. Despite how crowded it was, you managed to show how beautiful and interesting this city is. Hope you are enjoying your break back home.😊❤
i have been to macau almost everytime when i visit hongkong its a nice little city. the people speak cantonese language which is the same language you ll find in southern part of china and in hongkong
I think they have special VISAs for just the border cities of mainland China next to Macau and HK which you could apply locally in Macau and HK. Or you can transit in a number of mainland Chinese cities without a visa for a week. The outbound flight will have to depart from the same airport where you arrive in China and the destination city has to be somewhere outside of mainland China except where you flew in from (Macau). For US citizens regular tourist VISAs are typically issued with a validity of 10 years but it'll take a few days for them to process the application.
Man, what an amazing adventure the last 8 months have been!! Incredible stuff!!! Excellent choice of city to wrap up this global travel tour: The ULTIMATE East meets West. Such a truly unique city. Gabe thank you once again for ALL your hard work during these last 8 months of global travel, so we can thoroughly enjoy these adventures! Enjoy your time off and rest now, you’ve truly earned it! The 600K milestone is almost here!!!! Looking forward to seeing more adventures in the future. ❤️👏👏👏👏❤️ Bravo!! Bravo!!
Gabe, I remember that Colombia incident. I do believe that the female sprinkled water at you as a distraction or something like that. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that despite having been a jobless and poor student at that time (many years ago), I had, as I recall, 50 dollars cash (since it was a 50 dollar bill I had saved for an emergency) that I wanted to send to you to help you out, but didn't know how I was going to send it to you in moments notice. I know the feeling and have been in that sort of situation with having no one to turn to. It's not a good feeling. Anyway, thank goodness and blessings to your mom for coming to your aid and helping you out ❤. I'm glad things had worked out for you at that time.
Haha Gabe was going to get 1 egg tart and the smart Chinese guy saw him gradually moving from 2 to 3 then upsold him to 4 in a box. That's how you do it.
When you are on top of the fort looking west, yes that is currently mainland China, Hengqin Island. They are currently building border facilities on the island and administration of that area will soon fall under Macau (rumors in Zhuhai). Hengqin island also has many commuters who bought what was previously cheaper real estate, and daily transit into Macau for work.
Wow...this video brings back a lot of memories for me... At 3:11 in this video, you are at the Ponte 16 entrance to the lobby bar where my ex-girlfriend Anna used to work... 39:08... yes that is Mainland China on the other side of the river... Enjoy your stay... P.S.... Lots to see and do in Tiapa, where the airport is...The Venetian Macao is a must-see as is The City of Dreams...Enjoy!
Mr. Gabriel Morris:Congratulations to you for your new remarkable video this gone weekend from Macau, China to shows these amazing places in January of 2024❤❤❤
Looks like a really interesting city unhampered by tourists. Actually, the juxtapositioning of old and new, creates a certain charm especially around the Sao Paulo area. I'm thoroughly enjoying being there amongst the crowds. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Most visitors are simply from mainland China I suppose since gambling is illegal there. Also a lot from Hong Kong, for the same reason mostly. There are some gambling related activities legal there, but highly restricted and operated by the government, like the famous horse racing. The actual local language would be Cantonese, like in Hong Kong, which is of course very different from standard Mandarin Chinese, although the alphabets are similar.
Hello Gabriel, you might remember me from Kuwait. You got it completely wrong. Macao was never colonized by the Portuguese, nor was ever considered a colony by either the Portuguese or Chinese government. The Portuguese were actually invited by the Chinese emperor to settle in Macao, in 1557, as a gift for defeating the raiding pirates that had been attacking Chinese shores. The Chinese gained security, the Portuguese gained an important trading post. From then on, until 1974, when we (Portuguese) offered to give Macao back to China for the first time, it was considered a Chinese territory under Portuguese administration, and continued to be considered so until 1999, when we returned the administration back to China. To describe the first archbishop of Macau as an "invader" is quite ridiculous. Macao wasn't taken by force and the Chinese benefitted from the Portuguese presence in many ways, which explains why they never kicked our asses out of the place for 442 years, and the transfer of power in 1999 was peaceful and friendly. Anyway, Macao will always a very special place in the hearts and minds of the Portuguese people and, to a lesser extent, the Lusophone world of 250 million people. All the best to you!
