Discovering a carless village

DISCOVERY Bay, Hong Kong--This

New Year's trip to Hong Kong was

different not only because of the new

millennium, but also because "home" was a place other than

Kowloon or the Hong Kong side. This time around, I stayed in a

carless complex of villages called Discovery Bay (DB) on Lantau

island, where my recently married second daughter Alice resides

with her husband Sarni.

DB's main attraction is its clean air, thanks to a rule that forbids

residents from owning or using cars or motorcycles. Compared

with Hong Kong, whose air pollution index is one of the highest

in the world, DB is literally a whiff of fresh air. Residents and

visitors get around by bus, with every village assigned its own

bus line. A bus stops by each waiting shed every five minutes,

or just in time for passengers to reach the pier and board the

next ferry to Hong Kong. The bus terminal is right beside the

shopping plaza and is a stone's throw away from the dock where

a ferry arrives from or departs for Hong Kong Central every 10

minutes. It takes 25 minutes to reach or arrive from Hong Kong

by DB ferry, which charges HK$25 per trip.

Residents who prefer individualized transportation can rent a

golf cart for HK$4,000 (the exchange rate is HK$1.00 = PhP 5.20)

a month or buy a bicycle, The golf cart comes in handy if you

join the Discovery Bay Golf Club. Another alternative is to take

a taxi, locally called a hire-car, which costs HK$10 per trip.

Otherwise, the bus is fine as a single trip costs only HK$3.50

and the buses are not Diesel-fueled and thus are not smoke

belchers. The shopping plaza area, by the way, is off limits to

bicycles.

But if you're not in a hurry to catch the ferry or are not carrying

heavy luggage, walking to the shopping plaza is the popular

thing to do. The fresh air and wind; clean, well-maintained

streets and sidewalks that meander uphill and downhill; pretty

cottages, townhouses and residential condominiums;

landscaped green parks and gardens; and ambience of quiet and

safety encourage residents and visitors alike to take long walks,

which is good exercise. Expats enjoy taking their dogs for a walk

while fitness buffs jog or bike. The temperature in DB is usually

two degrees lower than downtown Hong Kong's, so the weather

is agreeable all year round except in the fiercest winter.

Despite the profusion of pet dogs at DB, the whole place is kept

clean and safe because owners are required to pick up their

dog's litter and dispose of them in a specifically labeled dog

litter bin, a number of which are conveniently located on the

sidewalks and park lanes. Dogs taken for a walk are required to

wear a collar with a license tag and remain on a leash. Each dog

is registered and has a microchip of its registration number

embedded on the back of its neck or shoulder. Dogs are not

allowed to enter the stores but are tied up outside to wait for

their owners.

DB's shopping plaza follows the new concept wherein a

two-story building of stores, a supermarket, a bank, coffee

shops, restaurants, medical and dental clinics surround a huge

open courtyard where children can run and pray, people can sit

to take in the sun and where canopied tables, chairs and

benches are available for those who want to have coffee al

fresco or chat with neighbors while keeping a watchful eye on

their kids and pet dogs.

Surprisingly, the rental rates in DB are less expensive than those

in downtown Hong Kong. You can rent a three-bedroom flat in a

high-rise with two bathrooms and a view of the sea for

HK$8,000 a month. A bigger apartment or a two-story residence

with its own garden and backyard would, of course, cost more,

from HK$50,000 to as much as HK$95,000 a month. In general,

the rental rates of the high-rise residential condominiums are

lower than those of the low-rises.

Summing up, Discovery Bay proves to all and sundry that life

can be enjoyable even without a car.