Opposites

Making fun of Discovery Bay is a regular sport on Lamma’s website Last weekend, this posh community of ex-pats hosted their annual festival. Interestingly enough, so did Lamma. I visited both celebrations to find a continuous show of opposites.

When I stepped into Discovery Bay’s ferry pier, I let out an “ooh” and “aah” at the electric gate and then chuckled at the Starbucks. I was surrounded by SUV strollers, high heels, and an Armani sunglasses crowd of mothers. I’m more accustomed to seeing fish-balls-on-a-stick and a variety of beer, as well as slashed ferry prices.

You pay more at the Discovery Bay ferry for things like carpet and washable slip covers over the head rests. Like the Honda Element, you can also spray down the Lamma ferry with a fire hose.

Once on Discovery Bay I was greeted by a mall equipped with a variety of retail stores and a dozen or so restaurants. The mosaic tiled walkways and polished storefronts did not match up with the rest of Hong Kong. To be honest, my entire stay at Discovery Bay was like a visit to a gated community in Florida or a rich neighborhood in California. I had found the suburbia of Hong Kong, minus the cars.

Golf carts neatly lined the entrances of each community. Buses made up the main traffic and because each community is spread out from the ferry pier, bursses are essential to get to the shopping area and pier. I took a 10 minute bus ride to the festival.

On Lamma Island (and the rest of Hong Kong) everything is integrated. I walk one minute from my flat and there is a store. I walk a little farther and guess what I find. The landscape of Lamma is also directly opposite. There are plenty of home gardens and natural scenery like papaya and banana trees, On Discovery Bay, everything was bulldozed and then neatly landscaped so there is no tropical island feel.

So what’s the big deal if the scenery is different and the residents are paying quadruple rent for this resort style community. Are Discovery Bayers really that different from Lammanites?

The percentage of gweilos (white ghosts) was overwhelming on Discovery Bay. I’d say that 85% is a fair estimation. Lamma’s population is more like 50/50. At Lamma’s Fun Day, a group of 15 drummers jammed on the stage including Chinese, African, and Caucasians. At Discovery Bay, I heard 5 different bands. Not only were they white but they played all western music.

Another notable difference is that Lamma’s community day was organized with a charity goal. Many stalls were full of used goods and out of the ordinary gifts like magical wands. Proceeds (like Bric-a-brac stall and auction) went to children in Nepal. I heard some grumbling Lammanites wishing the charity was more local. But if that’s all they have to complain about, then Hurray Lamma! There was no such charity focus at Discovery Bay, just a beer garden and overpriced face painting.

Update: fixing some typos. Apparently the EeePC spellchecker could use some work.