SANYA, HAINAN ISLAND, CHINA

TROPICAL VACATION -- IN SOUTHERN CHINA.


When I was younger and living in Hawaii my sister, Laree, and I would go to Honolulu and sit in the big totel lobbies and sea view verandas and look at the old tourists and we would sometimes laugh about how much they looked like funny looking tourists. Now, I have become one of them, and the Chinese love to look at me and I see them smile and sometimes a even a laugh appears on their face. I have come full circle. I remember, long ago, doing exactly the same.





This is the hall of the 5th floor of the Relac Inn Hotel we stayed in. It was really bright and had this wonderfull ocean decore but far from the beach. Jay in in our room by the window. Dana is getting ready to head to our new place. We are moving today.




This is the Relax Inn Hotel lobby...and below is the front entrance.

When we left Jinan, we had two rolling bags and a small carry on. 3 weeks later we have managed to add another whole bage worth of stuff, most of which I think we could throw away, but probably won't. We waited outside or our hotel for a taxi. None came along and then we saw this mode of transportation and knew we needed to ride in it. He said he would take us for one yuan each. but it was worth much more to us as we laughed about it all the way. We really plalyed the gypsie role today.

Half way to our testination would not go any farther. He stopped and motioned for us to get out and we thought we would have to walk the rest of the way, and pull our bags for about 5 long blocks. Then just like that, another guy came along and stopped for us, we loaded everything in, and we were off to our ultimate destination.

Jay wrote on the back seat of the motorcycle. And before we knew it we were at the beach, looking like old tourists, again, much like the one's I used to see in Hawaii.

Now it off to another place to live for week, an studio apartment this time. We are went to this American food place to eat yesterday called, "Fat Daddys" and met this wonderful owner of the place. He is from Ft. Collins, Colorado and we mentioned that we were hunting for a new hotel that was a little cheeper. He said that it spring festival and spring vacation and there weren't very many empty spaces anywhere, especially one for a good price. After a while, he made us an American breakfast that was wonderful and then he said that he had a friend who would let us rent his studion apartment for 300 RMB per day if we stayed the week. We spent the day exploring the city and came back for dinner. At 7:00 pm he took us to see the apartment. It was new and very nice with a kitchen and a washing machine and a soft bed, and so now we are waiting to go there. His taking us in his car.