Last day in Hong Kong

  I am writing this whilst waiting at the airport for my flight to Sydney. Normally I write a travel journal each evening but this time I am trying to keep up with my travels just using the blog. It's important for me to try and write about what I have done as soon as possible or I find I forget the order of things that I've done and even worse forget where I've been! Consequently it would be really good if I can finish writing about Hong Kong before leaving tonight.
I started the day at Nan Lian Garden and then moved onto Chi Lin Nunnery. Both gardens were quite small by UK standards but I think I was expecting to see more flowers instead it was mainly shrubs and trees.

This is in Nan Lian. I like this photo because it shows just how mountainous Hong Kong is which I hadn't realised. The greenery in the background has nothing to do with the garden but you can see why it is a popular place to visit. So although almost everyone lives in high rise apartments you don't have to travel too far to see some greenery. It was also free admission to the gardens - another reason for their popularity.

 No garden is complete without a water feature. If you look behind the waterfall you can see people enjoying a mid morning drink.

The gardens are kept moist by fine sprays of water which has a wonderful cooling effect as you walk around.

This is the Chi Lin Nunnery. Such a contrast of the old with the new. The main part of the garden was closed so I had to be content with the lotus flower ponds in front of the temple.

  In the afternoon I took a bus out to Stanley. By chance I was on the longer more scenic route which takes you along the coast with some very inviting sandy beaches at Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay. Stanley was well worth the effort. It was so pleasant walking along the coast following a nature trail up to a temple (although the temple wasn't particularly exciting). I saw some beautiful swallowtail butterflies. There was also a busy little market there but it looked more for the tourists as it was full of trinkets etc.

I'm running out of battery so Iwill have to complete this post when I arrive in Aus tomorrow. Thank-you for all your kind comments on the blog. Sorry I haven't got round to commenting on your blogs but I honestly haven't had any spare time.