Howdy man, yes I remember. Thanks again for dinner. ✌️ It seems that we're both right to some extent. The Portuguese were in fact initially invaders, and it eventually became a colony of Portugal. They tried to take the area by force, battles were fought and the Chinese won. Later, as I said in the video, they came back and made treaties that involved paying the locals to lease the land and be trading partners. "Formerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal as a trading post by the Ming dynasty in 1557. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887. Portugal later gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until 1999, when it was transferred to China." "The first European visitor to reach China by sea was the explorer Jorge Álvares, who arrived in 1513.[30] Merchants first established a trading post in Hong Kong waters at Tamão, present-day Tuen Mun, beginning regular trade with nearby settlements in southern China.[30] Military clashes between the Ming and Portuguese navies followed the expulsion of the Tamão traders in 1521.[31] Despite the trade ban, Portuguese merchants continued to attempt to settle on other parts of the Pearl River estuary, finally settling on Macau.[31] In their first attempts at obtaining trading posts by force, the Portuguese were defeated by the Ming Chinese at the Battle of Tunmen in Tamão (or Tuen Mun) in 1521, where the Portuguese lost two ships. They were also defeated at the Battle of Sincouwaan around Lantau Island where the Portuguese lost a further two ships. Other defeats include Shuangyu in 1548, where several Portuguese were captured, and near Dongshan County in 1549, where two Portuguese junks and Galeote Pereira were captured." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau
None of the battles or the employment of force you mentioned were in the territory of Macau. That, of course, existed in other parts of China, as mentioned in the text you removed from Wikipedia. The treaty of 1887 has been discussed by many historians, due to its misuse of the word "colony". However, if you check the Statutes of Macau in about 75 or 76, you'll see that it was never regarded as a colony by either Portugal or China. That, again, was evident in the Luso-Chinese declaration of 1985, were it was described as "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration", and also in the Portuguese Constitution of 1976. That, of course, comes from the obvious fact that it was just offered out to the Portuguese as a lease and never taken by force, as mentioned. There is still, nowadays, a big affection from the Macanese towards the Portuguese due to the fact that Macau was never a place of struggle, or imposed force, like a colony. In fact, after 1580 and the Iberian Union, the Chinese could have quickly disposed of the Portuguese, if they wanted to. Macau was always different from the other Portuguese colonies for many reasons which are too lenghty to describe here anyway. You can still call Macao a "colony" and the Portuguese "invaders" if you like, it's just that it's historically, legally and culturally wrong, which is why I'm writing these comments.@@GabrielTravelerVideos
Clearly the history is complicated and it's important to me to get the facts right as best as I can. I'm sure there were many different phases and varying perspectives from both sides about the arrangements throughout the centuries of Portuguese presence there and to what extent it was mutually agreed vs. forced or coerced. But so far it doesn't appear that anything I stated in the video was factually incorrect. I said that the Portuguese initially invaded, but when that was unsuccessful because they were defeated, they changed tactics and resorted to treaties with the Chinese. That seems to be completely correct information. The fact that the battles didn't happen specifically on the current land that is Macao doesn't change the fact that they initially arrived as invaders, willing to wage war against the people there in an attempt to forcefully take their land. In the video I stated that it later became a colony, and I backed that up in my comment above with a source that clearly states it was a former Portuguese colony. If anyone wants to dispute those facts that are stated on the Wikipedia page, that's fine, but they would need to take that up with Wikipedia. Clearly this video isn't intended to be an in-depth history lesson, so your thoughts on the issue are helpful in adding some more information and another perspective. But it doesn't appear based on what I've found online that anything I stated in the video was inaccurate.
Thanks for this video, Gabriel. Macau holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Hong Kong for 30 years and visited at least once or twice a year for all that time. Saw it change (not always for the better - I think the city is now too dependent on gambling, and opportunities for young people to do other jobs are diminishing) tremendously. You used to come across a lot of Portuguese people, plus those from other Portuguese colonies including Angola and Mozambique (some used to run great night clubs!). Next time you go, you must get over to the two “islands” (not so much islands now) of Taipa and Coloane - especially the latter, for its more relaxed vibe.
Have you heard about the Loctote anti-theft bags? It's my go-to day pack for international travel. It's literally indestructible. You can even take it to the beach and have peace of mind when swimming in the ocean. It's impossible to steal this bag. I've locked it around beach chairs, and thieves can't take it.
