Hong Kong Day 2

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We slept like angels. Angels who snore and have to get up in the night to pee. Awake at 5.30am and dozed for a good while before shaking ourselves out of our slightly jet-lagged mode and into 'let's get breakfast' mode. Plenty of variety at the breakfast place. Packed stuff away to have for morning tea, frugal as we are. Cheapskates as we are...

Today, somewhere different so on the MTR to Hong Kong , off at the Admiralty stop and on the 260 bus to Stanley Bay. It took about half an hour to travel across the island to a relatively unpopulated and fresh environment on the coast with green-blue seas, golden sand beaches and trade wind-like breezes. The double-decker bus wormed its way around stupidly tight bends high above the water clipping trees on the road side as it intimidated on-coming traffic into giving way on the narrow road. We got there!

Stanley Bay was waking up as we arrived. Well known for its market it staggered into life at around 12 noon as we wandered through the narrow alleys of stalls selling anything you could possibly not want. But we supported the local economy anyway with impulse buys. We bought a painting and some toys for our sons and some other stuff which we really didn't need but liked the look of. That's why we're not rich.There's a big wharf, upgraded in recent years, where apparently, in the old days, English Governors and other dignitaries would disembark to begin their rule of the colony. It's quite pretty and we were annoyed we hadn't brought our togs as Repulse Bay Beach which we passed through before Stanley Bay looked very inviting and the water temp was 28 degrees.

A pleasant few hours, which we recommend doing and then the same bus trip back to Hong Kong and the trusty MTR to Kowloon Station where Lyn picked up the jersey she'd left on the bus the day before.

Later in the day Lyn had another appointment with an agent so I explored more of the "Chinese" Kowloon further up Nathan Road. For 30 minutes I was the only European in the district. It brings into sharp focus our place in the world outside our shores. And then... 5 o'clock came round, we looked for a happy hour place and found it at the Eaton Hotel across the road, wandered for a bit afterwards before trying a restaurant recommended on Trip Adviser as an authentic and satisfying place to eat. The Tai Ping Koon. It was fun. Surrounded by waiters who didn't appear to have a lot to do (they got our vegetables wrong regardless) and Chinese patrons enjoying a night out, we had a good meal, a glass of rough red and then walked it off through more back streets before calling it a day.

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Photos

Hong Kong Day 2
Stanley Bay Market

Hong Kong Day 2
Stanley Bay

Hong Kong day 2
Nathan Road Bling

Hong Kong day 2
Tai Ping Koon restaurant - yet to fill up.

Comments

[joy mildenhall]

hong kong day 2
Great keeping up with your blog sounds great