Stanley

Brittany, Oliver, and I went to Stanley on Saturday. Stanley Market is on the south side of Hong Kong Island, about an hour away from campus. We hopped on the MTR, mass transit rail, and went to Chai Wan. Afterwards, we took a minibus to the other end of the island. Stanley overlooks Repulse Bay, which got it's name after the high pirate population there. 

Stanley Market consists of small connected alleys that sell loads of souvenirs, trinkets, and fake designer purses. I picked up some great presents for friends along with a silky kimono for myself. Brittany searched for some gifts for family and friends, while continued to blab on about how his robe was superior to the ones we saw.

We walked through one portion of Stanley Market until we reached the promenade. We climbed the rocks near the beginning of the promenade and stopped to take in the breathtaking beauty of the bay. The juxtaposition of the skyscrapers and the natural beauty continues to baffle me. Less than 5 minutes away, there are apartment complexes over 40 floors high. 

We had lunch on the promenade at a lovely Italian place and watched a replay of a rugby game. It was really nice to have food other than Chinese food, which Brittany and I mainly eat while on campus. 

After lunch, we walked to the pier to help digest our carb-heavy lunches. We passed Murray House, a Victorian-era building that has housed government offices for the past century. 

As we were leaving the promenade, we found the cutest coffee shop and bakery called Stanley Cave. If you want to hear more about and see some more pictures, Oliver has a blog post about it on his blog here. 

On our way back to bus stop, we walked through some back alleys that were sprinkled with beautiful flowers and plants. 

I'm really excited to have more day trips around Hong Kong. Stanley was an amazing place to visit, and I can't wait to visit more places around Hong Kong.