So, like 3 weeks ago I went on vacation to Sanya! And it was awesome. But getting there was not so awesome...
We took a sleeper bus from Zhongshan to Haikou, which took about 11 hours. Sleeper buses are just like normal buses, except there are no seats, only cramped little bunk beds. And they make you take off your shoes and put them in a bag before you can get on the bus. And sometimes there's a really cranky man working on the bus who not only expects you to be able to speak Chinese, but also doesn't understand that you can't read Chinese. On second thought, sleeper buses are nothing like normal buses.
This isn't a very good picture, but it gives you an idea!
Anyway, we got on the bus straight from a banquet put on by the school, at which I drank approximately half of a 2 liter bottle of Coke, which resulted in a very full bladder for the entire bus ride. I was about to explode when we finally got to Haikou at about 6 a.m. When we arrived, we had to find the other bus station to catch the bus from Haikou to Sanya. There were some very friendly men who were more than willing to take us in their vans, but we decided a city bus was a better method of transportation. So we got to the other bus station, got on another bus, and eventually (finally) made it to Sanya.
Once we got there, we found our hostel, changed into swimming suits, and headed straight to the beach!
I brought a volleyball to the beach with me, so Mckenna and I started passing it back and forth. Some random guy decided he wanted to join in, so the three of us had some fun for a while. Then he left, and we thought that was the end of that. But about 5 minutes later, he came back! He started pointing down the beach at a volleyball net, so we followed him and his friends. And that's how my all-time favorite game of volleyball began. At first there were just a few of us...
But then we started to draw a crowd.
We spent the rest of the day chilling on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying life. That night we were pretty hungry, so we went to this place called the Dolphin Bar & Grill... and it was the best decision I've ever made. I ate legit Mexican food. There was guacamole involved. March Madness was on in the background. There was American music playing. I felt so at home!
The next day, we woke up and decided to go out on the town for some breakfast (another wonderful decision). We found a stand just across the street selling street food. I have no idea what it was, but it was delicious!
After breakfast we went back to the beach to get a very interesting pedicure...
It was the strangest sensation ever. Tiny fish taking tiny bites of your foot skin is not relaxing! It was 15 minutes of the most uncomfortably ticklish experience of my life. I was freaking out a little at first...
But I think by the end I got my emotions under control.
After that I hung out on the beach for a while, read my book, took a nap... Sanya. What a dream. At one point someone bought a coconut, so naturally we had a photo shoot.
The next day we explored the pier, bought some souvenirs, and packed up. We said goodbye to Chris, who ran the hostel and became sort of a substitute dad for us while we were there.
Then we went to the train station and embarked on a 14-hour train ride, on which I didn't sleep AT ALL, but I did meet a lovely Muslim couple who taught me some Chinese words and who I accidentally taught the word "armadillo". I also read a book, invented a rap, and contemplated life. It could have been worse.
Then we finally made it back to Zhongshan and I took a 5-hour nap. The end.
Great post! Sounds like quite an adventure. I am so glad you didn't make friends with the van guys or dad would've had to go all Liam Neeson on them.
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