Our First Coastal Adventure

Through the city and the mountain (literally and figuratively) lies Stanley, the destination of our first real adventure outside of the main city. Stanley lies near the very southern edge of Hong Kong island and is known primarily for the Stanley Market and its quaint sea front status. More recently Stanley has become one of the favorite settling areas for expat families. My friend, Donna Carrier, who recently moved to Hong Kong from KC as well lives in a newer development in Stanley.



Stanley actually has two bays as it runs between two areas of water. We spent our trip on the side of Stanley shown here. On the right of the picture is Murray House (see photo below) and towards the left is Stanley Market and St. Stephen's Beach (see photo below).

Murray House once stood in the heart of Hong Kong, on the site of a building I have shown in other posts - the Bank of China Tower by I.M. Pei. As a product of colonial construction, the building has been used at different points in time by the British government and the Japanese military, during its occupation during WWII. In 1982 the building was dismantled to make way for expansion in Central. Murray House was not reassembled until 1998 in Stanley where it now serves as a historic monument and home to six restaurants. Piece by piece I guess we all reassemble whether moved across town or across the world.

Hong Kong broke with tradition for our Stanley trip in offering us up perfect weather - about 70 degrees, sunny, and an ever so slight breeze. All of that disappeared for us temporarily as we stepped into the Stanley Market. It's winding stalls and close quarters offered up a few bargains but seemed more fruitful for those that can buy clothes in Hong Kong. And while the Market seemed never to end, it did, and in another 5 minutes, we had arrived at St. Stephen's Beach.

Stanley lies in the background above with Murray House visible on the shoreline towards the left. I shall end the pictures there for today so that we all can feel the sun shining forth and the sand under our fingers.