Remembering Hainan, 2005

(Greetings)

Arriving

During the May Day holiday three years ago Queenie and I were in Hainan Island. We had been living and working in Shenzhen for about seven months at the time and our boss decided to send us on vacation to relieve us from some of the pressure. We were told about the vacation on short notice so we decided to spend the time somewhere in China. And why not Hainan!

We went to Sanya on the southern side of the Island and stayed in one of the Holiday Inns (the less crowded one). After seven months in congested Shenzhen and no relief from the crowds and the craziness of that town, the open space, beautiful beaches and wide ocean of Hainan was certainly a blessing in disguise.

(Tropical Beauty)

(Paul was there too)

The hotel was fantastic. When we arrived everyone was very courteous. The room was fantastic and had a spectacular view of the ocean. It was real paradise with nothing to do except relax and try have some adventures.

(Sunset)

(Hotel View)

On day one we just stayed in the hotel taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the beach. In the evening a live band played on the terrace and a buffet BBQ was set up. Of course we piled into the food and enjoyed the romantic atmosphere next to the beautifully lit swimming pool. The band, as expected, was Filipino and they weren’t bad. The bandleader was called Coco and we felt as if we were living in a tropical paradise cliché. But there was nothing to do but enjoy, so we did.

(Queenie in the Hotel Pool)

Scuba Diving

The second day of the trip we hired a driver for the day. He first drove us to a scuba diving place. After gearing up in some incredibly small scuba gear we were taken out to a floating raft made of empty oil barrels. Eventually it was our turn to dive and a small, fat Chinese guy was to take me diving. Of course he held onto me so I wouldn’t drown (maybe he thought I couldn’t swim). Then, out of nowhere, he shoved me down into the water not realizing there was a reef underneath. Of course I received some nasty scratches and was pretty mad but we took care of the cuts and I was OK. He was apologetic. I think they never got many foreigners scuba diving there and he was rather excited.

(Beauty and the Beast)

A Little Bit About Hainan

After the scuba diving incident we went off on a long and stunning drive. Hainan is about the size of Taiwan and, according to our driver, Chiang Kai Shek thought about retreating to Hainan before settling in Taiwan. Apparently the proximity of Hainan to the mainland decided the issue and he felt he would be more secure in Taiwan. The vegetation in parts is similar to Taiwan and so is the landscape: high mountains covered in the greenest vegetation. Along the side of the road were many small pool halls with rickety pool tables. From what we saw the people of Hainan were fairly poor but many of them seemed to be happy.

(The Landscape)

Aboriginal Villages

After driving through this stunning terrain for about an hour, we arrived at some aboriginal villages open to tourists. Of course the entry fee was around RMB450 per person i.e. bloody expensive. After going into the village we were fairly disappointed with what was on offer. In the first two villages everything extra required additional money. We thought it was a big rip off but we went through the first two villages and tried to have a good time.

(Village Scenes)

The third village was the most interesting. The village was for the mountain people of Hainan and did they make it fun. There were a couple of amusing incidents that are worth recounting:

First, arriving in the village was quite scary. There were young men hiding everywhere pretending to ambush us. The first time we became aware of them was when we saw a spear flying at us. Of course the spear had a rope tied to the back of it so it stopped before reaching us. There were quite a few ambushes making reaching the village fairly challenging.

(Ambush Warrior)

Second, when we arrived at the village all the women were lined up on the stairs. When they saw I was a foreigner they all screamed and charged at me. One girl grabbed me and dragged me away from Queenie. We were stunned by their enthusiasm. This woman became fairly friendly trying to kiss me and stroking my arms. She was nuts. Queenie eventually managed to rescue me. I wasn’t sure I could escape from there without Queenie’s help.

(The Welcome)

(The New Wife)

Third, we went to watch the mountain men do fire dancing. There was an old guy who could put his tongue on hot metal plates. Out of nowhere he grabbed my finger and shoved it into his mouth to confirm that there was nothing coating his tongue. Additionally, when we went to watch the young men dancing with fire sticks they would throw flaming sticks into the air, open the front of their pants and catch these flaming sticks in their pants. Some of them ended up running around in their underpants. It was pretty funny!

So much for the villages! On reflection, the trip to the mountain people village was well worth the ticket price.

Family Time

Our driver on that day was a really friendly guy. On the way back he asked if he could pick up his son to take him to the beach. Of course we agreed. He had the cutest little boy and he said he tried to take his son to the beach every day. Really different to the corporate world we are used to. Putting children first is a unique concept in the busy commercial centers of Asia.

