Hong Kong & Macau - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 133

OCEAN PARK
Ocean Park (daily 10am-7.30pm; HK$320; W oceanpark.com.hk), Hong Kong's gigantic
theme and adventure park , combines the rollercoasters of Thrill Mountain with a host
of animal attractions. Waterfront's Grand Aquarium - the world's largest aquarium dome
- features an impressive collection of marine life, including sharks and jellyfish, while you
can catch dolphin and killer whale shows at Marine World, on the Summit headland,
reachable from the main Waterfront entrance by cable car and funicular. The stars of
Amazing Asian Animals are four giant pandas and rare red pandas, then there are aviaries,
a rainforest and Polar World to explore. The park also plays an active role in wildlife
conservation. It's situated just east of Aberdeen; take bus #629 from Admiralty MTR station,
#70 & #75 from Central, #72 & #92 from Causeway Bay or #973 from Tsim Sha Tsui. Get off
just after you exit the Aberdeen tunnel.

catch bus #7 or #70 from Central, #72
from Causeway Bay or #73 or #973 from
Stanley. here are also regular boat
connections between Aberdeen and
nearby Lamma Island (see p.141).

daylight hours) and, beyond, a seafront
promenade. Strolling west along the
seafront, you'll come to another Tin Hau
Temple (daily 8am-8pm), completely
rebuilt since 1767. Inside, there's a large,
blackened tiger skin, the remains of an
animal shot near here in 1942.
Next to the temple stands the
colonnaded Murray House , an o cers'
barracks dating back to 1844 that's
been reconstructed here, brick by brick,
after being moved from its spot in
Central where the Bank of China Tower
stands today.
If you follow Wong Ma Kok Rd south
from the bus station, you'll come across
the Stanley Military Cemetery (daily
8am-5pm; bus #6A); its graves from the
1840s and 1940s allow you to appreciate
the toll that diseases and the Japanese
invasion took on Hong Kong respectively.
Buses #73 and #973 run between
Aberdeen and Stanley. All the buses that
go to Repulse Bay also go to Stanley.

3

Repulse Bay and beyond
he wide, sandy beach of Repulse Bay , an
upmarket suburb on the southern coast
of Hong Kong Island, is very popular
with locals. he bay's unusual name may
stem from the British fleet's repulsion of
pirates there in 1841. Near the southeast
end of the beach is a Kwun Yam Shrine
(dedicated to the goddess of the sea; daily
8am-8pm), surrounded by a wide variety
of deity and animal statues. In front of
the shrine is Longevity Bridge , the
crossing of which is said to add three days
to your life. Several kilometres northwest
of Repulse Bay is Deep Water Bay , a more
secluded inlet with a beach and a
wakeboarding centre, and without
Repulse Bay's crowds. You can reach
Repulse Bay on buses #6, #6X or #260
from Central, #63 or minibus #40 from
Causeway Bay, or #973 from Tsim Sha
Tsui East.

Shek O
In the far east of the island, Shek O is
Hong Kong's most remote and exclusive
settlement - house numbers on Shek O
Road refer not to location but to when
the owner became a member of the golf
club and therefore allowed to build here.
A strong surf pounds the wide, white
beach , and during the week it's more or
less deserted.
Big Wave Bay , a fifteen-minute walk
from Shek O, past the Shek O Golf &
Country Club, offers windsurfing, and
on the headland above the bay is one of
Hong Kong's prehistoric rock carvings .

Stanley
Straddling the neck of Hong Kong's
southernmost peninsula is Stanley , a
moderately sized residential village, with
a sweeping European-styled promenade,
and large numbers of pubs, bars and
restaurants. A little way to the north of
the bus stop is Stanley Main Beach ,
popular with windsurfers. Walk downhill
from the bus stop and you'll soon find
kitschy Stanley Market (open during