Transcrição, parcial, de um artigo sobre Macau publicado na HK Magazine

Quem vive em Macau, ou por aqui passou, sabe que a comunicação social de Hong Kong não é propriamente simpática, ou mesmo particularmente isenta, quando se trata de publicar artigos com críticas severas, algumas vezes injustas, para com Macau.

No entanto, e afirmo-o com pesar, a transcrição que se segue, de parte de um artigo publicado por Yalun Tu na edição da revista HK Magazine, nº 835, de sexta-feira, dia 14 de Maio, acredito que constitua um retrato muito fiel da experiência de alguém que se desloca a Macau sem ter qualquer intenção de vir jogar nos casinos.

What Happened to Ms. Independent?

(...) Here is a walkthrough of every concert in Macau:

1. Get to the ferry terminal. If the concert is on Friday night, get your pushing elbows ready—you’re in for a world of hurt as you push through those mainland tour groups with that lady holding a yellow flag leading 60 people all wearing red hats.

2. Ferry. You’ll definitely see:
a. Fat snoring Chinese guy.
b. Woman talking way too loudly to her friend-that-thinks-everything-is-funny.
c. High school girls wearing faux 1980s clothes (this is a concert).
d. Red-eyed I-have-a-gambling-problem guy.
e. The oldest woman in the world with a fanny pack full of thousands.

3. Venetian shuttle bus. It has lights and music like a club but the people are much smellier and much uglier than any club (....).

And, we’re at the Venetian. The only trick now is to know the concert will not start until at least an hour after they say it will. Make a veteran move and get dinner or continue to bet black in roulette like Wesley Snipes in “Passenger 57.” (Snipes: “Ever played roulette?” Evil guy: “On occasion.” Snipes: “Well, let me give you a word of advice. Always bet on black.”)

As for me, I followed the walkthrough to a T but then had a big dinner fail at sketchy Portuguese restaurant A. The food was excellent but was followed by my gf’s short-term love affair with food poisoning, the details of which I will not explain unless you’re the kind of guy that thinks tubgirl.com (now defunct) was a quality website. We went to the Venetian at 9:30pm, 1.5 hours late, voila!—Kelly Clarkson shows up.(...)

Um retrato demolidor para uma cidade que se quer internacionalizar.

Uma crónica que deixa triste quem gosta de Macau, quem sente esta terra como sua.

Mas, infelizmente, um retrato que, se não for totalmente real, andará muito próximo disso.