(Family Time)

The Most Southern Point of Hainan

On another day we went to the Southern most part of China. We rode there on one of the small tuck-tucks. Getting there took a long time as it was quite far from our hotel. At first the driver was reluctant but money does talk in Hainan and we managed to persuade him.

(Where is the Cricket Match?)

After a long, beautiful ride along the ocean, we arrived. Once again the tickets were phenomenally expensive for China but we were there so decided to go in. Of course it was a big tourist trap with elephant rides, ostrich rides and many other activities a person could pay for. We stayed there for a few hours just walking around but after a while, we were hot and bored and decided to head back to the beach near our hotel. After all it was less crowded, less developed, more desolate and, in our opinion, more beautiful.

(Ostrich in China)

(Southern Tip of China)

However we can say we have been to the southern most part of China. I guess it’s an achievement.

Sanya

We also spent sometime in Sanya. Sanya the town is not bad. It is next to the beach and the people were really friendly. Most of them were relaxed and many of the people we spoke to where very much living in the present and not looking too far ahead. One tuck-tuck driver we spoke to never aspired to anything else. He said he was genuinely happy with his relaxed stress free life. As he said to us, whenever he wanted to drive he could drive and whenever he wanted to swim, he could swim. His time was his own and, although he had very little money, he was the master of his time. Of course I am sure he had harsh realities to deal with but he really did seem content.

The other startling revelation was the targeting of real estate to Russians. I guess it was obvious but many of the adverts for new apartments being thrown up were written in Russian. The working theory was to sell them summer homes (or perhaps timeshares). I couldn’t really figure it out. We did notice most of the Caucasian foreigners in our hotel were Russian. We know because we heard them speaking and we asked them. It seemed at that time the Russian contingent in Hainan was growing.

We spent two days walking around Sanya. There wasn’t much to do there but it was a new town and we wanted to get an idea of the layout. We thought it was quite exciting and enjoyed the time spent there. We also found some really great restaurants and got to speak to many of the local people. They were only too happy to talk to us. They were mostly interested in where we came from and our lives. I guess foreigners are windows on different worlds.

The beaches outside Sanya are also beautiful and reminded me of a less developed Durban or some parts of the South Coast in Kwazulu Natal where I am from. The beaches were like home with the exception being a calm ocean. Very seldom is the water calm on the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal.

(Sanya Beaches)

Another Beach

On another day we went to the other side of Sanya where we were told was a great beach. It took three hours to get there in a hot, un-air-conditioned bus. The bus trip was the high light. The beach was crowded and dirty. It was outside the other Holiday Inn in Sanya and there was a lot of construction and development going on. We did enjoy the ride out and the views of the island, but we stayed on that beach for an hour and decided to head off. We tried to enjoy ourselves but enjoyment was challenging. We headed back into Sanya and had dinner in the town. We much preferred being in the town and walking on the empty beaches outside Sanya.

(Crowded Beach)

The Hotel

The Holiday Inn we stayed in was fantastic. The hospitality was first class, the room condition first class, the view first class and the facilities first class. We spent a lot of time in the pool and just lying next to the swimming pool relaxing. The buffet breakfasts and buffet BBQs were amazing too and we certainly ate too much. But it was great. One of the highlights of the hotel was the fish therapy pool. There were fish in one of the pools that ate the dry skin off a person’s feet. We had a great time being chewed by fish. However it was ticklish and 10 minutes in the pool was the most we could endure.

(Jaws)

(Swimming Pool by Night)

(Dinner Table)

Final Reflections

Sanya was amazing. Although the people there are poor in material wealth, they were rich in spirit and for the most part were not trying to grab our money. The people were friendly and we honestly had a great time. Some of the tourist traps were disappointing and one beach was a let down but we still had a very good general impression of Hainan. We enjoyed the time we spent there, watching the sunsets over the sea and romantic dinners next to the pool. It was a refreshing time, an empowering time and certainly a wonderful time. Given the chance to go back, we would, but perhaps we would try to explore more the central areas and spend some time on the North part of the Island.

Sanya is a great place for a vacation. We hope you can make it there someday.

More pictures CLICK HERE.

