atsfdx

A Little More HKG Info

I am a Subic-based F/O who chose that position as a new-hire. I have been there for 2.5 years. I voted no on the LOA but am bidding HKG if I can hold it as a Captain.

I just finished a couple days in Hong Kong and wanted to pass along some info. I will try to pass web-links where available so that anyone who wishes can verify info for themselves.

Housing - A wealth of information on housing is available on www.hongkonghomes.com . This site provides pictures, square feet and can be searched by nearly any HKG area and price range. Remember, 21,000 HKD is equal to our $2700.00 housing allowance.

My wife and I spent a day with a realtor in Discovery Bay (one of the places mentioned on the Cartus website www.cartusresources.com/FedEx/login.php and looked at about seven different properties ranging from 21,000 - 30,000 HKD. Three were furnished. The provided furnishings in only one of the furnished places would I deem acceptable for my family. Very few apartments have storage in the bedrooms. Those that do have storage sacrifice square footage for said storage. Average bed room sizes are 11 by 11 sq ft; that is before being reduced by additional closet space that you may or may not want to provide. Measure your queen or double bed and try to fit that and a dresser in there. No hanging space is provided, as no closets are provided. Kitchens are small with the minimum required appliances. All apartments that I saw had a non frost-free refrigerator, which is ½ the size of a normal refrigerator, combo washer/dryer (drying and washing in same machine), and a 2-, 3- or 4-eye gas stove and oven. An approximately fifteen square foot storage space off of the kitchen, if provided, doubles as a maid quarters/bathroom. All units did have adequate a/c units; at least one per room. The living and dining areas, as large as 13 by 22 square foot, are adequate in size for my family.

Housing Costs - Typically, two months deposit plus first month’s rent is due. The realtor I dealt with advised that her realtor’s fee is 50% of monthly rent. There is also a 30% government fee. Ensure that the rental you choose has no hidden government/hoa fees. These fees are listed at the bottom of every listing on hongkonghomes.com. The rents can also increase 10% every year, so it is best to lock in your rental contract for as long as you think you want to stay in that location to keep your rent steady. My realtor, who lives on Hong Kong island, says that her electric bill is approx 200 USD/mo. She said water is cheap.

Schooling - Schooling, I understand, is an option. I opt to keep my kids in school and therefore provide the following information on schools in Hong Kong. My first preference is the American International School (www.ais.edu.hk). The tuition is approximately $13,000 USD per year. There is no debenture. The penalty I pay for using that school and living in Discovery Bay is that my child has to ride 50 minutes of public transportation one way to/from school every day. Other schools that are available, i.e., Australian International School would have the same logistics requirements to/from but also require a debenture (a large deposit usually paid by your employer). If your employer is not willing to pay the debenture, a private, lesser, debenture can be paid at your expense. In order to qualify for the private debenture, your employer must provide, on company letterhead, an official acknowledgement that they are unwilling/unable to pay the corporate debenture (http://www.aishk.edu.hk/school/enrolment.shtml#debentures).

I chose Discovery Bay as the location that I would most likely live. Why, you ask? It is an expat community with a nice, quaint piazza around which there are numerous shops and restaurants which serve all varieties of cuisine. There is a market, medical, and fitness facilities all within the complex. The shortcomings of living in D-Bay is it’s isolation. There are no cars allowed here by any residents. The only way in or out is by public transportation, be it ferry from Central, bus from Sunny Bay MRT or the airport, or cab. To get to the airport, one must take a bus which will always pass through Cathay City enroute, as there are a lot of Cathay and Dragonair employees residing in D-Bay.

Discovery Bay is nearest the Sunny Bay MTR stop. Kowloon Tong is a school district where The American Int’l School, Australian Int’l School, and many others are located. (www.hong-kong-travel.org/MTRKCRMap.asp).

Interested parties, please ask questions in this forum and I will try to provide verifiable answers. I only have provided this because I haven’t seen it provided for us from the company or Union. People bidding these domiciles should not do so uninformed. After all, it’s not an LOA...

