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Shatin, Tai po, Mah on shan, or others?

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  1. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    wow! $14k!!!! that's even more than i imagined... don't think that will be happening for our business anytime soon! yikes! would so much rather spending our hardearned $$$ on holidays instead....thanks for the info.

    ps> i realise that you need permission for your helper to be able to drive. my point was merely that it IS possible to get by without a "driver", even in situations such as ours.
    Well you said, "it is still possible for a helper to drive children to school" so I'm not sure how that was to be interpreted as "it IS possible to get by without a 'driver'".

    Of course it's possible to get by without a driver, but in certain situations such as the ones I've outlined, where one is living in a remote area without good public transportation and both parents are working, it certainly benefits to have one.

    And yes, of course having a driver is expensive. Most people can't afford one, and that's fine. Everyone has to make due with what they have. If it was affordable, then most people would have drivers when of course, like you, they don't.

    My whole point was that for the OP to consider living in some of the developments discussed on the thread, and his own comment about the lack of shuttle services and the like, is that almost everyone in those developments have at least a car and most likely a driver. Further to that, I was making a point that there is a cost of living to such developments, particularly in the gated communities in the New Territories, that goes beyond the cost of the lease. Him working in Shatin certainly makes things easier than if he was working in Central, and as another poster mentioned there is a mini-bus from The Beverly Hills to the Tai Po KCR which makes going to Shatin easy. Depending on where he worked, he would then have to take another form of public transportation or maybe just walk. I estimate that would be still a good 35-45 minutes door to door, whereas driving would take roughly 12-15 minutes.

    If he had to work in Central, that would be a lot more difficult as it would mean taking the mini-bus to the KCR station and then the KCR to Kowloon Tong, then changing from the KCR to the MTR and then taking that train through many more stops including changing trains to get to Central. Perhaps there is a bus from Tai Po station to Central, but in either scenario, the ride would be mind-numbingly slow, no doubt taking at least 60 minutes if not more coupled with a lot of walking, when driving would take 30-35 minutes. I can imagine the vast majority residents at The Beverly Hills who own their own unit are not taking such public transportation on a daily basis, and certainly these developments were built with the idea that most everyone would have their own car and yes, probably driver.

    I live in a house in Tai Tam myself and while there certainly is good public transportation here, probably better than at some of the developments that have been mentioned on the thread, our kids' school is not close and having to take public transportation everyday to their school and back would be difficult for them. As it is, every one of my neighbors all have drivers so I can imagine they agree.

    Again, you can certainly "get by" in Hong Kong not only not having a driver, but even a car, but if you live in certain areas away from the city, it is definitely better to have one.

  2. #32

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    i have lived here for 5 years and never needed a car. but then again i live in wanchai and work in quarry bay and take the mtr everyday. thats why i would never move to the n.t. unless i had a car, it's so far! it would be awful to take the mtr all the way out there.


  3. #33

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    If you really want to know, I cannot stand the idea of having a driver. I would actually feel embarrassed to employ someone to drive me around. Clean my apartment, or babysit my kids is one thing, but paying someone to drive me when I am perfectly capable myself I would honestly feel ashamed. Embarrassment aside, it's my life and as long as I am physically able to drive myself, I would not pay someone else to. So what if I might have to walk a little further to where I am going from the nearest parking space.

    In the West only a select few very rich ppl will have drivers, so why is it as soon people from those same countries arrive in HK they NEED a driver? I know your point is that if you can afford then why not, but you were talking before like it is in some way necessary. I'm sure many people on here will not like this, but I feel the same way about DHs... ppl come here and suddenly seem to believe it's impossible to raise a child without one... well how do all your friends back home cope? No, I do not have kids yet, but I can say with absolute 110% certainty I will not be hiring a driver, or a DH. It may be crazy stressful hard work, but I won't have someone else drive me around and someone else raise my children!

    IFC, obviously this is mostly not aimed at you.

    Last edited by kryzlowski; 16-08-2009 at 08:34 PM.

  4. #34

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    while i totally agree with you regarding the driver, i do not agree with you regarding the helper.

    for two working parents, it is virtually impossible NOT to have a helper. this society seems to be set up for it. as such, there are virtually no "day care" centres around and those that DO exist are targeting low income families and the waiting list, i'm sure is very long. if you do not have family here, there is no other choice than to employ a domestic helper.

    as to what i wasn't making myself clear on before...
    what i actually meant was that, as it IS legal (with permission) to employ a helper to drive (for certain tasks, ie: taking children to school, classes & shopping) it is completely unnecessary to employ a SEPARATE person (a driver, who ONLY drives) to do this.

