First foray on my own....

(Photos to be added, so stay posted. Sorry)

Today marked the first time that I left the Island of Ap Lei Chau on my own. I was off to Stanley to meet a friend from my earlier days in Peru. Sujana's parents live in Hong Kong and amazingly she attended South Island School, the same school that Richard now works in. She is here visiting her family for a week at the beginning of a new adventure for her, having quit her job to do some travelling around Asia with her partner.

To get to Stanley required the catching of 2 buses. First to Aberdeen where Richard stressed I was to get off as soon as I crossed the harbour bridge. This I dutifully did, then after taking the footbridge overpass, waited on the other side of the road for any bus heading for Stanley. I ended up on a mini bus rather than the double decker buses as this was the first to arrive and it was too hot to stand around waiting in the sun. Stanley is situated on the south eastern coast of Hong Kong Island and has a long history as it was one of the largest indigenous settlements when the British first arrived way back in 1841. Now it is well know for it's market, waterfront promenade lined with bars and restaurants, which is where we had lunch and of course great views out to sea. However it is the trip to Stanley that makes it worth while. For the price of a bus fare (less than $1US) you get the most amazing views, if not a little white knuckling as the bus navigates narrow, twisting mountain roads that cling to the edge of the island. The first beach we came to was Deep Water Bay, a quiet little inlet with a beach flanked by shade trees. Repulse Bay was the next bay and it is obviously home to the rich and famous, as the hills around the beach are strewn with luxury apartment blocks surrounded with trees and with out a doubt some of the most spectacular vistas you could find. Again the beaches here are public and I imagine it would be a great spot to people watch especially if you knew who you were looking for. As I am not so fond of the beach, spending a weekend with thousands of others on this beach is not really my idea of fun. And apparently they even have sharks here, so that has turned me off even though many of the beaches have netting and lifesavers.

I arrived in plenty of time to enjoy a stroll around the markets. I managed to walk around the entire market and not buy a thing, OK that is not quite true, I did buy a map book from the book shop there, but as that was an essential buy I think I did well. But do not worry, I certainly took note of what I could buy at a later date!!