#Backtothegrind
Just arrived back from Hong Kong, was a great trip, but with <4k hands played this month Ive got the itch to get back into things.
Trip Report
6 days. 4 in Hong Kong and 2 in Macau. No pre planning, booked flights 3 days prior. 2+2 being our main source of info.
Causeway Bay
Decided to start in Causeway Bay, contrary to the name its actually one of the busiest parts of the city. We just jumped off the train and booked the first hotel we stumbled across, guess cant be too unhappy with the view then.
First impressions:
- Cleanliness: Hard to imagine a city this size being so clean, With so much going I didn't see one turnful waste site while I was there.
- Lack of Poverty: Didn't see one homeless person whilst in HK, also came across a maximum of 5 people begging or busking. Makes for a much more enjoyable trip to similar cities in the states where I cant walk a yard without getting asked for a dolla.
- Advertisments: Been to many big cities were lots of advertising is standard, but nothing like HK. Everything Imaginable is covered in ads.
By day:
Spent my two days exploring and checking out the views, was nice to be in a huge city environment after a few months chilling in Thai.
Macau
Day 3 made the trip to Macau, was excited at the prospect as Vegas is one of my favourite places on Earth.
Journey takes about 1hr on a ferry and costs ~$10 e/w.
Macau is still in the process of rising, with alot of building going on. That being there is still enough casinos to keep every man happy. Most of the buildings are more modern and baller than the ones in Vegas, which is a feat in itself.
Lobby at probably the most impressive building(from the outside) in Macau, Grand Lisboa:
Managed to sneak a picture inside the cardroom:
Played and lost a little at the tables, 25/50($3/6) game(lowest that runs), was full on weak, tight, beyond passive players, kinda makes for a boring game. I spent most of my time getting drunk in a desperate attempt to start some action, showing cards, making deals with the locals, etc. Managed to get a beer out of one of them, I bet him a pint I could 3bet/show him a 2, he obliged, very next hand he opens I look down at Q
2
and slide out a 3bet, he laughs and open folds KQ
easy pint imo.
The Local regs told me of the biggest pot they'd seen, on the opposite table, with durrrr getting 1.5mmHKD($200k) AIPF 4 ways, to be shown Q10s, 89o and 54s. Q10 boss'n with a straight. Welcome to the big game.
The EV of the game I was in didn't matter to me, I was there having fun, but for someone planning a grind trip/moving and putting in a ton of hours. Note that these "low" games have a high rake, and with the way the game runs left me feeling at times I was just playing one of these.
Managed to see Andrew Robl and Alec Torelli Loading up a big game on the opposite table, took all I had to resist the fanboy urges and not go over and interrupt the game for a photo.
View over non-Tourist Macau:
My camera sucks, so struggled to take pics of the good areas at night, Anyone thinking of going should as there is some super impressive buildings around. That sadly I cannot share
MGM:
Cool place inside MGM:
Nightlife in Macau was pretty poor, just bars from what we seen, although since returning I got told to hit up some places that I obviously missed.
Hong Kong Central
Surprisingly beautiful, has a really good mix of huge buildings but not spoiling the city with too much concrete. Its still possible to see the harbour from many areas.
[x] One of the worlds most modern cities
[x] Still using Bamboo as scaffolding
Its super easy to get around, both Train and Taxis are easy to find, Taxis are cheap which makes going somewhere at night less hassle. Although sadly at $9/pint things stayed fairly sober by my standards.
Tip for anyone planning a visit who likes to drink, check out the local hotel fridges, you can sit and have a large beer(650ml) here for as cheap as 4HKD(50c).
Asians more crazy than I give them credit, thought it was all work, but most of these guys know how to party:
Stanley
Was unaware of this place until our last day, decided to take the bus tour(tourist nerds ftw), and stumbled across this place. <30 from the center of HK. Really relaxed atmosphere and great views. What appeared to be where the ballers live, our guide telling us house' sell at 25kHKD per sq. ft. confirming my suspicions.
#backtothegrind