A university Professor friend teaches her grad students about the "6th grade science introduction." This is the introduction that proves some ridiculous thought wrong. "Did you think clouds are big fluffy marshmallows? Well actually (YOU MORON), they are drops of liquid suspended in the atmosphere."
And yes, it is true. As this map shows, most of Hong Kong is rural with pockets of dense urbanization in between. All the green spots are country parks covered in lush hills, and the purple is the dense urbanization of downtown Hong Kong island and Kowloon. These green areas were protected as parks before technology was developed to build on steep hills. New technology can level them and put in high-rise. Now greedy developers eye the parks while Hong Kong citizens remain dedicated to preserving them.
Every travel guide about Hong Kong begins with this sort of intro. Wikitravel guide may say it best:
"The traveller weary of its crowded streets may be tempted to describe it as Hong Kongcrete. Yet this territory with its cloudy mountains and rocky islands is mostly a rural landscape. Much of the countryside is classified as Country Park and, although 7 million people are never far away, it is possible to find pockets of wilderness that will reward the more intrepid tourist."
"The traveller weary of its crowded streets may be tempted to describe it as Hong Kongcrete. Yet this territory with its cloudy mountains and rocky islands is mostly a rural landscape. Much of the countryside is classified as Country Park and, although 7 million people are never far away, it is possible to find pockets of wilderness that will reward the more intrepid tourist."
And yes, it is true. As this map shows, most of Hong Kong is rural with pockets of dense urbanization in between. All the green spots are country parks covered in lush hills, and the purple is the dense urbanization of downtown Hong Kong island and Kowloon. These green areas were protected as parks before technology was developed to build on steep hills. New technology can level them and put in high-rise. Now greedy developers eye the parks while Hong Kong citizens remain dedicated to preserving them.
I live in Stanley at the far south tip of Hong Kong island. The northern part of the island is what people think of when they imagine Hong Kong. Skinny skyscrapers loom over narrow streets packed with masses of humanity, and every inch of space is fought over in a mad explosion of capitalism. Most of this flat space was reclaimed from Victoria Harbor for development as the original geography of the island was exclusively mountainous.
South of downtown lies a steep range of mountains separating the south coast from the smog, traffic and chaos of downtown. And it truly makes an impression when you speed out of downtown into the Aberdeen tunnel, instantly shot out of urban madness into palm trees, banyans, and thick bushes which creep up hills overlooking gold sand beaches. Its like going from Manhattan to the countryside in 5 minutes. The tunnel is the fastest way, but a windy road that goes over the mountains gives an even more dramatic impression. Flying up the twisting road you look left at a shrinking bar graph of glittering skyscrapers. To the right lines of green and blue hills appear on the horizon. Reversing the trip brings an even more disorienting transition upon entering the tunnel in peaceful serenity then exiting to honking horns and mad mobs of humanity storming the crosswalks like drops of water in a fast flowing river.
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| Look South |
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| Look North |
The first town we get to through the tunnel is Deepwater Bay. There's not too much there, just a dirty beach, a golf course, and views of Ocean Park amusement park on nearby hilltops. This is the closest beach to downtown and it is almost always crowded with barbecues, picnics and sunbathers. The highway goes right by the beach so it is noisy and not peaceful.
The next stop is Repulse Bay which is an upmarket resort community nestled between steep hills along a longer beach.
The beach at Repulse Bay looks picture perfect and the viewer may get the impression that it is not real while gazing at the water. And they are right- it is an artificial beach created out of the rocky coastline to lure developers. Frankly, the creators could have done a better job because most of the beach is made up of sharp pebbles. I don't understand why they couldn't have brought in soft, white Philippine sand if they were ambitious enough to import a mediocre beach.
Repulse Bay town is perfectly manicured and there is a large shopping mall backing up to the beach crammed with a number of nice restaurants and bars. To one side a walking path leads along rocky cliffs to Deepwater Bay. On the opposite side a quiet road follows the coast to Middle and South Bay beaches, which are smaller, quieter, and surrounded by nature.
Past Repulse Bay the road leads to Stanley, my home. Stanley is more of an actual town than Repulse Bay. While there are upscale mansions out of town, the feel is more working class, and I live in a maze of block-like apartment buildings that are scaled down copies of those found downtown.
