Dim Sum Beachy Joy

One of our greatest finds of the week was just around the corner from our hotel. Reasonably priced Dim Sum Square was a haven of small steamed parcels. A steady stream of locals, tourists and expats alike filtered through this no nonsense family business and queues often extended around the door. It was so good, we went back several times including on our culinary tour with Hong Kong Foodie. 

 Dawn swore by the local special BBQ pork buns:

The steamed delights are meant to compliment the hot, humid weather that Hong Kong experiences. Whilst that might be true, we didn't care. We just kept on returning at any and all available opportunities.

Midway through the week, Petra arrived from Shanghai, Dawn left back for London and Rosa came to join me from Vietnam. Having lived in HK for several years, Petra introduced us to destinations further afield--an free-access elevator that gave us panoramic city views, Causeway Bay, the many city beaches. We crisscrossed the city to join Petra and her eclectic group of friends at various local haunts.

Call me naive but I had no idea that beaches existed anywhere in China. Hong Kong's beaches were plentiful, accessible and quite charming. A 30-minute bus ride separated us from a string of beaches past Causeway Bay. Most of them were blissfully empty and we made our way past the golden sands of Repulse Bay to Stanley for a couple hours of pastoral respite:

Then wandering and walking a mile or so up the road, we found another secluded beach:

The weather was less than perfect but it didn't matter; good company abounded and we eventually made our way to Petra's friends' house in Shek O, a decent taxi ride away from the city centre. Their home was a marvel of architecture--it was built into the rocks on a settlement of houses the government hadn't officially recognised. The views from their roof were spectacular:

And a short walk away, two beaches, Shek O and Big Wave Bay, and a secluded bar filled with locals greeted us:

After a day on the beach, our adventure was nearly at its end. And still we hadn't hiked any of Hong Kong's award winning trails through places like Dragon's Back or past the Tian Tan Buddha. Miles and miles of trail still await a return visit, as if I needed a reason.