Fast Facts

American Express -- You'll find an American Express counter in the Hotel Lisboa, Avenida da Amizade (tel. 853/28579898), open 24 hours for all those gamblers.

Area Code -- The international telephone country code for Macau is 853. From Hong Kong, dial 001/853 before the number. When dialing an international number from Macau, you must first dial 00, followed by the country code. However, when calling Hong Kong from Macau, you need only dial the prefix 01.

Currency -- Macau's currency is the pataca. Like the Hong Kong dollar, the pataca is identified by the "$" sign, sometimes also written "M$" or "MOP$." To avoid confusion, I have identified patacas by the shortened "ptcs." The pataca is composed of 100 avos. Coins come in 10, 20, and 50 avos and 1, 2, 5, and 10 patacas. Banknotes are issued for 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 patacas. The Macau pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar (which is in turn pegged to the U.S. dollar) at a rate of $103.20 ptcs to HK$100; if you're going to be in Macau for only a short time, there's no need to change your money into patacas since Hong Kong dollars are readily accepted everywhere in Macau. Hotel rates, in fact, are generally quoted only in Hong Kong dollars. If you do exchange U.S. dollars or U.K. pounds (which you can do at banks, generally open weekdays from 9am to 5pm; at hotels; or an ATM at the ferry), you'll receive approximately $8 ptcs for each US$1, $15 ptcs for each £1.

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 999 for medical emergencies and tel. 110 or 112 for the police's special tourist hot line, all free calls. For the fire department, dial tel. 853/28572222, a toll call. However, if necessary you can call tel. 999 and the operator will transfer you to the police or fire departments.

Hospitals -- If you need to go to a hospital, contact the S. Januario Hospital, Estrada do Visconde de S. Januario (tel. 853/28313731), or Kiang Wu Hospital, Estrada Coelho do Amaral (tel. 853/28371333), both with 24-hour emergency service. For non-emergencies, Metro International, Av. Da Praia Grande, 405 (tel. 853/28355522), has an English-speaking doctor.

Internet -- The Macau Museum of Art has a Media Library on the ground floor, with 37 computers you can use for free Tuesday through Sunday from 2 to 7pm. Otherwise, several public libraries offer free Internet facilities, including the Central Library of Macau, Av. conselheiro Ferreira da Almeida, 89 A-B (tel. 853/28567567), open daily 2 to 8pm (closed holidays).

Language -- Both Portuguese and Chinese are official languages, with Cantonese the most widely spoken language. However, hotel and restaurant staffs usually understand English.

Mail -- Mailboxes are red in Macau. The main post office (tel. 853/28323666), located in the city center on Largo do Senado, is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to 1pm. It costs $5 ptcs (US65¢/35p) to send a postcard or letter weighing up to 10 grams via airmail to the United States. By the way, Macau is famous for its themed series of stamps, including the "Chinese Zodiac" and "Legends and Myths," which you can purchase at philately counters at all post offices.

Taxes -- Hong Kong levies a HK$19 (US$2.45/£1.35) tax for boat departures for Macau, while the Macau government levies a $20 ptcs (US$2.50/£1.30) departure tax, but note that the tax is already included in the price of the ticket. Hotels levy a 5% government tax and a 10% service charge on room rates. Restaurants also levy a 10% service charge, but government tax has been waived on the consumption of food and beverages.

Telephone -- For local calls made from public phone booths, it costs $1 ptc (US15¢/7p) for every 5 minutes. Telephones in Macau also offer international direct dialing, though in your hotel room you may have to go through the hotel operator. It costs $5.50 ptcs (US70¢/40p) for a 1-minute phone call to the United States during peak hours (Mon-Sat 6am-noon and 8pm-midnight) and $4.50 ptcs (US60¢/30p) on Sundays and off-peak hours. If you think you'll be making a lot of international telephone calls, purchase a prepaid phone card for $50, $100, or $150 ptcs (US$6.50/£3.50, US$13/£7, or US$19/£11) at Edificio CTM, Rua Pedro Coutinho, 25 (tel. 853/1000), where you can also check whether your own mobile phone will work in Macau and buy a SIM card starting at $50 ptcs (US$6.25/£3.30). A vending machine at the ferry terminal also sells SIM cards for $50 ptcs. For international directory assistance, dial tel. 101; for local directory inquiries, dial tel. 181.

Water -- Macau's water is from China and is purified and chlorinated. However, distilled water is supplied in restaurants and hotel rooms.