Stanley Market

Now everyone says, "Oh the shopping is awesome in Hong Kong!" Well, it is if you have a lot of money! Hong Kong's malls and shopping districts have lots of upscale designer goods that are expensive anywhere you go and even marked up a bit in Hong Kong. Even the Club Monaco and H&M are more expensive here than in the US.

The really good and fun shopping is in the outdoor markets. We went to Stanley after our glutinous champagne brunch on Sunday. Stanley is an outdoor marketplace in south Hong Kong. There are tons of little shops selling Chinese souvenirs, silks, arts, crafts, purses, and various other knick knacks. You can definitely find a bargain in these shops and it's not uncommon to negotiate. In a lot of cases I noticed they slash the price in half before you even say anything. We were told we'd be lured by people selling fake designer bags, but we didn't run into that. I was able to buy some nice flowering teas, a couple of fun clutches, and some handmade goods from a local artist - watches and a cute cotton printed purse. Overall there are some winners in Stanley and some definite losers.

In a giant Chinese marketplace that is known for its bargains there is bound to be a lot of crap. Well, here are some of my favorite finds...

Check out this sweet handbag with the cast of Corrina, Corrina! It's hard to believe, but this isn't even the best part of the bag...

The other side featuring Ahnold from True Lies is the best part! I totally should've bought this.

Hong Kong has the cutest flats I've ever seen. These, however, really missed the mark! My camera died soon after, but in another shop there were cheetah print shoes with literally a little stuffed animal cheetah head on top of the shoe. MEOW!

No wardrobe is complete without some crazy hooker/stripper clothes. I don't even know if they would wear this! Honestly, we are not all Britney Spears, people! This is just crazy, haha. I can't believe some guy tried to sell this to us. Who buys this?

Overall, we enjoyed a really beautiful day outside, walking through the marketplace. Stanley is also next to a pier that is lined with restaurants both Chinese and Western. After doing a little shopping we parked it at the Pickled Pelican, a British Pub, and enjoyed a beer and some fish and chips. It almost felt like home! The view of the hills, water, the pier and the sunset were so beautiful and relaxing. We could've stayed there all night!