This time, I got to spend some time on a couple of beaches, and I swam in the South China Sea, which was warm and comfortable to swim in, unlike the numerous swims off the UK I've had in the past. There are no pictures of me actually swimming as my travel companion was too busy soaking up the sun, but she can vouch for me that I swam, so you'll have to take our word for it. I did, however get a few shots of the beaches, so here are the picturesque bits :)
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| Repulse Bay |
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| Big Wave Bay from the Dragon's Back |
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| Repulse Bay
So, what about the Big Head Hat stall, I hear you cry?! Well, unfortunately it was no longer trading, so there was no opportunity to buy another travelling hat from there. However, I'm determined to find a hat that fits on some of my other travels, perhaps the Italians and Dutch understand the plight of the larger-headed man?!?
That said, I did frequent Stanley Market twice and came away with some lovely bits and pieces for friends and family. Also, this time around I took on the mantel of Geoff Pugh t-shirt buyer extraordinaire and I think I may have bought more than he bought on the Blues Brother's Road Trip! Here's a shot of one of them which I particularly liked: 
A number of others with messages like "Don't grow up, it's a trap" and the one I'm sporting today which has the word "Artist" all over it, and most cost less than 50p!!
The holiday as a whole was refreshing, breathtaking and will stay with me for many years to come. The weather was changeable, and we had our fair share of rain, but it was "proper" rain, rain drops coming down with such force that you could feel their weight and their surprising warmth, clouds hanging ominously in the sky and stunning flashes of lightning too. Thankfully, most of this was witnessed from the comfort of the hotel room, 20 floors above the city.
A nation of strong contrasts, from the congested streets of the north of the island, the shopper's paradise of Kowloon, and then, the peaceful, beautiful and picturesque south of Hong Kong Island where I swam in the sea and found this little gem of the craft beer revolution:
If I do visit again, it will probably be on the way to somewhere else, perhaps Australia, Thailand, Vietnam or one of the many other exotic places that Hong Kong gives easier access to. In the mean time I'll leave you with one of my favourite pics that I managed to capture from the hotel room. It was a dark night and it was only once I looked back at the photo on the camera, I realised I'd captured the red sails of a "Junk" sailing in the harbour which is just visible through the skyscrapers.
Huge thanks to my travel companion and local knowledge guru Wednesday who was lucky enough to do most of her growing up in this fascinating and beautiful country. Here's to more adventures!
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