Take Care All
Queenie and Paul

The Other Side of the River

(Paul and Queenie next to the Hsin Tien River)

Another Saturday morning, another early morning cycling trip with Peter. After arranging times with Peter yesterday, we decided to meet at the bottom of the Taipei side of the Fu He bridge at around 7:30am and head toward Tamsui. We also decided to eat breakfast at the terminal point of the ride (wherever that was after an hour) and then head back home. Of course we had a spectacular time!

The weather was fantastic. Getting out of bed early enough to prepare the picnic breakfast was tough. But most of the preparation was done yesterday. We bought some cold meats, tomatos, cheese, fresh bread and fruit for breakfast. We just had to shove it into a bag.

Of course this time we were also better prepared for the sun. Last week we never put on any lotion and our arms and faces were roasted. Fortunately for us, this time, we thought ahead and so after coming back our skin was not so painful.

Anyway, we managed to leave the house around 7:00am. Although the sun was out the morning air was cool and refreshing. Riding through Tai-Da (Taiwan University) at that time of the morning was pleasant. Hardly anyone was around (except the early morning Cha Cha and Taichi people). The Cha Cha and Taichi people are usually older people and are a true Taiwan (maybe Chinese) phenomenon. Ever since arriving in Taiwan I (Paul) have always been amazed at the commitment of the older people here to wake up early and get in some early morning excercise. I think it is a great attitude to life. I am getting to the age where I am thinking of joining in. However, since most of them are 60, I will still be the young one.

(Tai-Da in the early morning)

On the way to the bridge we noticed one of the schools was getting ready for an activity day. By the time we got back from our ride they were in full swing.

(Perparing for Sports Day)

We arrived at the bottom of the Fu He bridge. The government has built a cycle ramp from the bridge to the riverside so it really is convenient. We waited a short bit for Peter. It was fairly relaxing just waiting in the early morning. Of course he arrived after around 10 minutes with Christina. And we were off.

(Peter Coming Down the Ramp)

(Christina Arrives)

The ride this morning was fantastic. The river was really calm and clear with vivid reflections of the buildings. We also managed to see a lot of birds (we really need to learn their names). Seeing birds in Taipei is a miracle. The city is industrialized and to be honest we dont see many. I remember last year when my father was here he was always trying to see and recognize the birds. Of course he is an avid bird watcher in South Africa and was fairly disappointed with the scarcity of birds. So this morning when we saw the birds wading in the water I thought of Dad and how he would really appreciate these sights.

(Some Birds)

At this stage there were hardly any people around. A few cyclists and joggers but nothing more. One of the funny sights we saw was a man riding his bike with a radio attached to two computer speakers hanging off the back of his bike. We all of course commented on the hi-tech nature of this contraption. He seemed very happy however sharing his radio with the world. Perhaps he thought he was providing a valuable service to us all. Well maybe, we thought the sight was amusing but we were pleased he was riding the other way.

(Peter, Christina and Queenie)

So after riding about 7km we decided to find a spot and prepare our sandwiches. Queenie and Peter were quite pleased with what was on offer. Queenie said this was the first time I (Paul) had ever prepared breakfast for her. We managed to narrow it down to the first time I had ever prepared a Saturday morning breakfast picnic. However, the food went down well and everyone was full.

(Peter Enjoying his sandwiches)


(Queenie Preparing Breakfast)

Of course Christina had a great time running around in the overgrown grass. The grass on this side of the river compared to where we were last week was wild. It wasn't nicely cut. However, this made it more interesting for Christina I am sure. Peter also mentioned that Christina seems to enjoy playing in the dirt. Evidence is below. Of course many people were out walking their dogs and relaxing in the morning sun. But gladly not too many and most of the dogs were fairly well behaved. There were two fairly vicious looking dogs but they ultimately proved to be fairly well behaved and harmless.

(Peter and Christina)


(Christina in the Dirt)

Anway, we waded our way through the ham and cheese sandwiches and some pineapples. Took a rest on the grass and then, after about an hour, decided to head back home.

By this time we noticed that there were many more people riding on the paths and it was a little more crowded than earlier. Although the crowds are not too pleasant it is great to see the people of Taipei getting out more and getting involoved in outdoor activities. They are mostly "pa tai yang" (afraid of the sun) and many of them think anything outdoors is "tai zhang" (too dirty). So seeing a lot of them (and especially kids) taking advantage of such a spectacular day was great. Hopefully more people in this cramped up city will take to the outdoors. It will be good for them.

