As we had been warned when we arrived, it does get hot and humid in Hong Kong and this is the start of it. I’ve changed my dog walking routine to ensure that I’m inside for the hottest part of the day. I am now out and about more in the mornings and late evenings. Unfortunately this corresponds to the mosquito schedule but I do have my Burt’s Bees.

Today is one such day and the community health people are spraying chemicals around to prevent a mosquito plague (there are constant warnings about dengue fever on the tv and billboards). As a result, I’m stuck inside with the air-conditioning on when I’d prefer to have the doors opens given there’s a breeze blowing.

This all got me thinking that I should answer a question that my brother and a few others have asked – “where do you actually live?” and “what are the apartments like?” This solves a couple of problems for me too – I can’t think of anything else to write about today, it has been a while since I’ve updated the blog, and my next post will hopefully be a job update which is the other question that I am frequently asked.

So, we’re living in a community called Discovery Bay which is predominantly populated by expats. Of this group, most appear to be pilots as the airport is quite close. DB is a resort-like area which currently has about 16,000 occupants, most of which either have dogs or children. It’s on Lantau Island and is a short ferry ride to HK Island. The area itself is great for hiking and is known for its open spaces. The main forms of housing are low-rise style apartments though there are a few taller ones here and there as well as some houses. The apartments themselves are very similar to the ones found in Australia though they do have one difference aside from a bit of unusual workmanship.

There is a small room in many apartments / houses for the amah. To give you an indication of the size of this room, it is where Mr Shallot and I store our bikes and have the cat’s food and kitty litter – that’s all that will fit. There is no window and it backs onto the kitchen on one side and has an ‘ensuite’ which we use to store the pets’ dry food. The ‘ensuite’ has a toilet and a tiny sink with a shower hose attachment so the toilet paper would actually get wet while the amah has a shower. There is a tiny window. Apparently these rooms are large by some standards.

DB is patrolled regularly by security guards and is incredibly safe. There are no cars allowed in so people use registered golf carts. Taxis are mini-buses and are quite cheap. I’ll write more about the transport some other time because it really is quite brilliant.

Discovery Bay is divided into several areas, including two resident clubs and a marina. The buses leave regularly from each to transport people to the ferry pier at Discovery Bay Plaza. Now that it is summer, they also operate a circular route to one of the swimming pools.

The Plaza is a very relaxed area particularly on the weekends. There is a newly opened restaurant area called the Water Margin which reminds me of Noosa’s Hamilton Street. This part has views to the beach and Disneyland so it’s great for the fireworks in the evening. The Plaza side is typically more populated with children running around. The Plaza is where Mr Shallot and I like to go for a drink after he’s finished work on a Friday evening. I meet him down at the ferry pier with Dog Shallot, we buy a few beers and eat curry. There are outdoor tables with umbrellas set up for just this sort of activity. Alcohol can be purchased from a number of different areas, including the 7-11 where they even open the bottles.

It’s a rough life.

This is the view from our lounge room with the real estate agent. I’ll have to take a better photo for next time!

*Thanks to Billy Idol for the title to this post. It always reminds me of Richard Grieco in Booker. Ahhh that takes me back.