Oh, it was *sooooooo* much better in the old days....

Along the fringes of what used to be the edge of Taipa Island, there are a series of stunning Portuguese style villas that date from the 1920s. They are always a popular spot on a Saturday for taking wedding photos.

When you are up on the hill above them, you can sort of get a glimpse of how it all must have looked back then.

In those days the sea would have lapped up against them, but the water there now is an artificial lake. This was formed when the land which is now called the 'Cotai Strip' was reclaimed.

As you can see from this picture, the picturesque villas are completely dwarfed these days by the casino construction going on.

Of course, it is easy to say "Tut, tut, isn't that terrible, things looked much nicer in the olden days" like some disgruntled Daily Mail reader.

I daresay that in 1921 these villas were equally unpopular and all around you could hear people moaning "I mean, fancy building some show-off villas right on the shore spoiling the view for everyone, and that modern European style doesn't fit in with Taipa Village at all - who do these people think they are etc etc?"