Of course the greatest joy of riding next to the river are the views of the river and the city. We saw some spectacular ones this morning. Some of them are below.

(Some Views from the Path)

On the way home we also passed people flying their remote control planes and quite few stray dogs. We finally arrived at the bottom of the ramp from Fu He bridge. We said our goodbyes to Peter and Christina and headed off to Starbucks for a cold drink. We finally arrived at home at around 10:30am. As Peter said, "it was a great way to start the weekend."

(On the way home)

You can see more pictures here.

See our Taipei and Taiwan Travel Guide for more cycling tours

Cycle Trip to Bitan (Hsin Tien)

(Peter and Queenie)

We recently started riding next to the rivers in Taipei. The government has done a fantastic job in making the cycle paths and ensuring no motorcyclists are allowed to ride on them.

Today we woke up early and left the house around 8:00am. We called our friend Peter to see if he wanted to bring his daughter for a ride. He was keen so we decided to head off to Bitan along the river.

We first rode through Tai Da (Taiwan University) as we always do. We then headed out onto Keelung road and over the Fu He bridge to the Yong He side of the Hsin Tien River. Of course the Saturday morning market was in full swing by the time we arrived and everyone was busy buying and selling. These markets are always fun to watch.

(Market at the bottom of Fu He Bridge)

We met Peter near the market and then followed him, as he was our leader, along the river paths. What a great day it was for a ride. The first part was just so refreshing. On the way we saw a lot of volunteers cleaning up the riverside park. They were dressed in special outfits picking up trash. However, although there were green patches on the riverside, a lot had been washed away by the recent rains. Peter says this happens a lot.

(Peter and Paul)

We finally got to the end of the trail and then crossed over the Sioulang Bridge to get back on the other side of the river. The views of the mountains on the south side of Taipei were spectacular. Clouds were hovering over them making a stunning view.

(The View)

On the other side of the bridge was a wonderful park with lots of the greenest grass we had seen for a while. We pedalled on along the trail, passed some kids playing a baseball game and passed some people flying remote control helicopters.

(Queenie Riding Hard Uphill)

After an hour of slow riding we arrived in Hsin Tien. We locked up the bikes and found the quaintest of breakfast shops. Apparently the owner used to work for the Regent Hotel in Hualien but had moved back to his home. He decided to build this small store on his mother property and created a truly remarkable breakfast store. Of course all the attendants were friendly and even willing to be in some of our pictures.

(Queenie Outside the Breakfast Store)

(Inside the Breakfast Store)

(The Owners)

After staying there for an hour or so we headed back home. On the way we stopped to play in the park with Christina. That is to say, we stopped so Peter could play with Christina and we could sleep on the grass in the cool breeze flowing down from the mountains. We must have been there for about half-an-hour.

(Peter and Christina in the Park)

(Queenie Crushing Paul)

We then headed off home. Once again the ride was wonderful. We parted ways with Peter and rode through Tai Da again. We went a different way through the university and noticed that the leaves on some of the trees on the road were a spectacular yellow.

(The Trees in Tai Da)

We ended our trip in Starbucks. A worthy reward for a great morning's ride.

See http://picasaweb.google.com/durbanbay/CycleTripToBitan for more pictures.

See our Taipei and Taiwan Travel Guide for more cycling tours

Six Great Years

Hi All,

(Queenie and Paul in Jiuzhaigou, 2006)

Six years ago today we got married. Its amazing to think how fast the time has gone and how many wonderful memories we have shared. In that time we have travelled widely together and have had quite a few adventures. We have changed jobs and careers, moved countries, and made some wonderful friends. And to our friends we say thank you for your support over the years. We have enjoyed getting to know you.

Tonight we will have a celebratory dinner and reflect on the past and have a lot of fun. So as we move onto another year of married life, we look forward to the blessings of our relationship and look forward to more great times together.

Have a great day,

Queenie and Paul

A Barbecue on the Silk Road in Taipei

Hi All,

(Taly and Queenie outside the Silk Road)

Eat as much as you want BBQs are a dime a dozen in Taipei. Head off in any general direction and you will find a Korean BBQ, Japanese BBQ, Mongolian BBQ, Taiwanese BBQ etc. So we wouldn't normally write about all-you-can eat BBQs, but the Silk Road is different. The food is authentic Xin Jiang (Western most province of China) food. The meat and dishes are all prepared as the Uighar people would with unique spices. Today was the second time we visited. The first time we went was last year for Paul's birthday and not much has changed.

