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| dadonghai_beach |
The hostel I moved to is reasonably clean, just very messy. There's laundry everywhere that looks like it was forgotten by last year's guests and the hallways are cluttered with mattresses, bed frames and stuff. Actually, I have to revise that statement about reasonably clean since I saw the kitchen... this place was renovated just a couple of years ago and you can still see the effort, but 20-something backpackers are apparently not the crowd to keep a place in good shape. They also hiked up their prices quite a bit, if it wasn't for New Year's I might as well be staying in a real hotel. So, stay away from the Blue Sky International Youth hostel.
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| sanya_hostel |
The crowd here is a funny mixture... of course there's the typical backpacker crowd (I feel really old here, my, but then there are also the odd 60 year olds, no idea what they're doing in a hostel) and pretty much every country is represented... Germany (of course), Switzerland, Belgium, Lithuania, Sweden, Czech Republic, Russia, US, Canada... and those are just the people I talked to. I also heard Spanish, Italian and French. I always have a hard time answering the question "where are you from?" I like to say "Canada" for one, because it shuts people up (all they know about Canada is that it's cold. If I say Germany they tell me all about beer, BMW and Autobahn - no thanks) but also because that's where I feel my home is. But when I then admit that I have a German passport, people want to know what that means and when I say I lived there for more than 20 years, they tell me "So, you're really German, not Canadian" Am I? The only exception - Canadians! The real Canadians, I mean, not like me :) One once "defended" me saying "we really are a nation of immigrants" And now ask me again why I'd rather say I'm from Canada than from Germany. (btw, I never say I "am" Canadian, but it is true that I am "from" Canada... so, shortcoming of the English language if everybody uses the phrase "where are you from" instead of distinguishing like the Chinese. They also often ask 你是哪国人？ "ni shi na guo ren?" - you are which country's person? :)) Pretty much 90% of the people here are in China to study Chinese or teach their own language. That's pleasant in the sense that they are not ignorant about China but also annoying, because they have been here long enough to crave western food and bars. (or maybe they never cared for the "real Chinese experience," maybe I'm a bit crazy, maybe I'm chasing something that doesn't exist)
So, I overcame my snobbish solitary attitude and went out with a bunch - first to a bar, then to a club, but I didn't stay there for long. Somehow, having overpriced, lousy drinks in a dark, smoke-filled room and not being able to have a conversation because of the noise never held much appeal for me. But now I can say I have also seen this side of China. New Year's eve I stayed in the hostel. they organized a BBQ, which was pretty neat, there was lots of fresh seafood (oysters are actually pretty good grilled) and homemade ice cream for dessert. They have an inverse griddle, which is a cooking plate that is freezing cold (my guess is, it sits on a block of dry ice). Then you pour blended fruit on it and stir until it turns into sorbet. Looks like making scrambled eggs :) Around midnight we went to the beach and watched the fireworks. I was very much reminded of German New Year. Chinese also love their home-made fireworks. They had already been going at it the whole day, but at midnight it was really amazing.
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| fireworks |
Sorry I'm not taking very representative pictures of this place (or China in general). I never really manage to capture the little street scenes and by now I am so used to them, I don't see them through a tourist's eyes anymore. Little makeshift stove on a bicycle selling roast skewers? Seen that a million times. Life fish in tanks outside a restaurant? Everywhere. So, I tried...
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| sanya |
I have been asked what Chinese are like at the beach... Mh, I'm not sure why they would be different from any other people. So, I've been pondering the question what kind of Chinese goes on vacation to Sanya. I noticed a few types... there are the typical 3-head families, relatively young parents with a small child. More than once have I seen those dressed in the same Hawaii-print "pyjamas" and the children all carry the same orange plastic bucket with beach toys. They look a bit like it's the first vacation in their life and they're not sure what to do. So, they wear the flamboyant shirts and shorts, put on (whitening!) sunscreen and walk around with a somewhat insecure look. Then there are the families with old people. The old men seem to have a lot of fun splashing in the water, but they all wear these ill-fitting swimsuits (better than the Russians, who are typically 1,80m and 150kg and wear tiny, tiny speedos). The old women are a bit more afraid of the sea and often sit fully dressed in their beach chairs - including socks! They get together for noisy, fun-filled dinners on the beach promenade or just sit there in the shade playing cards and mahjong. Then there are of course the wanna-be fashionable young girls with their boyfriends or without, recognizable from afar by their parasols. What's missing compared to Florida or Mallorca is the binge-drinking spring break crowd and sexual excesses, but the foreigners try to make up for that. One other thing I noticed - the Chinese in my hotel pool would typically wear swimcap and goggles :) And I had the feeling a lot of them can't actually swim.
News update: Back in Nanjing at frigging -1C and snow!!! WTF?! Why didn't I stay in Sanya for two weeks? I really don't know. I guess I was afraid of being lonely there. But the truth is, I am much lonelier here. Everything is closed, apart from my favourite cafe and the supermarket. But all the little restaurants and shops - barricaded, deserted.
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