Discovery Bay is a largely car-free community. Its well-integrated transport plan includes large buses to the airport and the nearest MTR station, and little local ones too, that save you from having to climb the steep hills with heavy shopping. You can book a taxi that will accommodate your pooch and the main direct connection with the city centre and outlying islands is by comfortable ferry.
If you prefer more personalised transport, you can rent a golf buggy for some exorbitant monthly fee. To buy one these days you’d need the equivalent of about £200,000. Yes. You read that right. Supply is strictly limited in this micro-economy. Wait until I explain that to the housekeeping services at my mum’s home in Neral, where they have their own little golf buggy fleet.
We tend to walk everywhere, which can take a while but, hey, who’s in a hurry because what else is there to do? The pleasant side effects of this are great vitamin D levels, a permanent suntan and the longest, strongest fingernails I’ve ever managed to grow. Climbing the hills and all the steps makes for a nicely-toned posterior too.
As you know I can be a bit nerdy about numbers so I was disproportionately delighted to discover that DB 1 here lives just down our lane.