A night in the Macau Sofitel will set you back a cool USD350 with a city view😂 I’d get my moneys worth out of that fancy lift, be up & down like a yo-yo , ha ha. I’d love to see GM in NK whilst you’re in the parish, but *no* idea what the visa situation is. I’m back out to India in 3-6 weeks, can’t wait, a whole month of riding the railways like an old timey hobo.
Gabriel you need some TSA padlocks for ruck sack - just to make it a bit more difficult for wondering hands. You need two wallets and cash in both wallets. Even a burner wallet with old cards and a small amount of cash. Maybe keep a copy of your passport on your phone as well. I have hiking cargo pants and shirts with hidden zipped pockets.
There was a lock on the zipper of my backpack when I got pickpocketed in Bogota so that it couldn't be opened without unlocking it. Yet somehow they managed to open the zipper without touching the lock. I still don't know how they did it. No, they didn't jam a pen in it, because this happened while I was walking down the street and I would have noticed something like that. Neither the lock nor the zipper were damaged. I was able to close the zipper again and continued using that backpack on my trip. So they are super clever. Important to have as many backup cards as you can. And having photos of your passport is essential. I have copies on my phone and also send them to myself in an email so that it can be accessed even if I lose my phone.
Wowza! The Dutch really got about in the old days. Trying to remember the place you went with the Dutch fort remnants before. Great to watch your video Gabriel. From Craig. UK.
Macao was colonized by the Portuguese, not the Dutch (Netherlands). There was an old fort in Unawatuna, Sri Lanka, that was also Portuguese: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IQ-3YbTt_50.html
Yes this was great! Just keep in mind for the next adventure that we prefer new and fresh and interesting content. No repeats of India, Thailand or wherever else you've been 19+ times!😊
No more Greece or the greek islands, as they all look the same. Rocky, dehydrated landscape with no real architecture, just white bland boxes, with maybe the exception of the Peloponnese region, which is medieval and beautiful. India is always a joy and a nightmare; at the same time. Fascinating country.
Macao is not the most densely populated place on earth. In terms of cities, it is currently only place 29 according to Wikipedia. But it just happens to also be a country, in which terms it is place 1.
Hi Gabriel, a beautiful city my only thing for being rather expensive is that it appears run down in some areas and it's about the size of Manhattan island. This is where you get such density. I didn't understand you brought tarts and you didn't have milk really odd just thought you forgot. As you may know the Portuguese tried to bring Christianity to Japan but failed even though they converted many Japanese people to Christianity.
I thought it strange that he didn't have a beverage or milk to drink with the pastry that he ate. Maybe he didn't want to drink in public although he ate in public. I think he likes to drink milk when he has to hike up mountains and high terrain.
That’s more like it 😜 Just so you know they speak Cantonese (Not “the Chinese Language” 😩)and lots of travellers are from Mainland China They come to gamble as it is legal in Macau Sabrina 🇫🇷🇬🇧
Anyone noticed none of the stores in market playing any music 🎶. Wow. First time seeing people walk around stores with not one sound of any type of music or popular music (anything!)in the air. That tells me alot. Todo? Were not in Kansas anymore.🤔.
Hi Gabriel, I really enjoy watching your travels...I've been to China 3 times and traveled everywhere there. It's funny because it's the only country I've been to over seas. You've traveled to almost every country in the world, I'm curious why you never travel to mainland China?
Gabe, Thanks for the interesting look at Macau. The only thing I've seen previously was the gambling area but the city itself is quite impressive. Its too bad you weren't able to speak the local language and sit down to learn the answers to your questions about where everyone was from. Mainland China tourists or perhaps a mix of people from close by areas and the mainland?
Thanks for this wonderfull impression of Macau Gabriel. It looks clean and tidy and lots of hisoric buildings and despite all the peopleit's not noisy at all. Are you still using the DJI Osmo Action 1 or this camera the successor?
The imagequality from your video's is ok and so is the sound so why should you upgrade. I've purchased the GoPro 10 and 11 and 12 but still have my DJI Osmo Action 1 wich is far easier to use and very reliable. The only downside is the noise from the wind because I'don't have the protective cover that you are using @@GabrielTravelerVideos
Hey! Going to Taiwan? I think you would really like it! Been a few times and it's really like the genuine chinese experience, and remember that its pretty easy to be on a lower budget 😀 Taiwan is like a mix of Japan and china, highspeed trains going everywhere and nice mountain landscapes 🍻🍻
Hi mate, love these videos of Macau as has been many years since I visited. Are you going to the other island as well? It was two more islands when I was there....Taipa and Coloane, both connected by a bridge. But I believe these days the water between Taipa and Coloane has been reclaimed turning it in to just one other island now.