Stanley is on a peninsula with beaches and steep cliffs on both sides of town. It is a tourist destination for city dwellers, cruise ship shore-excursioners and busloads of mainland Chinese. During the week it is quiet and on weekends the main seafront is a sea of selfie superstars.
There is a long boardwalk with various bars and restaurants along the waterfront, and there is an open European style plaza. In the plaza there is a Buddhist temple, a shopping mall,
our school, and a playground. The playground draws huge crowds that overflow into the surrounding streets. Children run the show on weekends and nice evenings, when the biggest threat to safety in this area is getting hit by a scooter. Since Stanley is one of the few dog friendly places in Stanley the area is often like a dog show as barbie doll urbanites show off manicured barbie doll pooches.
On the other side of the boardwalk is the Stanley Market, a huge draw for tourists. It makes sense as an attraction and is pretty cool; it is narrow and crowded between old broken down buildings. It feels "China-y" while not being as grimy, dodgy or intimidating as markets in Kowloon. That's all I feel like saying about it now.
Stanley main beach is on the windy side of the peninsula and has some waves. Windsailors, motorboaters and kayakers launch out of this beach and it is crowded on sunny summer days. St Stephen's beach and the boardwalk face the sheltered side of the peninsula where the water is more tranquil. St. Stephens beach is a great spot for the sunset and has a great restaurant, but the sand is not soft as it is covered in tiny seashells.
My favorite place in Stanley is the Chun Hom Kok beach, which is still relatively secret as its a bit out of the way. Turn right from Stanley plaza and enter a green park that winds through jungle along the water front. There is a small beach in this park filled with beautiful shells. If you go straight through the park to the road and walk down a bit you arrive at Chun Hom Kok. This beach has soft sand and is surrounded by forest and steep rocky cliffs. The cliffs along the left side are an excellent spot for bouldering.
As a nature lover, I like Stanley but could always also choose to complain. I love the tropical variety of plants that surrounds town, and particularly the flowering coconut trees and the banyan trees.
These trees have aerial roots that suck water straight out of the humid air and the roots wind every which way, often growing down steep rock walls and cliffs. No two look anything like one another and they are amazing.
I also need to give a special shout out to this tree that grows enormous bright red flowers before the leaves arrive in the spring. Bare branches and bright flowers make a stunning impression.
So, a nature lover in Stanley has hiking trails to mountains, the reservoir and along the coast. There is even one to a waterfall in a gorge! The Twin Peaks trailhead is a 15 minute walk from town and leads steeply up 2 380 meter hills.
Stanley is a walkable community, and the waterfront area is pedestrian only. There is rock climbing and of course beaches and water sports.
The reasons to complain for me would center around concrete. While there are beautiful trees and bushes everywhere, there is still concrete in between them. Even most of the hiking trails in the area are concrete. There are no grassy fields to sit on as Hong Kong's density of people would lead to grass being trampled immediately. And the nature around Stanley seems carefully manicured as opposed to the wilderness in the US. While the hills are jungly, all of the forest has been planted relatively recently. Many hills which were clear cut for farming are now covered in thick and nasty bushes.
These hills were once tropical rain forests that harbored monkeys and tigers. Its sad to think of how much more beautiful this once was. And while nature is around, there are many streetlights and light pollution, so it is difficult to see stars except at a couple very special spots.
And of course, once one gets spoiled by the Philippine or Thai beaches a short flight away from Hong Kong the beach seems dirty and inadequate. However, considering we're 20 minutes from one of the biggest cities on earth it is hard to complain too indignantly. Overall, Stanley is a wonderful place to enjoy nature as well as easy access to big city excitement.
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| Looking back at Repulse Bay from boardwalk path leading to Deepwater Bay. The building on the left has a hole in it to allow the dragon who lives in the mountain to enter and exit peacefully. |
Repulse Bay town is perfectly manicured and there is a large shopping mall backing up to the beach crammed with a number of nice restaurants and bars. To one side a walking path leads along rocky cliffs to Deepwater Bay. On the opposite side a quiet road follows the coast to Middle and South Bay beaches, which are smaller, quieter, and surrounded by nature.
