[Corinne&Tim]

Hi All,



My partner has just been allocated his school as part of the NET program and he will be teaching in Tung Chung on Lantau Island. I have realized through what little info I have that this area is not as busy as the rest of HK (to say the least) however I was wondering if anyone who knows the area might enlighten me about how nice this area is? What are the facilities? (e.g. shopping, gyms, restaurants etc) and options for transport to kowloon and Hong Kong Is? Your comments would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks



Corinne

[berryplucker]

Tung Chung is the busy bit of Lantau Island, just next to the airport, and it is fast growing. I guess about 25,000 people live there (based on 19,000 in the 2001 census).

Transport to HK and Kowloon is very easy - the Tung Chung line of the MTR takes just over 20 minutes to Central, or you can change enroute to connect with other lines to the Kowloon side. There are also quite a few buses going to various places.

Citygate in Tung Chung (above the MTR station) contains quite a sizeable shopping arcade, including a ParknShop superstore and a UA multi-screen cinema.

[CXkate]

Hi

We live in Tung Chung, we love it. There are many walks and its only about half an hour from the city by MTR. There are many xpats in Tung Chung mostly pilots and wifes but alot of others as well.

Should you need any advise on accomodation ect I dont mind you emailing me

Drop me a line on the personal message file and I will send you our personal email

[timklip]

Hi Corrine

I haven't lived in HK for long (about 10 mths), but I commute through Tung Chung from Discovery Bay (another expat community) every day. TC is a very nice, well planned new town, built by the govt. primarily to house airport staff, tho many other people live there now, as it is expanding rapidly. There is a new cable car being built to take visitors up into the hills of Lantau Island, and rumor has it a 2nd theme park (to complement or compete with Disney) is planned for nearby. Citygate is a nice mall, lots of variety of shops and services. There are some really nice new apartment complexes with full amenities along the waterfront too, and many schools.
Having said that, and at the risk of offending others who have posted.......
Hong Kong has a VERY serious air pollution problem. I came down with a serious resp. infection within days of arriving and I was fine when I left Canada. The govt. takes air quality readings daily, and without fail, Tung Chung often tops the list of the worst areas in HK, tho to be fair, you can't really escape it anywhere. But there are definitely better areas in terms of that. I did recently move out of Disco Bay, and Tung Chung WAS on my short list of places to go, but in the end, I couldn't see myself living in the polluted haze that is daily life there. Imagine having a great sea view apt. but not being able to open your windows cuz of the dust (pollution particles really) blowing in....

[ILov2Fly]

So, timklip, where did you end up moving to... and is the Pollution better?

[timklip]

I moved across the channel from Tung Chung to a rural village near Gold Coast, on the edge of Tai Lam Country Park. It's definitely a different experience than the sterile "Stepford Wives" atmoshpere of Discovery Bay. Very friendly, very quiet, and yet convenient to travel into HK Island and Kowloon. I think the air quality is better, but maybe I'm just getting used to it! (hard to say...). It's not for everyone for sure, since virtually no one speaks English here (I'm the only westerner in sight), but Gold Coast is a 5 min. minute ride away if I need a fix of English faces and of course for shopping.

[Geordie19]

I've been living in Tung Chung for 4 months now and I must say I havn't experienced any problems resulting from the pollution. Sure it's there - the smog will usually burn off by midday though. Maybe I'm just lucky for not getting affected...

[wing]

Discovery Bay is facing South East and on the other side of Lantau. I did some research before I came here and noted that the prevailing trade wind is from the East.

Did I make a mistake to rent in Discovery Bay ? I picked Discovery Bay because I can't speak any Chinese and hope that I will be fine there. I have not moved yet and I still can call it off by losing the deposit.

Please comment on Discovery Bay ?

[elle]

Wing - I live in Discovery Bay and I love it there. When it comes to pollution I think it is a lot better in DB than in Tung Chung and Central.

[sewage]

How does one get from DB to the rest of Hong Kong? Is there a direct bus that goes there from DB or must you go to Tung Chung first? How long's the bus ride to Central or TST?