Stanley

Yesterday we went to a pre-colonial fishing village called Stanley. After all, how could we resist going to a place with such a wonderful name?

Stanley is located at the very end of Hong Kong Island. We took a bus along a narrow circuitous road up Victoria Peak and down again on the other side. The view was magnificent.

Stanley has become a seaside resort filled with Mediterranean-looking hotels, pubs and cafes along the beach. Yachts and windsurfers abound. Hardly seems Chinese at all. Then you find the temples and tiny shrines tucked into the corners, and it really takes you by surprise.

Then there's the Stanley Market, dozens of covered winding alleys filled with hundreds of tiny stalls selling everything. Now *this* is very Chinese.

We skipped the touristy restaurants and found an off-the-beaten track kind of place with typical Cantonese food (lots of grouper and other local fish), then came back at dusk and watched the sun set and the neon lights come on while we took the ferry back home. Another wonderful day in Hong Kong.