The restaurant interior is very rustic with wood panel walls in some parts and Uighur costumes, interesting pictures of Xin JIang and local musical instruments hanging on the wall. Some parts are made to look like the inside of a Nomad's tent. We though the decor was great. The one draw back is that they use stools and not chairs. Sitting on a stool for 90 minutes is not very comfortable. But that is typical of the BBQ stores here.

(The Interior)

The eat as much as you want option costs about NTD500 per person. For this you get to order anything on their menu. Once ordered, the meat arrives on a big platter with the spices. The waiter explains how to apply the spices to the BBQ to make sure the food has the correct flavor. The spices are the same spices used in Xin Jiang and the food certainly tasted similar to the same style BBQ meat we ate in China.

(Taly and Meichi cooking)


(The Meat)

We also highly recommend the goat milk soup. The portions are big and are a great compliment to the meat and spices. And although we couldn't figure out what the deserts were made of, the deserts were delicious none the less. Another unique offering is their version of Xin Jiang coke, which is pink. Although we didn't try it this time (its too filling) we do recommend it if you have the space and a sweet tooth.

(Meichi and the Goat Milk Soup)

So today we had a great time chatting with Taly and Meichi, cooking BBQ meat in a different way and eating some very special foods. We highly recommend this restaurant. We have been there twice and have not been disappointed. Although, it should be said, this kind of BBQ should only be done about once every six months as it is a lot of meat.

(Taly and Meichi)


(Queenie and Paul)

So if you can't get to Urumuqi, go have an adventure on the Silk Road and let us know what you think.

The contact details are below:

Address: No.8, Alley 6, Lane 136, Roosevelt Rd. Section 4., Taipei

Telephone: (02) 2366 0345

Website (all Chinese): http://www.nomadizing.com.tw/

See our Taipei and Taiwan Travel Guide for more restaurant reviews

Queenie's Birthday Party

Hi All,

(The Group)

We were happy on Saturday to celebrate Queenie's birthday. We had a spectacular time. Since we got back from London we have been very jet lagged and our sleep patterns were severely disrupted. We finally decided on Thursday afternoon to start organizing a birthday party and it was great.

The party was held at The Red Kitchen in the afternoon. Many of our friends who we have known for a long time in Taipei came. The restaurant put on a great salad bar for all of us and we had a wonderful time of fellowship.

One of our friends Roelf brought a party pack with a bunch of party hats and other crazy things. Some of us refused to wear the hats but after a little peer pressure they all finally conformed. Queenie also received many gifts from her friends. One of the gifts we received from Taly was an incredible painting that she had painted herself. This is the third original painting we have received from her and her paintings certainly brighten up our lives and apartment.

The funniest part of the afternoon was blowing out the candles. The restaurant owner gave us a big plastic candle that looked like a flower. Roelf had bought self-relighting candles that couldn't be blown out. So we put the self-relighting candles on the sides of the cake and the flower like candle in the middle. However, the plastic petals opened and caught light. Of course we couldn't blow out the candles. It was really funny.

Some of the pictures from Queenie's birthday party are below.

(Diana, Frank and Queenie)


(Frank, Queena, Queenie and Diana)


(Queenie and Whitney)


(Priscilla, Queenie and Emma)


(Priscilla, Queenie, Emma, Fion, Joanne and Whitney)

Thanks for raeading all.

Have a great day.

Paul

Paul's New Blog

Hi All,

Paul here. So today I started a new tech blog. Basically about stuff I find interesting in the technology field here in Taiwan and around the world. Anyway, if you want to visit the link is:
http://hitechtaipei.blogspot.com/

Ciao
Paul

A Weekend in Taipei

Hi All,

Well we are back in Taipei. We will add the final installment to our London Days travelog a little later. We are still catching up on our sleep and assignments. We just saw a great photo set on the New York Times called A Weekend in Taipei. The article says:

"Taipei is as modern a city as any in Asia, but traditional night markets still thrive in many neighborhoods. The biggest ones resemble beachside boardwalks, with cheek-by-jowl crowds, fun-fair games, knickknack stores selling everything from chopsticks to DVD's and Taiwanese snack food. Called xiao chi's, or small eats, these include fried chicken and oyster omelets. Here diners eat at a crowded counter in the night market in the Shilin neighborhood."

(Original Article: A Weekend in Taipei)

Enjoy,
Paul and Queenie