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Beautiful beach and ocean in Sanya
Hainan Island, off the southern coast of China In four short days, I received the worst sunburn of my life, witnessed a baby being flung about the ocean like a pool toy, observed the differences between island and mainland life, basked in the clean air of the least polluted city in China and learned a thing or two about myself.
Just call it a typical vacation in China.
May 1, International Labor Day, is a national holiday in China. Last year, we were given a week of vacation. In the past that was the norm- a week for National Day in October, a week for Labor Day in May, and a week for Spring Festival, or as we call it in the West, Chinese New Year. However, this year the government is experimenting with a different holiday allocation system. The May holiday and October holiday each receive three days' vacation, while the Tomb Sweeping holiday (April), Dragon Boat Festival (August) and Mid-Autumn Festival (September) also get three days. In theory, it's nice to have the vacation more evenly distributed throughout the year, but the short duration of each vacation makes it difficult to travel anywhere. Luckily for me, my school held an inter-city sports competition and so
we were given extra days of vacation that happened to coincide with the May holiday. Thus, I was able to travel to Hainan Island off the southern coast of China for four days of fun and sun.
Upon arrival in Sanya, a city on the southern coast of the island known for its fabulous beaches and laid-back island lifestyle, I met up with a friend from Shanghai and together we were escorted to the family-style hostel where we were staying. An immediate difference I noted between Sanya and Beijing was the openness and friendliness of the people I encountered. Beijing shopkeepers are notoriously unfriendly, sharp-tongued and difficult to deal with; the people of Sanya were a direct contrast. Of course, this may have been a result of the booming tourism industry on the island.
As promised, the beach was a mere 30 meters from the reception desk at the hostel. I lathered up with my trusty spf 30 sunscreen I'd brought from the U.S. and we hit the beach. After several hours of beach, ocean and book time, we headed to dinner. It was then that I noticed something was amiss. It began with an uncomfortable swelling of
my ankles. My body felt as though it were on fire. When I finally looked in the mirror, I was shocked to see an enormous lobster with blonde hair staring wide-eyed back at me. How could this be?! The American sunblock I'd so carefully packed in my suitcase those months ago had failed me! I frantically grabbed the bottle, turning it over and over in my hands, looking for a hint as to why this had happened. I found my answer on the bottom of the bottle. Expiration date: 2005. I threw myself onto my bed in self-pity, then bolted back up seconds later as my entire body cried out in agony. It was an ominous beginning to four days in paradise.
The next day, my buddy and I ventured to downtown Sanya, in an attempt to stay out of the sun and distract ourselves from the paralyzing sunburns we'd both received. Since I am naturally fair-skinned and tend to freckle at best when exposed to direct sunlight, I received a plethora of helpful comments from passersby, such as "You are sunburned" and "That must hurt". Despite my discomfort, the day wasn't a complete bust, and we were able
to check out much of the downtown as well as the surrounding area. The main industries in Sanya are fishing, tourism and exporting. And, of course, fresh fruit stands stretched for miles. Many a Hawaiian shirt-clad tourist (it's the same in China- but here, the shirts are sold with matching shorts) strolled about, sipping fresh coconut milk straight from the fruit. Although it was a major holiday, the crush of humanity I'd expected never materialized and it was an enjoyable day.
On the third day in China's Hawaii my friend and I ventured to Yalong Bay, a resort area about half an hour from the where hostel we were staying. The beaches there were gorgeous- blinding white sand, brilliant blue water, prompt and dedicated fruit drink service. I was careful to stay under the shade of the palm tree-like canopy, content to people watch and read. What I saw that day was something I never expected to see. A young couple with a baby that couldn't have been more than a couple months old were playing on the beach. Now, I don't have children nor do I have major experience with babies that young, but common sense dictates that
Transportation in Sanya
A cheaper alternative to the taxis babies that small should not be under direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time, nor taken out into ocean waves. My sentiment was echoed by the people sitting near me. The father had fastened what appeared to be a tiny inner tube around the infant's neck and set him free in the water. I could see his tiny head bobbing up and down with the waves, which were quite sizable, as the parents played in the water nearby. I was incredulous! This time it wasn't a simple cultural difference. These two young parents were clearly off their rockers or had had a few too many prior to coming to the beach. Despite what appeared to be a dangerous situation, no one said anything to the young family, and after twenty minutes or so they emerged from the sea, laughing and carrying the baby, who appeared to have suffered no serious harm. But that scene is something I will remember for a long time.
When I returned to my room late that afternoon, a message was taped to the door. The airlines had overbooked the flight the next evening, and so my flight back to Beijing had been rescheduled for
10 hours earlier. It appeared that my time on the island had drawn to a close.
When I stepped onto the plane early this morning, I was overwhelmed by the heat and humidity inside. I assumed the air would be turned on shortly, but passengers continued to file onto the plane as the plane became stuffier and stuffier. By the time the door had been closed and latched for takeoff, everyone around me was angrily shouting for air conditioning and questioning the level of service of the airline. I was amazed. In similar situations in the past, many Chinese citizens would sit quietly and do nothing. Here was something new- a demand for better conditions and a refusal to accept unfair treatment. The flight attendants continually assured us the air would be turned on "momentarily", but the level of complaints reached near-mutinous levels before the air was finally switched on. I'm still not certain of the reason for this decision.
The flight was fairly uneventful until we began our descent into Beijing. As we flew lower and passed through the puffy white clouds, the blinding sunlight shining through the windows, I studied my Chinese textbook. Despite the new
government policy of evenly distributing holiday days, we are still required to make up the days we miss of work or school, and so I must attend class tomorrow (Sunday). I had just flipped open my dictionary to look up a character when the plane went dark. Startled, I jerked my head up and realized we'd begun our descent into a violent thunderstorm. The windows rattled, the wings shook and the plane dipped and swerved against the gale-force winds, prompting hoarse screams from many of the other passengers. It was, needless to say, not the most relaxing landing. The clouds were so dense and the rain so heavy that we were about ten feet above the runway before I could actually see it. We landed with a jarring bump, water shooting up into the air on either side of the plane like a gigantic choreographed fountain as the plane bucked and skidded to a stop at the end of the runway. We'd made it.
Although the vacation didn't go exactly as I'd planned, and the plane ride back home was a bit nerve-wracking, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the second half of my semester at Beijing Language
and Culture University. I know the next couple of months are going to fly by, and before I know it, I'll be on a plane again back to the United States. China has been a demanding, unrelenting and surprising teacher, but I've learned more than I could have ever dreamed. I hope to pay my respects to this giant in the coming months and make her proud when I return home.
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Thai
non-member comment
That pic of you should be your profile pic on facebook :-P You should reconsider retiring in a tropical area..hehe. With a few months left, you'll be learning a lot more than these past few months...but I have no doubt you'll be enjoying yourself and making the most of it. In the meantime, stay out of the sun :-)