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> Other ex-pats would say how bored they were and go to the ex-pat pubs. This was what I've heard more than few times from people who went to Macau thinking it
by pwaai 9y ago
> Other ex-pats would say how bored they were and go to the ex-pat pubs.
This was what I've heard more than few times from people who went to Macau thinking it'd be like Vegas and walking away very disappointed.
I guess when you don't diversify your economy and go all in on one sector like gambling, it tends to neglect other parts of what makes a country and culture interesting.
Sort of like Vancouver, with a huge chunk of it's economy depending on rising housing prices.
- FabHK 9y agoThere's a bit of shows and entertainment in Macao, like the House of Dancing Water, but yeah, in that area, it can't compete with Vegas. (I wouldn't call Vegas particularly interesting or cultured, though...) However, the gambling industry in Macao dwarfs Vegas, with revenue 7 times as high or so (it fluctuates sharply, depending on how many people China lets go there and how much it cracks down on corruption).
- eggy 9y agoThe remark you quoted of mine was that a lot of the ex-pats were parochial, and didn't venture to really get to know the place as most people do by habit seeking the comfortable, hence a British-style pub to feel at home in. I like to live within the culture of where I am visiting / working, and get to know its people and history. There's still a lot of "we're better than them" going on in HK and Macau from the Brits and other ex-pats there.