Stanley Market: Now and Then

Four years ago when I traveled to China with People to People, my delegation was scheduled to spend 2 or 3 days in Hong Kong. Due to a lovely typhoon though, we had less than 24 hours, and of those 24 hours, we had to sleep and leave China for good. So we only got to see Victoria Peak and Stanley Market.

Last Saturday, I went back to Stanley Market with Kat and Lex. We took the MTR to Causeway Bay and then hopped on a minibus to get to Stanley. When we first arrived, I was taken aback. The first thing I said was “Wow. They’ve definitely done some reconstruction since 2006.” Of course, this was before I noticed that I was not in the same area of Stanley when I arrived in 2006.

We strolled along a promenade before choosing a little seafood place for lunch, where we all feasted on fish and chips. And then we made our way to the market. And I realized I was where I was when I came in 2006 when I saw the Haagen Dazs ice cream store where I stopped for ice cream with a few friends from my delegation.

Stanley Market in 2006:

Stanley Market in 2010:

Lex, Kat and I strolled along the little shops, purchased a few gifts and goodies. This market sells a lot of different ‘souvenir’ type items. Unlike Ladies’ Market, which focuses around clothing’s and purses, Stanley has a lot of tourist things- like the “I Love HK” shirt I brought back in 2006, or pictures/names with Chinese calligraphy. And Stanley wasn’t too crazy. Although the main aisle was small, we weren’t breathing down each other’s neck.

It was great to actually explore and walk around Stanley; there were many Westerners so in addition to reminding me of my experience with People to People, I was reminded of home. J