Hainan Island (Sanya)

So, last but by no means least, my most recent trip was to Sanya on the south coast of Hainan Island. Hainan is quite a large island, with 2 main cities of Sanya in the south & Haikou in the north. It's a bit like China's Isle of Wight, only slightly more tropical ! It's a very popular holiday destination during spring festival due to its warm climate all year round, especially for well-to-do families from the north (ie Beijing) who go to get some warmth for the holidays!

I'd read about Hainan, and ever since I had, really wanted to visit there (not just for the weather :p) but to see & experience a different culture, as the island may still be part of China but, with a touch of the Caribbean to it! I was lucky enough to stay with a chinese friend of mine & his family who took me in for the week! I was also surprised to find that flight prices weren't as pricey as I was expecting them to be, considering it was holiday season - I paid 1590RMB for a round trip, when I was expecting individual flights to be around the 2000RMB mark!

So, with my flights booked, I left early wednesday morning on the coach direct from Pingxiang to Changsha airport (really useful service actually) for my flight to Sanya. My flight was slightly delayed but I got there, stepped off the plane into the wonderful, sunny 23 degree heat! A far cry from when I left Pingxiang that morning, wearing a vest top, a jumper, cardigan & my body warmer - needless to say I didn't really need those once I got off the plane. I took a taxi to my friend's apartment - nice place! & then we went to Dadonghai beach, the main beach in Sanya where it was still warm & pleasant to be outside well into the evening!

The next day, my friend (who's name is Jorvik by the way!) went with some of his family and friends to Yalongwan Bay, which is touted as the best beach in all of Sanya and the south coast. It's easy to see why, and there are lots of big, posh hotels and resorts all along the bay too - e.g Sheraton, MGM Grand - you name it, they've got it. So we spent a day there which was lovely, and in the evening went for a BBQ just outside the apartment complex which was cool - v. authentic, typical chinese custom - they love BBQs!

Friday was a quiet day but I did go shopping in the afternoon with some of the ladies who were also staying with us which was fun. Saturday saw us all going to Dongtian National Park - a really beautiful area along the coast, so its a v.nice, peaceful place to go for a morning stroll. In the afternoon we took a boat trip to West island, as there are lots of little islands off the coast of Sanya so that was really interesting & very relaxing - spent the afternoon lounging in a hammock, drinking real coconut juice straight out of the coconut = bliss! (Soo many coconuts in Sanya - stick a straw in the top & you've got a drink!)

Sunday was the big day, as it was Chinese New Year's eve. During the day we took another boat trip, this time to Wuzhizhou island, smaller than West island but still as interesting and again, with beautiful clear sea & a sandy beach, where you could rent jet-skis, go diving etc. In the evening, there were, of course, the customary fireworks and firecrackers going off every 5 seconds making it very noisy! We also watched the New Year Gala on TV which was really spectacular, and finished the evening with another trip to the BBQ!

Monday, as it was Chinese New Year's day was quite like xmas day, in a way, as all the shops are closed so people mainly stay at home with their families, have a meal etc. So monday was a quiet day. Tuesday was my last day in Sanya, during which we went to a market & Jorvik's parents and friends stocked up all kinds of fruit. I bought some fruit back with me as well - Sugar-apple or sweetsop - it's green and knobbly on the outside, but it's flesh is white, very soft and sweet & is v.popular in Hainan. Possibly my new favourite tropical fruit & I ate more fruit than I've probably ever done in my life during my stay in Hainan!

I left wednesday morning, and after another slightly delayed flight, caught a bus back to Pingxiang. It was sad to leave the sun & warmth of Hainan, as I came home to a very cold apartment :/ but as they say, it's nice to go away but nice to come home again!