Discovering tranquility in Hong Kong

When we visualise Hong Kong, most of us would say "large city, tall buildings, fast paced, mix between new and the old, pollution" and so on. Others who are more familar with Hong Kong know that there are hidden treasures surrounding this part of Asia.

Today, I believe I have met the tranquil side of Hong Kong. Our journey today took us to Stanley Bay (HK Island) where any form of transport must bustle through the luscious green hills to get to the other side. We headed to Stanley Beach which was much smaller than expected, however, it was free from all the pollution and and most of all, some of the scenery/landscape reminded me of Sydney. If you continued down Stanley Beach away from the main area, you head to a lonely little beach called Hairpin Beach.

Hairpin Beach is a private pebbly beach away from the crowds. Apparently the lifesavers stopped patrolling this beach since 2005 and left it alone. I am not too sure if the absence of lifesavers repel the locals from visiting this beach or maybe it is due to the pebbly beach, but as you can see the pictures below, it is most certainly serene.

I do not know what aquatic life I expect to see here and to tell you the truth, I do not think there is much to see here, but the water was warm and it would just be bliss to go for a nice swim. Unfortunately I don't have my snorkeling gear here in Hong Kong. Either I invest in a new set or have my gear posted from Sydney. I will have to have a think about it.

 View from the Hairpin Beach

 Clear, pristine waters..

 Reminds me of Sydney except Sydney has beautiful sandy beaches

There is limited snorkeling/diving information in Hong Kong and it seems like you learn the ropes when you join an association or group of some sort. One website/blog I have found which provided good diving/snorkeling/nature information of Hong Kong is called Hong Kong Outdoors (http://www.hkoutdoors.com/). 

After looking at this website, one specific site I want to visit is Sharp Island. Apparently this site is favoured by scuba divers and snorkelers due to its pristine/clear waters and its aquatic life. Below is a picture borrowed from the Hong Kong Outdoors website. 

Sharp Island (Source: http://www.hkoutdoors.com/)

Now that I think about it, I need to get my gear here ASAP! Hopefully my next post would be an actual snorkeling post and not about my snorkeling desires. In the meantime, I think I will have to continue searching for new areas to control my itchy feet. 

Till then.

Chad