Hong Kong/Shenzhen-Sanya-Yangshuo

Saying good bye in Beijing was a sad affair, but my excitement to get out of the city pulled me through. My students loved their gifts: OKC "Thunder" T-shirts and Hershey's Kisses, (made in Pennsylvania, not China). They really were a big hit and I owe my parents big time for bringing them.

The flight to Shenzhen, and then crossing over to Hong Kong by train, was a breeze. The city itself was pretty incredible...and incredibly expensive. I knew this ahead of time, which is why I planned only to stay for just two nights. Knowing I'd have to leave China to get my visa extended, I also planned ahead and got a multi entry visa, so that I could get back into China. Imagine my surprise when I was full-on denied entry back into China and sent back to Hong Kong. This happened in front of a lot of people, and their pitiful looks were almost worse than the screeching voice of the little man telling me to leave. The visa extension my program helped me to get in Beijing was not multi entry. This was the second time I had to pay well over US$100 to get a visa. Too make a long story short, I spent to two more nights in Hong Kong, got a new visa, (all the while wasting my travel money) and then caught a flight from Shenzhen to Sanya.

[Regarding my program: My recommendation of TEFL International "Special Beijing Project" rests solely on whether or not they reimburse me for at least one of the unexpected visa extension fees. These were not at all mentioned beforehand, the second time could have been avoided entirely, and it's their responsibility to take care of and be honest with their participants.]

Fortunately, if one is stressed, Sanya, (on the southern part of Hainan island), is a great place to relax. Most people know I have no problem laying on the beach for hours at a time, and that's exactly what I did. Even the busy beach on the south end of town was pretty clean and not overly crowded. Food and drink was more expensive than on the mainland, but not outrageous, and the seafood and fresh fruit was wonderful. It was everything you'd expect from a beach town, and yet... it was probably the oddest place I have ever visited.

I had been told that Hainan was called a "Russian Hawaii", but the guidebook made no mention of Russian tourists. Not that this would deter me from visiiting, but after seeing Sanya for myself, I wonder how any guidebook couldn't help but mention, much less notice, the huge influx of Russian tourists. All signs were in Russian and Chinese, very few in English, and the salespeople would beckon to me in Russian as well. After spending a full day there, it became obvious that the population consisted of local Chinese residents, an enormous number of Russians, a handful of Japanese, the Australian family staying at my hostel, and one Oklahoman. If I'm exaggerating, it's not by much.

It wasn't the usual beach hostel experience: speak English all day and party all night long. But it was a good experience nonetheless. How can you complain when there's not a cloud in the sky, cheap cold beer at your finger tips, and plenty of middle-aged men walking around in speedos? That was my first clue that none of these white tourists were from America: not a single pair of normal board shorts to be seen. And every single woman sported a bikini, no exceptions. To think, I brought my only one-piece because I was warned to still dress somewhat conservatively on the beach. Live and learn.

The town itself was also fairly bizarre. I felt like I had been sent back in time: this is what all those, now well developed, Mexican beach towns must have looked like in the 1950's. Even the nicest hotels looked a little worn and the water sports equipment consisted of gas guzzling boats, in addition to a few windsurfing boards. I will say it looked like they had pretty good scuba equipment, but I didn't dive myself. On my last night I met a nice, English speaking Berliner, and we headed out to the night market. Not a single tourist was to be found anywhere on the island at night. I guess all the Russians retreat back to the hotels after the sun goes down. The night market was a lively place, although I wouldn't say it was any better than the few cafes near my hostel. But like I said, really good and cheap seafood can be found everywhere. There are several cafes that have tanks full of fresh, live fish and shellfish. You pick out what you want and they serve it up.

Wasting away on the beach sounded like a great plan for the rest of my vacation, but since I had no English-speaking (nor Spanish-speaking) companions, I packed up and headed out. I took the overnight train from Sanya to Guangzhou. It departed at 7:30pm and I was told it would arrive in Guangzhou at 8am. (It didn't arrive until almost 10am. That didn't stop me from getting off at the 8am stop and then getting back on while, once again, everyone watched and laughed.) Part of the reason I took the train was because it was slightly cheaper than flying, I can get a good night's sleep, and then get in early enough to the next town to have a full day of sight-seeing. Plus, Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton, is supposed to be an interesting city so I thought it'd be worth it to stop for a night and then take another overnight train to Guilin.

My experience on the train was, in a word, "un-cool". Grant it, if I'd been with a friend, I might have been able to laugh it off. But when traveling alone, it's hard not to be miserable when stuck in a miserable situation. Since I've already written about it in detail in my journal, I'll just publish that entry later. If you're interested, you can read about my train experience.

To be honest, the difference in long-distance train travel and flying is usually no more than 200 yuan (about US$31). So if you're not satisfied with my "train experience" and think I'm just being a snob (maybe I am), the price difference, or lack thereof, is my real reason for switching modes of transportation.

Upon arrival in Guangzhou, I immediately went to the China Southern Airlines office just SW of the train station. I booked a ticket for Guilin, in the Guanxi province, leaving that afternoon. When I got to Guilin, I took a taxi (about 80 yuan) to the bus station. Note to travelers: take the shuttel bus from the airport to the train station, then walk/take a taxi to the bus station. It's much cheaper. From there I took a 1hr20min express bus ride to Yangshuo. This is my second night in Yangshuo and I'm so glad I came. I'll write more later, but so far I think this is a must-see stop. The "karst" scenery is beautiful and the town itself is very relaxing and easy to get around. More later.

Hotels/Hostels:
Hong Kong- Ice House
Friendly staff and perfect location on Hong Kong Island. Pricey, but what isn't here.

Sanya- Blue Sky Hostel
Depending on how rowdy the other guests are, get a room with a window facing the back if you want some peace and quiet. The rooms were very clean and the beds soft. Also a good location. Just up the street (away from the beach) are a bunch of good seafood restaurants.

Yangshuo- Hotel Explorer
As far as I can tell, this place is wonderful. Very friendly, mostly English-speaking staff. For 120 yuan/night I have a private room with double bed and decent sized bathroom.

---

---