On the Brink of Settling

We have booked a room in the Gold Coast Hotel for 9 nights. Along with the weekly discounted rate we also receive free use of the gym, pool, shuttle buses to Hong Kong Central and 8 pounds of laundry service. Gold Coast is treating us royally and frankly, just being on the property can make you feel rich. But because it’s in the middle of no where, the rates are cheaper than what we could find in the city. No complaints here as I was able to take a dip in the pool, hang out in the sauna and listen to music in the garden. It was the first time in a while that I was able to feel relaxed and begin to collect my thoughts about this trip.

Aaron and I have been migrants for three solid months now. About halfway into our trip we thought we had selected a home base but in the end, Zhuhai didn’t pan out. Now we’re searching for a new home and of course the sky is the limit. Being back at square one again is not the best feeling.

To begin our search we started on Lamma Island. Known in Hong Kong as the hippie island, Lamma is complete with organic farm, vegetarian cafes, smoothie shops, and lots of dogs. Weekends are flooded with tourists taking advantage of the cool bar/music scene and remote hiking trails. However, there are a few things that deter Hong Kongers from living on Lamma. One must take a half an hour ferry ride to get to Hong Kong central. Over here, that short commute is asking a lot. To us, it’s a trivial factor. The other drawback of Lamma is the coal burning power plant that sticks out like a sore thumb. The pollution is minimal and all I noticed emitting from the stacks was a stream of white smoke which means they must be using scrubbers. The coal plant is so high that the smoke most likely blows right into Hong Kong island. The air on Lamma is the cleanest I’ve smelled in all of Asia probably because no cars are allowed on the island. Consequently everything is in walking distance. With a population of 6,000 it’s also not too crowded. Bikes are popular but it only takes an hour and a half to get from one side of the island to the other on foot. Surprisingly enough, Lamma is Hong Kong’s third largest island. In short, Lamma is remote, charming, and cheap with the excitement of Hong Kong central only a half an hour away for a $2 USD ferry ride.

We like Lamma so much that we dove in and put down a deposit on a three bedroom apartment today. In two days we’ll pack our bags with relief that we’ll be unpacked for at least one year. Living on a quaint tropical island wasn’t what we expected when we started our adventure but I’m glad that life took us down this path. When Maeli grows up she can confuse people by saying that she grew up on a hippie island in Hong Kong.