Wonderful, weird but still familiar

But the wonderful weirdness doesn't stop there. St. Paul's church is one of the best known landmarks in Macao, but there's not much of it left. A fire destroyed everything in 1835 except the beautifully carved facade. Nevertheless thousands flock to see it, and the museum behind. It's worth the walk from Largo do Senado, a cobbled public square and fountain surrounded by elegant colonial buildings via narrow lanes packed with tea and food shops to get there.

The Portuguese first arrived here in 1557 and established the oldest permanent European settlement in East Asia and the blend of cultures is fascinating. Incense scented temples and churches; Portuguese forts, colonial buildings and Chinese street life; food which combines Chinese and Portuguese influences, with Indian, French, Brazilian and African thrown in for good measure. Really useful is the fact that every bit of public signage is bilingual. Street signs in Cantonese have Portuguese below, and that gives you a fighting chance at navigation.

Just to one side of St Paul's is a fortified hill, the Fortaleza do Monte. The canons were used only once, to repel the Dutch in 1622, and I could see virtually the whole peninsula from the top. From here I walked across town via the Tea Museum and sections of old city walls to Guia Hill. Once a defence against China, this is now a set of winding paths through pretty gardens. If you want to save energy there's a short cable car that takes you up and over the steepest part, almost to the top. 20 pence well spent, I reckon. At the top I strolled around, once again admiring the fabulous views, while others jogged, walked or performed Tai Chi. China's oldest lighthouse is also up here, next to a tiny chapel with old Portuguese murals almost fading back into the plaster and stone. My walk back down the back of the hill linked up with a 'Tour of Nature and Creativity' which takes you past museums, interesting buildings and gardens.

Even my hotel has a history. The Sofitel at Pont 16 is built on the remains of Pier 16 on the historic harbour waterfront that first attracted Portuguese sailors centuries ago. Adding to the cultural blend, this French owned five star hotel encourages its friendly and helpful staff to greet you with a cheery 'bonjour' and its rooms look out either at the old city or the harbour with mainland China beyond. Most of Macau's visitors these days come from China to gamble in an industry eight times larger than Las Vegas. Built on reclaimed land beyond the old city, you'll find outrageously designed hotels-cum-casinos where you can try a canal gondola ride through 'Venice', see one of the world's largest diamonds on display and watch some incredible light shows before you gamble. But I'd rather go for French fries than gambling chips so I tried a variety of places to eat, starting at the Sofitel's gourmet 'Prive' Restaurant. Sitting next to a huge window overlooking the old city, I watched as head chef Guillaume Gully expertly flambéed a piece of wagyu beef next to my table after a wonderful tuna tartare, avocado and fresh herb salad and a superb langoustine risotto with a parmesan cheese. As a counterpoint, the next day I was enjoying some delicious, but unidentified, meat and vegetables from the wok of a small outdoor kitchen on wheels by the side of the Rua do Infante road. The message is, there are plenty of dining choices in Macau, from Prive to the humble, so I encourage you to explore .

I explored Rue da Felicidade. Once the dock's red light district, it's now respectable and full of places to eat, as well as Chinese medicine shops. I met Constance, a doctor who’s training to be an acupuncturist. People stopped by for tonics – one lad had a bad stomach - and were handed what looked like gravy mix. Constance said it worked. Incidentally, this street is featured in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom because the producers thought China didn't look Chinese enough.

I travelled to Macau via Hong Kong (Hong Kong dollars are freely accepted in Macau) and went straight to the ferry, which is part of the airport, as soon as I landed. This means I ignored immigration, and my suitcases were collected for me and put on the ferry. On the return I thought it was daft to travel 6000 miles and miss Hong Kong so I stayed in Kowloon for a couple of days, to see the sights.

The Shangri-La hotel has great views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong island just beyond. The staff are friendly and attentive, all working towards the Shangri-la feeling of hospitality and home from home. I found hot tea waiting for me in my room and a sit down at the huge windows looking at river life while sipping Chinese tea was a simple, but splendid pleasure.

This place is bigger than Macau so I used a 48-hour Big Bus hop on/hop off ticket to get around. On the island route, the bus took me right along the coast with stops at markets, beaches and the ultra posh and breathtaking Repulse Bay on the south side of the island. My trip ended in Central, which is the main business district. You can actually walk under the HSBC bank - it's built on stilts to get better feng shui. Don't miss the tram up to The Peak for truly spectacular views. This is one of Hong Kong's "must do" activities. So, too, is the rooftop terrace at Hooray Bar and Restaurant. They serve Italian inspired food alongside cocktails, and everything is accompanied by terrific views of Victoria Harbour and Kowloon from the biggest dining terrace in Hong Kong. After I finished eating the excellent salmon and Caesar salad, the spaghetti carbonara, the sea bass with giant clams, and the neck of lamb, the dusk triggered the lights on buildings across the water to bring the city to spectacular life again. I leant on Hooray's wall and just looked.

The next day I went to the third biggest of the 260 or so islands around Hong Kong, Cheung Chau. It's bustling harbour has lots of small shops and restaurants with the Pak Tai temple nearby. Compared to the waterfront it's an oasis of calm, with beautiful carvings and religious figures on show. A local told me that Cheung Chau is known as “love island” because unmarried couples go there to do what they can't do at home. I simply had a few beers while toying with the idea of hiring a bike.

I wanted to end on a culinary high so I found myself a table at the Shangri La's award-bedecked Shang Palace. Chef Mok brings in other culinary ideas to traditional Cantonese dishes. I'd never thought of twinning lobster with oatmeal, but it works, brilliantly. There were more surprises. Cod I know, but it came with conpoy - the dried part of a scallop. After the pork belly, soy bean sauce and minced pork, something else new; puntalette, tiny grains of pasta which looks like rice, fried with diced shrimp. Chrysanthemum tea lubricated the whole delicious experience.

Finally, it was back on the Big Bus for the night tour, and a reminder of how bustling this place is at any hour. Like Macau, it's exotic, historic and interesting, but just familiar enough to make you feel comfortable.

TRAVEL FACTS

£1 gets you about 13 Hong Kong Dollars (obviously subject to fluctuation)

Shangri La: www.shangri-la.com/kowloon Deluxe room from HK$2,400+10%

Sofitel at Pont 16: www.sofitelmacau.com Rooms from MOP 2,500

Big Bus Tours (plus lots of free tickets): eng.bigbustours.com/hongkong

Hoorays: www.jcgroup.hk