Wondering where to live in Hong Kong? Itโs always good to talk to the neighbours! In our regular Street Talk feature, we get the inside scoop from residents of different areas. Here,ย Monica Guzkowska gives us the inside scoop on living in Cheung Sha on Lantau Island.
The Specifics
Name: Monica Guzkowska
From: Canada
Occupation: Business manager
Where do you live?
Cheung Sha, South Lantau.
How long have you lived here?
Going on eight years โ about the same length of time Iโve been in Hong Kong. This is where we rented when we first found a place and we loved it, so when a place came available, we bought. Weโre probably oddities in this town!
Why here?
Iโm from Toronto, and my husband is from a small French village and spent a lot of time growing up by the sea. Weโre both very active, and nature is a need for both of us, whether itโs in the green or by the seaside. Plus, as thirtysomething arrivals in Hong Kong, the bustle of the island appealed to us for a Saturday night but we knew that it wasnโt what we wanted to wake up to on Sunday. In the end, South Lantau trumped Sai Kung and DB with buffaloes. Not kidding.
Describe your South Lantau lifestyle?
Laid back, active, family-oriented, sub-urban. Visitors to our place tend to exclaim โYou have butterflies!โ People talk about โputting on their Central clothesโ to go into town. This area has a lot of villas and village houses, so we tend to go over to each otherโs houses, whether to hang out with a drink in the evening or for a dinner or barbecue. You will want a car. One frustration is when tradespeople, shops and couriers, who normally deliver, donโt, calling this place โremoteโ.
Peek into Monica’s story on living in south Lantau Island in the gallery above
The Scene
When you walk out of your place, the first thing you see isโฆ
Sometimes, the giant gecko or Tokay gecko that lives in the wall across from our door. Otherwise, our neighboursโ cars (and ours) in the street (for some, this is a turn-off for living here โ for me, itโs a bit of a cultural comfort; something familiar that I grew up with). No doubt someone with a baby stroller or a dog. Sometimes one or more Lantau cows. The path to the beach. Butterflies.
Closest store:
Technically, there are some tiny convenience stores in Tong Fuk and Pui O with water, cup oโ noodles and the like. For all practical purposes, itโs a toss-up of the crossroads: Wellcome or Fusion in Mui Wo are by the ferry pier to Central. Both carry a decent range of expat grocery products. Taste in Citygate Outlet Mall in Tung Chung (โover the mountainโ) has a wider range and parking if youโre taking the MTR, going to the pool or gym, and so on.
Your street would make the perfect backdrop for a remake ofโฆ
Point Break. Maybe crossed with Desperate Housewivesโฆ Kidding! Donโt print that! <sorry Monica, it was too cute to leave out!>
How are the neighbours?
Generally, a mix of native Hong Kongers and expat nationalities tending toward the nature and dog-loving. A couple of our immediate neighbours use their villas as holiday houses; full-time residents include a high proportion of pilot families. People are incredibly warm, saying โhelloโ in the street and perhaps stopping for a brief chat; you really can knock to borrow a cup of sugar. People look out for each other โ car-pooling for kids and checking on houses when a family goes away.
The unofficial uniform of your street is:
Board shorts, yoga or compression wear. A dog. Children. Worn singly or all together. Jeans and an edgy T-shirt for going out โ surfer hipster.
A mandatory stop for guests is:
Tai O and the Big Buddha. Cheung Sha beach on a weekday when sometimes you can have it to yourself. Mavericks or The Gallery for food.
Date night โ what and where?
On a clear night, the rooftop or the beach with a blanket, a bottle of wine and some snacks. A star-gazing app is optional, but great nerdy fun. Key concept: you can actually see the stars here. Or a dinner at one of the restaurants in Mui Wo, followed by a Thai massage.
Best thing for kids in your area?
Nature. Sure, thereโs rugby and dance, playgroups, etc., but really: nature. Scraped knees and burrs on socks, egrets and herons in the wetland and estuary, dirt trails (they still exist!) and a glimpse of a barking deer if youโre very very quiet and very very lucky. And happy smeared faces after finding mud pies in the buffalo fieldโฆ
The Superlatives
Youโd swap houses in a second withโฆ
I struggled to answer this. Our place isnโt huge and it isnโt perfect, but I love our home. Having said that, thereโs a holiday house by Lower Cheung Sha โ a bungalow with a red brick wall and barbecue, with a pool; itโs got to be one of the most coveted houses in the area.
Favourite places in your area?
Cheung Sha beach. The many Lantau hiking trails accessible from my door to Lantau Peak. Sunset Peak. The Pui O wetland looking west when the buffalo are out โ I keep meaning to snap a photo and submit it to a โWhere in the world?โ contest; no one would ever guess that this is Hong Kong. Mavericks beach shack and restaurant. Mau Kee restaurant. Tong Fukโs The Gallery for the grilled meats, pizza and divine chocolate cake. 9 Dragons gym in Tung Chung.
Strangest thing youโve seen in your area?
Billy the Cow has been a bit of a local sensation after he was adopted by a Pui O family. Lately though, Iโve seen a black goat being walked on a leash. It was a PALS (animal shelter) volunteer who has a pretty luxuriant white beard. Who knew heโs such a hipster?
Guiltiest pleasure in your area?
Regular massages. No shame!
What would you never change about your area?
The road permit, which is only available to residents and area businesses. Itโs what keeps us from being inundated with cars and people.
Best thing about living in your area?
Nature. Hmm, appears to have been a bit of a leitmotif here. Gosh, Iโm so Canadian!
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