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In Macao, we saw Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell landing in the port city from the Hong Kong ferry. Here we climb aboard the good old steam ferry, Fa Tsan, with the promise of plenty of romance and adventure ahead – although we’ll be needing our sea legs.

Welcome to Macao, the fascinating “Monte Carlo of the East”, whose infernal gambling dens are a perfect playground for bad boys. Crooks, fugitives and smugglers hit the jackpot or are left high and dry depending on a throw of the dice. Still waters run deep and you have to be careful: this “calm and open” haven with its gently bobbing sampans has another, hidden side, “secret and veiled”, tucked away inside the casinos, as the opening credits warn us. Macao, in red letters with yellow shadowing on the poster, is all decked out in its finery, every bit as glamorous and elegant as the music-hall vamp who has emerged from its choppy waters.