Past Repulse Bay the road leads to Stanley, my home. Stanley is more of an actual town than Repulse Bay. While there are upscale mansions out of town, the feel is more working class, and I live in a maze of block-like apartment buildings that are scaled down copies of those found downtown.
 |
| Stanley Peninsula. St. Stephens beach is on the right and the main beach is on the left. |
Stanley is on a peninsula with beaches and steep cliffs on both sides of town. It is a tourist destination for city dwellers, cruise ship shore-excursioners and busloads of mainland Chinese. During the week it is quiet and on weekends the main seafront is a sea of selfie superstars.
 |
| "We're in Stanley now son, stop embarrassing yourself. Let papa show you how to use that selfie stick!" |
our school, and a playground. The playground draws huge crowds that overflow into the surrounding streets. Children run the show on weekends and nice evenings, when the biggest threat to safety in this area is getting hit by a scooter. Since Stanley is one of the few dog friendly places in Stanley the area is often like a dog show as barbie doll urbanites show off manicured barbie doll pooches.
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| Stanley boardwalk |
On the other side of the boardwalk is the Stanley Market, a huge draw for tourists. It makes sense as an attraction and is pretty cool; it is narrow and crowded between old broken down buildings. It feels "China-y" while not being as grimy, dodgy or intimidating as markets in Kowloon. That's all I feel like saying about it now.
Stanley main beach is on the windy side of the peninsula and has some waves. Windsailors, motorboaters and kayakers launch out of this beach and it is crowded on sunny summer days. St Stephen's beach and the boardwalk face the sheltered side of the peninsula where the water is more tranquil. St. Stephens beach is a great spot for the sunset and has a great restaurant, but the sand is not soft as it is covered in tiny seashells.
 |
| Sunset St. Stephens |
My favorite place in Stanley is the Chun Hom Kok beach, which is still relatively secret as its a bit out of the way. Turn right from Stanley plaza and enter a green park that winds through jungle along the water front. There is a small beach in this park filled with beautiful shells. If you go straight through the park to the road and walk down a bit you arrive at Chun Hom Kok. This beach has soft sand and is surrounded by forest and steep rocky cliffs. The cliffs along the left side are an excellent spot for bouldering.
 |
| Chun Hom Kok beach from bouldering spot |
As a nature lover, I like Stanley but could always also choose to complain. I love the tropical variety of plants that surrounds town, and particularly the flowering coconut trees and the banyan trees.
These trees have aerial roots that suck water straight out of the humid air and the roots wind every which way, often growing down steep rock walls and cliffs. No two look anything like one another and they are amazing. 
I also need to give a special shout out to this tree that grows enormous bright red flowers before the leaves arrive in the spring. Bare branches and bright flowers make a stunning impression.
So, a nature lover in Stanley has hiking trails to mountains, the reservoir and along the coast. There is even one to a waterfall in a gorge! The Twin Peaks trailhead is a 15 minute walk from town and leads steeply up 2 380 meter hills.
Stanley is a walkable community, and the waterfront area is pedestrian only. There is rock climbing and of course beaches and water sports.
The reasons to complain for me would center around concrete. While there are beautiful trees and bushes everywhere, there is still concrete in between them. Even most of the hiking trails in the area are concrete. There are no grassy fields to sit on as Hong Kong's density of people would lead to grass being trampled immediately. And the nature around Stanley seems carefully manicured as opposed to the wilderness in the US. While the hills are jungly, all of the forest has been planted relatively recently. Many hills which were clear cut for farming are now covered in thick and nasty bushes.
 |
| Hiking in Hong Kong: Stairmaster |
These hills were once tropical rain forests that harbored monkeys and tigers. Its sad to think of how much more beautiful this once was. And while nature is around, there are many streetlights and light pollution, so it is difficult to see stars except at a couple very special spots.
And of course, once one gets spoiled by the Philippine or Thai beaches a short flight away from Hong Kong the beach seems dirty and inadequate. However, considering we're 20 minutes from one of the biggest cities on earth it is hard to complain too indignantly. Overall, Stanley is a wonderful place to enjoy nature as well as easy access to big city excitement.
Aaron-Great description of the islands. Enjoy!
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