Mui Wo-Chi Ma Wan-Cheung Chau

It was such a lovely day that we decided to take advantage of the little-used Inter-Island Ferry to do a spot of island hopping. We walked from Mui Wo to Chi Ma Wan, stopping to say hi to some residents at Shap Long.

Chi Ma Wan ferry pier. I wonder how many people actually use this pier now that the prison has closed.

We wanted to do Cheung Chau-Pend Chau but got distracted by the all-day breakfast at Rainbow Cafe (HK$60).

And chocolate lava cake (HK$40).

The food was good and cheap... can we have something similar in Mui Wo?

Hidden costs

Mui Wo property looks cheap in comparison to places like Tung Chung and Tsing Yi and people often ask me: "So what's the catch?"

Easy: Ferry fares.

You are dependent on the ferry as it is the fastest way to get to Central. So if you have to get into the office every day, you must factor in transport costs if you're planning to move to Mui Wo.

Here's the latest on ferry fare rises from The Standard today: "Fares on six ferry routes to the outlying islands will rise, the first as early as next week.The fare from Mui Wo to Central will increase from HK$13 to HK$14 while the express fare will go up from HK$25 to HK$28.80. The fares hike will be effective from Friday."

Already my monthly commute costs me at least HK$2,000. With the fare increase, transport can easily be HK$4,000 to HK$5,000 for a two-person household - something you should factor into the rent/mortgage.

But at least places like Mui Wo, Cheung Chau, Peng Chau and Lamma are "proper" towns, as compared to developer-led Discovery Bay so ferry fares are still subsidised by the government.

I wonder how much the fare raise for the Disco Bay ferries is going to be?