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To put things in perspective:
* At the weekend, it is extremely difficult to get a ticket on a ferry to Macau - the normal wait is about 2 hours (ferries/jetfoils depart every 15 minutes). And coming back is even worse - many people miss their scheduled departure, or else lose their bankroll quickly - then have to wait in a standby queue for hours hoping to get an empty seat.
* The lowest minimum bet for baccarat or blackjack I have ever seen in a Macau casino recently was HK$300 - roughly US$40 - and that was in what must now be considered a second-class casino (the original Lisboa). By comparison, even the Wynn, Venetian, Bellagio have $5 tables somewhere. Monte Carlo is probably the next closest with a minimum bet of 25 Euro. On top of that, the people stand 3-4 deep at every table fighting to get a bet on someone else's spot.
* In Hong Kong, people walk twice as fast than most other cities, with the possible exception of Tokyo and New York. There is no such thing as a leisurely stroll in HK unless you are retired (and you don't retire because of age or mandatory retirement - you retire because you can't keep up with the pace).
* Horse racing - the wagering on a single horse race in HK is more than any other track in the US takes in a single day, even Breeder's Cup day. On Wednesday nights, and Saturday or Sunday of each week, probably 80% of all TVs in Hong Kong (if not more) are tuned into the races.
* BBQs are for youths and kids. Mom's usually playing mahjong somewhere, dad's either working, or karaoke, or casino, or horse racing, or bar, or massage parlor.
Put it this way. Life in Hong Kong is lived at a very frenetic pace. Whoever coined the phrase "work hard, play hard" was referring to Hong Kong people.
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