奢华澳门，如何尽兴穷游？| 纽约时报

As we bumped along in the No. 25 bus on Estrada do Istmo, it was impossible not to notice the Venetian Macau, a mountain of steel and glass, shining in the distance in the afternoon sun. Opened in 2007, it’s home to one of the largest casinos on earth. And it’s not alone: Of the 10 biggest casinos in the world in 2014 (based on revenue), a staggering eight were in Macau, a tiny region on the southern coast of China, where over half a million people are packed into fewer than 12 square miles.

当我们坐在25路巴士上沿着路氹连贯公路颠簸前行时，很难去忽略远处的澳门威尼斯人(Venetian Macau)。在午后的阳光下，这座由钢铁和玻璃组成的山峰闪闪发光。全球最大的赌场之一就设在2007年开业的该酒店内。并且并非孤例：2014年全球最大的10家赌场（按收入计算）中，多达八家位于中国南部海岸地区的弹丸之地澳门。在那里，不足12平方英里（约合32平方公里）的土地上容纳了50多万人。

But I wasn’t there to gamble. Following a precedent I’d established in my very first Frugal Traveler column, when I toured Las Vegas without going to the famed Strip, I was determined to break the shell of Macau’s opulent exterior and see what lay beneath the surface. During a quick two-night trip, taking the ferry across the Pearl River Estuary, I found it was the perfect place for a getaway from the noise and intense urban compactness of Hong Kong.

但我不是去赌博的。写第一篇“穷游世界”(Frugal Traveler)专栏时，我曾去拉斯维加斯旅游，却没有去大名鼎鼎的长街(Strip)。遵循这个先例，我决定打破澳门奢华的外壳，看一看表象下面是什么。在短暂的两夜游期间，我乘渡船穿过珠江口，发现澳门是摆脱香港的喧嚣和严重的城市拥挤的绝佳去处。

Owing to its colonial past, Macau, with its cobblestone streets, old Catholic churches and narrow alleyways, has an almost European feel to it, along with an interesting local cuisine that fuses Portuguese and Chinese flavors. And my focus, naturally, was putting this trip together without causing undue strain on my budget.

因为曾是殖民地，有着鹅卵石街道、古老的天主教堂和狭窄的巷弄的澳门，几乎有一种欧洲的感觉。当地的饮食也非常有趣，结合了葡萄牙和中国的风味。我的重点，自然是在完成这趟旅行的同时，不至于让我的预算过于紧张。

My attack plan was simple: to see as much as I could, by foot and by public transportation. Macau is traditionally divided into three sections: the peninsula and the islands of Coloane and Taipa. (A fourth “region” of land reclaimed from the ocean, Cotai, now connects Coloane and Taipa and is the home to many of the newer casinos.) I particularly had my eye on rustic Coloane Village in the south.

我的作战计划很简单：用步行和乘坐公共交通的方式尽可能地多看一些东西。澳门传统上分三个地区：澳门半岛、路环岛区和氹仔。（还有一个“地区”是填海造陆后形成的路氹，现在将路环和氹仔连接在了一起，那里有很多比较新的赌场。）我尤其关注澳门南部颇有乡土气息的路环村。

Though I had no plans to indulge in the casinos, one lesson I’ve learned in my travels is that where there’s gambling, cheap rooms follow — it’s how they lure you in. I was able to land a very comfortable, relatively luxurious room at the Sofitel on the western side of the peninsula for 650 Hong Kong dollars, a little over $80. Close to the center of the city, it was an ideal jumping-off point. I was able to check another essential off the list by walking to Yin He Dian Xun (roughly, Galaxy Telecommunications) and purchasing a 500-gigabyte SIM card from a very helpful young woman for 50 Macanese patacas (about $6).

尽管我不打算沉溺于赌场，但我从多次旅行中得出的一个经验是，有赌博的地方就有便宜的房间——这是他们吸引你过去的方式。我得以在澳门半岛西部的索菲特(Sofitel)酒店住进了一个非常舒适，并且相对豪华的房间，价格是650港币，相当于80美元多一点。因为接近市中心，那里是理想的起点。我还买到了清单上列出的另一件必需品。我走到银河电讯，以50澳门元的价格从一个非常乐于助人的年轻女士那里买了一张500G的SIM卡。

Senado Square, within walking distance of my hotel, was a good place to begin exploring. Beautiful old yellow and pink pastel buildings with arched doorways and green shuttered windows frame the historic square, which is paved with small tiles. It was a perfect place to stroll and enjoy the egg tart I’d purchased for 9 dollars from Koi Kei Bakery.

从我住的酒店步行可达的议事厅前地是一个开始探索的好地方。具有历史意义的广场上铺了小地砖，四周坐落着漂亮的黄色和粉色建筑，带有拱形门廊和绿色百叶窗，风格淡雅。这里很适合一边散步，一边品尝我花9澳门元从钜记手信买的蛋挞。

The egg tart is one of Macau’s signature delicacies, a local interpretation of the Portuguese pastel de nata — perfectly creamy custard with a pleasantly caramelized top, encased within a delicate, flaky pastry cup.

蛋挞是澳门的标志性美食之一，是当地对葡萄牙蛋挞的演绎——光滑细腻的奶油蛋羹上面是一层漂亮的焦糖，包裹在脆薄的杯状酥饼里。

Another distinctive item is the pork chop bun. I stopped into the celebrated Tai Lei Loi Kei, a nearly 50-year-old Macanese chain, and paid 48 dollars for a small, bone-in pork chop that had been slapped somewhat unceremoniously onto a buttered white roll. Fortunately the meat was simply seasoned and well cooked (just be careful not to break a tooth).

另一款特色美食是猪扒包。我停下脚步，走进澳门有近50年历史的知名连锁大利来记，花48澳门元买了一小份带骨猪扒。猪扒被随意地放在了一块涂有黄油的白色小圆面包上。不错的是，肉经过了简单地调味，并且是十成熟（务必小心，不要咬掉牙）。

In addition to its cuisine, Macau has memorable architecture. Catholic influence is still very much present, at least aesthetically. St. Dominic’s Church, a beautifully restored, custard-colored 16th-century structure, is free to enter, as is a three-story art museum housed in the church’s bell tower. I looked over the icons and relics of the church on display, including beautiful old wooden carvings.

除了饮食外，澳门还有令人难忘的建筑。天主教的影响依然非常明显，至少在审美上如此。经过精心修复后，蛋奶色的16世纪建筑玫瑰堂免费开放，位于教堂钟楼里的三层艺术博物馆也是免费的。我仔细欣赏了展出的玫瑰堂的圣象和圣人遗物，包括古老的精美木雕。

Other worthy architectural attractions include the Ruins of St. Paul, a grand stone facade that is one of the few remaining pieces of a centuries-old complex. While there, I made the steep hike up to the adjacent Fortaleza do Monte, which provided an excellent view of the city.

其他值得一看的建筑景观包括大三巴牌坊。这是一面宏伟的石壁，是一处有几百年历史的建筑物的正面外墙，也是其留存下来的少许残垣断壁之一。在那里，我沿着陡坡爬上了旁边的大炮台，一览全市盛景。

The casinos? Didn’t need them. They do provide a useful benefit, though: When it came time to head back to the ferry terminal, I happily used the hotel’s free shuttle bus.

赌场？根本不需要。不过它们的确提供了一个便利：到要返回轮渡码头时，我开心地乘坐了酒店的免费穿梭巴士。