Sanya

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I got off the bus at Sanya and was immediately lost, walking around looking for a street sign, a local asked me what I was looking for and pointed me in the right direction. Later on, I repeatedly asked random strangers for directions and they all were willing to help. Finally, one guy gave me a ride on his motorbike to the hostel I was looking for. The people here are so friendly.

They call Sanya China's Hawaii. With its warm tropical climate, clean azure blue oceans, and fresh unpolluted air, Sanya has a completely different feel compared to the rest of China. The tourist boom has hit Sanya in a big way; there hotels and resorts everywhere you look. For some reason, this place is really popular with the Russians, some of the street signs are even in Russian. Most of the people who work in Sanya aren’t from the island, but rather immigrants from other parts of China who are here to take advantage of the tourist boom. In fact, in the several days that I spent in Sanya, Most of the Chinese I've met are from other provinces like Hunan, Guanxi,and even Xinjiang, but only once did I meet someone who was from one of the island's indigenous tribes.

Sanya was a great place to unwind after having traveled through China at a breakneck pace. Sanya is a great place to eat, the ocean is abundant with seafood, the tropical climate makes it possible to grow all sorts of sweet fruits, and the immigrants from various parts of China bring about their own cuisine (I found regionally specialties like Xi’an/Muslim style hand made noodles and Uighur style Shish Kebabs here!).

While in Sanya, I went to the Nantian hot springs (which was a bit disappointing), and rented a bike to cycle around the island. One of the foot pedals fell off while riding. A big lesson I will take away from this trip is to always inspect the bike before you rent it. Bicycling is more of a means of transportation in China as oppose to a hobby as in the US, so bikes tend to be much more simple and utilitarian. Rental bikes seem to be especially neglected. Styling aside, many of rental bikes have rusted out chains, bad brakes, and under inflated tires. Unless you particularly enjoy cursing at your bike and walking home, I suggest holding on to your money until after carefully inspecting your bike.

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Photos

Beaches
Sanya has plenty of beaches.

Coconut
Mmm...yummy

Seafood
Sanya has a plentiful choice of seafood: fishes, sea urchin, clams, crabs, and other shell fishes

Tropical fruits
I miss the sweet tropical fruits of the island already.

Nantian hot springs
The typhoon just missed Sanya and it is raining lightly. So where do you go? The hot springs of course!

Comments

[Ming]

are thongs allowed at those beaches? if not, i wouldnt know what the hell to wear then.