By: Stark Yang and Andy Liu

Ilia Prokhorov has long, sandy curls, oversized square glasses and a sturdy build that carries a hint of hippie flair. On a recent Monday in April, he spoke about life on Lamma Island.

The Russian expat came to Hong Kong at the outset of the Ukraine war and is approaching his fourth year on the island. He now works as a bartender at Piggy Smalls, a bar near the Yung Shue Wan ferry pier. Before moving here, he lived briefly in North Point — in a place where a tram turn, a parking lot, and a local market intersected in a cacophony of city living.

“That junction we lived at was super loud. Down there was a wet market. It’s like clockwork at 5 AM — then all the screaming starts.”

He decamped to Lamma, where he now shares a two-storey village house with his dog. People are drawn to the natural setting of the island, Prokhorov said.

“Hong Kong is the city, what’s it called…a “concrete jungle.” But here is the natural jungle,” he said. “So you spend, let’s say, half an hour traveling from the concrete jungle to paradise on Earth.”

Prokhorov said he prefers the quiet pace of island life, giving him plenty of space for hiking and time with his dog. At the same time, solid infrastructure and high-speed ferries mean he can still enjoy the conveniences of modern civilization.

Contrary to the steep prices on Hong Kong island, Prokhorov finds Lamma surprisingly affordable for local residents — costs largely depends on location and foot traffic. His current two-storey village house, front yard included, is just HK$15,500 a month, compared with the HK$10,500 he paid for a studio in North Point.

Life in the real jungles of Lamma, though, do come with a downside.

“And the mosquitoes obviously are everywhere. They bother us here — and they bothered us in North Point. Same-same,” Prokhorov said, laughing.

Still, he worries that a growing influx of tourists could shatter the hard-won tranquility, as investors pour money into restaurants and hotels, in a process he called “taking the green out.”

“I am very much afraid of Lamma becoming gentrified with supermarkets, McDonald’s, big chain restaurants one day,” Prokhorov said.

Yet he admits the concern cuts both ways: More visitors could also improve business at the bar and boost incomes for local people, despite his concerns over growth and gentrification.

“But we welcome anybody to Lamma,” he said.