    Quote Originally Posted by kryzlowski:
    If you really want to know, I cannot stand the idea of having a driver. I would actually feel embarrassed to employ someone to drive me around. Clean my apartment, or babysit my kids is one thing, but paying someone to drive me when I am perfectly capable myself I would honestly feel ashamed. Embarrassment aside, it's my life and as long as I am physically able to drive myself, I would not pay someone else to. So what if I might have to walk a little further to where I am going from the nearest parking space.

    In the West only a select few very rich ppl will have drivers, so why is it as soon people from those same countries arrive in HK they NEED a driver? I know your point is that if you can afford then why not, but you were talking before like it is in some way necessary. I'm sure many people on here will not like this, but I feel the same way about DHs... ppl come here and suddenly seem to believe it's impossible to raise a child without one... well how do all your friends back home cope? No, I do not have kids yet, but I can say with absolute 110% certainty I will not be hiring a driver, or a DH. It may be crazy stressful hard work, but I won't have someone else drive me around and someone else raise my children!

    IFC, obviously this is mostly not aimed at you.

  5. #35

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    I really struggle to see why anyone living in ANY of the main developments, which ALL have buses running by the gate of some form or another, needs a car. (Carang - living in the middle of knowwhere is an exception). But Shatin, Tai Po and areas like that are well served by buses, including the outer lying developments. I believe the statement above that "everyone" in them will have a car is likely to be far from the truth.

    We live in the Gold Coast - I know people here with cars; many without. I can see advantages in a car (getting into central faster), but I can also see huge disadvantages (hassles parking, having to drive myself rather than relax or study on the bus, cost) so on balance we have not bothered. It's a personal decision. Personally, I really enjoy not having to concentrate on a nasty drive home in the pouring rain after a long day at work (I HATED this aspect of living in Wellington, where I was a 15 minute very steep uphill walk from the nearest form of public transport!) but if you have small children to cope with I can see a car might be much more practical. I don't think any of us can say what other people need; although would have to say I think needing a driver is pathetic, frankly. Who in their right mind would think it essential in their home country????? The royal family or a few movie stars, perhaps - not real people! So why is it essential here? Just get organised for christ sake. Or learn where the nearest bus stop is.


  6. #36

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    You definitely don't need a driver living somewhere like the Beverly hills or Hong Lok Yuen, whether they provide shuttle buses themselves or not, they will have frequent mini buses going from their entrance to town for around $5!
    If you plan on using the KRC to get to Shatin then a taxi everyday from door to KRC will be cheaper and less hassle than having a personal driver anyway.

    Last edited by London2HK; 16-08-2009 at 10:25 PM.

  7. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    although would have to say I think needing a driver is pathetic, frankly. Who in their right mind would think it essential in their home country????? The royal family or a few movie stars, perhaps - not real people! So why is it essential here? Just get organised for christ sake. Or learn where the nearest bus stop is.
    Amen.

  8. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    while i totally agree with you regarding the driver, i do not agree with you regarding the helper.

    for two working parents, it is virtually impossible NOT to have a helper. this society seems to be set up for it. as such, there are virtually no "day care" centres around and those that DO exist are targeting low income families and the waiting list, i'm sure is very long. if you do not have family here, there is no other choice than to employ a domestic helper.
    Glad you can concur about having a driver, and with your living in the sticks that's saying something!

    With DHs, my rant was really about families I've read about where only one parent works and yet they still 'need' a DH. Furthermore, there are people out there without kids, who have DHs .

    If you have kids, and both parents work, plus there is no day care, annnnnd you don't have relatives nearby then I guess you're pretty much out of alternatives. But for me... personally... I have a problem with someone else doing most of the child rearing (except the mother of my child). I guess the only way around that though is for one parent to stop working.

    I don't know what it's like in other Western countries, but back in the UK they don't really have daycare (In fact the word itself is something I think I've only heard from North Americans or from TV/Films.. so I'm guessing they have it there). Also, I have never known anyone to have the equivalent of a DH/nanny/whatever. The vast vast majority of the population would not be able to even consider affording such a thing. People just have to deal with it and cope if they want children.
    Last edited by kryzlowski; 16-08-2009 at 11:05 PM.

  9. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    Who in their right mind would think it essential in their home country?????
    I am just guessing but perhaps the point is that we are not in our home country. See also the reasoning of having a domestic helper due to lack of day care centers etc.

    The royal family or a few movie stars, perhaps - not real people! So why is it essential here? Just get organised for christ sake. Or learn where the nearest bus stop is.
    Shouldn't it be for everyone himself to decide if they need (or want) a driver? Why does it seem to bother you so much?
    I couldn't care less if someone "needs" a helicopter to do his gorcery shopping, their choice, their money.


    Just for the record, I have neither a DH nor a helicopter. Aeh, I mean car & driver.

  10. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    hmmm... my posts seem to have p*ssed someone off! that's 2 semi-negative ratings.
    Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but how do you see the ratings?

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