John Waite was belting out, “Missing You”, as we stepped into a taxi outside Macau International Airport. That, along with the fact that the vehicle was a Toyota Crown, affirmed that Macau is similar to Hong Kong, the Philippines and much of South East Asia, for it being locked in a time warp with the 1980s.
当我们踏入澳门国际机场外的一辆出租车时，John Waite大唱着“想你”。 這一點，加上這輛車是豐田皇冠的事實，證實了澳門與香港、菲律賓和東南亞大部分地區相似，因為它與20世紀80年代處於時間扭曲中。
But the similarities largely end there. And when accustomed to the enormity of cities in China, Macau comes as quite a shock. For two reasons; as populous as mini Montenegro or little Luxembourg, with just some 600,000 odd folks and one of the highest population densities on the planet, at over 20,000 people per square kilometre.
但相似之处基本上到此为止。 当习惯了中国城市的多样性时，澳门会感到相当震惊。 有两个原因；人口像迷你黑山或小卢森堡一样多，只有大约60万人口，是地球上人口密度最高的国家之一，每平方公里超过20,000人。
Macau is the mecca where Catholicism sits hand in hand with those in town to pray to the God of money; the roulette wheel. I harboured no such ambitions and had made no secret prior to my departure for the first time from the Middle Kingdom’s mainland in over 4 years that I was going for the architecture and the food. Portugal is my kind of thing. I was in for a treat with the former; the latter decidedly not.
澳门是天主教与镇上的人手拉手向金钱之神祈祷的圣地；轮盘赌的圣地。 我没有这样的野心，在4年多来第一次离开中王国大陆之前，我没有隐瞒过我要去建筑和美食。 葡萄牙是我的类型。 我和前者一起享受；后者肯定不是。
The dead centre of Macau is undoubtedly the plaza outside the Lisboa Grand, that blossoming, shiny edifice to capitalism inspired by the feathered-head dresses of Mardi Gras announcing to the world Macau is open for business big time, the gambling business. That makes the plaza a 24/7 photo op.
澳门的死中心无疑是里斯本大酒店外的广场，那座开花开的、闪亮的资本主义建筑，灵感来自狂欢节的羽毛头礼服，向世界宣布澳门对赌博业务开放。 这使得广场全天候拍照。
But the enclave’s true heart lies not far away, to be found on the slopes, at times pretty steep, of Santo António civil parish, atop which is top-tourist attraction, the Fortaleza do Monte, which has also been home to the Macau Museum since 1998.
但飞地的真正心脏就在不远处，在Santo António公民教区的斜坡上，有时相当陡峭，顶部是顶级旅游景点Fortaleza do Monte，自1998年以来，这里也是澳门博物馆的所在地。
Not far away, a statue of Matteo Ricci goes almost unnoticed, with tourists’ phones poised instead in the direction of the adjacent Ruins of St. Paul’s with its facade all that remains of the 17th-century Catholic complex.
不远处，马特奥·里奇的雕像几乎无人注意，游客的手机朝相邻的圣遗址的方向移动。 保罗的立面是17世纪天主教建筑群的所有遗迹。
But it’s amid the alleyways of Santo António, where the population density soars to almost 100,000, that Macau’s real character reveals itself.
但正是在人口密度飆升至近10万的Santo António小巷中，澳门的真正特征才显现出来。
And its charming architecture too. Here, there is truly something to behold with every few steps taken; a shop, a shack, a school or a nod to Macau’s colonial past and continuing Catholic present. And at which to wonder; how can people live in such constricted spaces?
还有它迷人的建筑。 在这里，每走几步，都有真正值得一看的东西；一家商店、一所棚屋、一所学校，或者对澳门的殖民过去和持续的天主教的现在点頭。 想知道的是；人们怎么能生活在如此狭窄的空间里？
Then, as the afternoon closed, it was a joy to see the same alleyways that somehow can fit in a Uniqlo or Mannings quickly filled with schoolchildren just out of the Colégio Mateus Ricci, each noticeably proud of their uniform bearing the Jesuit’s name.
然后，随着下午的结束，很高兴看到那些以某种方式可以装进优衣库或曼宁斯的小巷，很快就挤满了刚从科莱吉奥·马特乌斯·里奇的学童，每个人都以印有耶稣会名字的制服而自豪。
While we were not blessed by the weather in any manner, still there was much simple pleasure in a kebab from Rachel Barbecue and a Macau Beer on a more or less deserted Black Sand Beach (Praia de Hác Sá) at the southern tip of Coloane. Had we the sun and a few more degrees, it would have been perfect.
虽然我们并没有以任何方式受到天气的祝福，但在Coloane南端或多或少荒凉的黑沙滩（Praia de Hác Sá）上，Rachel Barbecue的烤肉串和澳门啤酒仍然有很多简单的乐趣。 如果我们有太阳和再多几度，那就完美了。
An escape on a public bus followed (they only take cash, and no change for you, but Alipay is fairly widely accepted across Macau) that took us to the nonsense that is The Venetian. Owned by the American Las Vegas Sands company, the saving grace of this, the second largest casino in the world, is ironically, its architecture.
随后，乘坐公交车逃离（他们只收现金，不给你零钱，但支付宝在澳门被广泛接受），这让我们看到了威尼斯人的无稽之谈。 具有讽刺意味的是，这家世界第二大赌场由美国拉斯维加斯金沙公司拥有，其拯救的恩典是其建筑。
Derivative as it may be, The Venetian is still several steps up from the vulgarities of The Parisian next door or the frankly-revolting faux Houses of Parliament and Big Ben of The Londoner across the road.
可能是衍生品，但《威尼斯人》仍然比隔壁的《巴黎人》的粗俗或马路对面的《伦敦人》的坦率令人反感的假国会大厦和《大本钟》相提后几级。
As for that Portuguese food, there was none to be had, other than a prohibitively-expensive hotel restaurant. That meant a return visit for a Korean beef bibimbap on an iron plate in a well-patronised, street-side diner with plastic stools for seating, together with the quite-remarkable burger on offer from the Lisboa’s room service.
至於葡萄牙食物，除了一家高昂的酒店餐厅外，别無他物。 这意味着在一家非常受人光导的路边餐厅里，在铁盘上吃韩国牛肉拌饭，那里有塑料凳子，还有里斯本客房服务提供的非常引人注目的汉堡。
Also making Macau an attractive option out of Nanjing is the sheer number of daily flights available. While Air Macau was tempting, The Nanjinger opted for Shenzhen Airlines, given its offering of a Premium Economy class; ample legroom for that tall foreigner.
澳门的每日航班数量也使澳门成为南京的有吸引力的选择。 虽然澳门航空很诱人，但南京人选择了深圳航空，因为它提供高级经济舱；对于那个高大的外国人来说，有足够的腿部空间。