Fr8doggie

Thanks for the info. I think the next practice bid will have zero FO's after reading this.

Jetjok

Atsfdx, On behalf of everyone here, THANKS for your effort!

CloudSailor

atsfdx,

when you say that the size of some of these places were suitable for 'your family', what do you mean? how many children do you have?

did you happen to research the realistic travel time to CAN?

are there/will there be alternatives to report for duty in CAN other than company transportation?

thanks for the informative post.

FDXer

Do you work for management or the union? OH NO you don't because YOU provided us with useful information that everyone needs and should of had months ago. GREAT JOB!!!!

I hope this information gets out before the 19th. It might sway someone that's sitting on the fence.

BrownGirls YUM

Atsfdx,

How far is Discovery Bay from the pickup point?

Oh...right....they are "working on that".

KnightFlyer

Batman Movie Scene in Hong Kong Harbor Scratched Due to Pollution
Sunday, November 04, 2007

HONG KONG — Batman may have a body of steel, but the caped crusader is no match for the pollution in Hong Kong's iconic harbor.

The latest installment of the Batman series will start filming in the territory this month, but already the movie has hit several snags.

A scene in which Batman was to drop from a plane into the harbor has been axed after the movie's producers found the water quality could pose a potential health risk, the South China Morning post reported in its Sunday edition.

"The plan was for Batman to be seen jumping into the water and then climbing up some bamboo, or something similar," the Post quoted an unnamed production official as saying.

"But when they checked a water sample, they found all sorts of things; salmonella and tuberculosis, so it was canceled. Now the action will cut to inside a building," the official said.

The movie — a sequel to the 2005 hit "Batman Begins" — stars Christian Bale as the eponymous Batman, Heath Ledger as the Joker and Michael Caine as Batman's long-suffering butler, Alfred. Christopher Nolan returns to direct the film.


Hong Kong's harbor has long been polluted by industrial and residential sewage, and swimming is not recommended, WWF's conservation director Andy Cornish, told the Post.

"There is still a horrendous amount of effluent going into the harbor," he said.

The government has launched a project to collect and treat all sewage before it reaches the water, but the harbor is not yet suitable for swimming, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Department told the Post.

A spokesman for October Pictures Ltd., the Hong Kong company handling production of "The Dark Night," declined to comment on the report.

It was the latest snag for the Warner Brothers picture, which has already started filming in Chicago and London. Hong Kong government officials had earlier expressed concern over noise pollution and traffic chaos during the nine-day shoot.

The movie's producers sent out thousands of letters at the weekend warning residents living along the waterfront that a helicopter and transport plane would be swooping down low during the filming, the Post reported.

The letter said the sound level would be similar to buses but the company would do all it can "to restore tranquility ... as early as possible."

Hong Kong's glass and steel skyscrapers, glistening blue harbor and authentic Chinese winding streets have proven a popular backdrop for many Hollywood movies including the James Bond hit, "Tomorrow Never Dies."

sparkmo

They don't call it the fragrant harbor for nothing!

atsfdx

If I am "awarded" HKG, I will be moving myself, my wife, and my high school aged daughter. When I said "are adequate in size for my family", it was after I had described the combined dimensions of the living and dining area. That was the only room I felt was of adequate size, by western standards. The other room sizes are very small. Can I make it work? Yes. It will be much smaller than we are used to, even coming from one half of a spider house in Binictican, where I currently have four under one roof!


I did not take the trip to CAN; sorry. I only wanted to put out info that anyone can verify on their own. As for alternative travel means to CAN, I am also unsure. I have seen other posts on this website that there are, but I can't verify that yet.

CloudSailor

Thanks again atsfdx.

There's also a wealth of HKG info on pprune.org under the "Fragrant Harbour" forum. What you will mostly find there, besides Cathay-specific concerns, is CX pilots talking about the water and air pollution problems in HKG and industrialized China in general, some serious concerns...

I would like to ask the question of trip time between HKG and CAN and also living conditions around CAN, but can't post yet.