Me too. I literally thought I was walking into the reception area of the hotel. Once I realized it was a casino I kept filming, then realized I should stop after about fifteen seconds. I should have put the camera into my backpack at that point and I wouldn't have been confronted by the security guard.
@@GabrielTravelerVideos have you got the action 4 yet. I've got the pocket 3 but it doesn't shoot in wide mode like the other action cameras. So I'm thinking of getting the insta360 ace Pro because of the low lighting situation especially in the UK 🤣
Gabriel is surely the only white man in Macau !! As mentioned not many foreigners seem to go there. If it was South Asia, people would be demanding Gabriel to take selfies with them.
There are lots that go there. It's just a short boat ride from HK and there are hundreds of thousands of Western people living in HK, plus millions of Western tourists all over Asia all the time.
LOL the only white man. If that was the case people would be all over him for those selfies that you mentioned, which would happen in other pars of China but definitely not in Macau where he is amongst hordes of "white man" tourists. You're way off the mark there buddy.
Macau citizens might be a bit more relaxed than their neighbours in Hong Kong because the Portuguese made sure that they all had a Portuguese passport before leaving in 1999. Macanese citizens are also Portuguese citizens and can not be extradite to mainland China because it was so agreed between Lisbon and Beijing. Macau's Minister of Justice was in Portugal to get consent to extradite Chinese immigrants accused of committing crimes in mainland China and Portugal agreed but only if they do not get the death penalty or more than 25 years jail like in Portugal. Unlike in Hong Kong the laws approved by the Macanese Parliament still have to respect the Portuguese constitution and when not they can only be applied after Lisbon's approval because the Macanese are Portuguese citizens. Portuguese citizens are also still entitled to move to Macau and have the same rights as the Macanese if they want to.
I did not appreciate the pasteis de nata in Macau, they were made with an unpleasant fat rather than good quality butter, and the inside was omelettey rather than custard. The old part of town was incredibly well preserved and was like a town that could easily be in Portugal itself but densely filled with mainland Chinese tourists. There is a church façade on a hill where the rest burned down, which was beautiful and straight out of Portugal itself, reminiscent of Igreja do Carmo. Further up the hill is a fort from 1692 hosting the Macau museum, and the setting is just like something from Lisbon. The rest of town is extremely soulless and sterile hotels and casinos. Nobody was able to understand if I spoke in Portuguese. It was an extremely interesting place to visit but a little depressing, and once on a day trip is enough. What is strange is that the historical part of Macau is much more aesthetically Portuguese than Hong Kong is aesthetically British, but the people of Hong Kong are much more culturally British than the people of Macau are Portuguese.
My advice about wallet and passport, NEVER put them in the backpack, even in Switzerland! A professional thief doesn't need to open zipper but will slice open backpack is a split second.😂 Always put most of your money 💰 and passport that you strap diagonally between your shirt and undershirt (like a gun holster)!😮
Super interesting culture .... Great experiencing such a unique place . Good vibes there , pretty neat travel place . Macau...China looks really down to earth, So many fun places. 🍸🍸 Cheers Awesome .
The ten most densely populated cities in the world are: Manila, Philippines (119,600/mi2) Pateros, Philippines (94,400/mi2) Mandaluyong, Philippines (90,460/mi2) Baghdad, Iraq (85,140/mi2) Mumbai, India (83,660/mi2) Dhaka, Bangladesh (75,290/mi2) Caloocan, Philippines (72,490/mi2) Port-au-Prince, Haiti (70,950/mi2)
We're both right, depends on the metrics. Macao is the most densely populated "region" and it also happens to be a city: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density
I visited Macao in 1994 and 90% of the high rises you show in your video were not there. The streets in the historic district were nearly empty. The casinos that existed at at that time were sleazy with a rough crowd. None of the Las Vegas clone casinos existed. Perhaps most interesting was a comment from our tour guide about illegal aliens from China. At that time the connection between Macao and China was limited. The tour guide told us that they had a special police that rounded up all the illegal aliens from China. I asked how they could tell which people walking down the street were from China. He said they walked differently and wore different types of clothes and their accent were different. Things sure have changed in Macao (and China) in the last 30 years!
