Postcards from Sanya

A few random pics to round off my visit to Sanya in March.

Da Dong Hai Park. DSC03708_mono_1620

This was opposite the hotel and was one of my favourite places. Every evening there was close to a hundred people square dancing. Next to them, would be a group of people marching and dancing. Further into the park would be several groups ballroom dancing. The whole park came to life at night and there was an amazing atmosphere there.

Luhuitou Park DSC03595_1620

Sanya’s love theme park is based around an old story of a hunter and a deer that turned into a young woman. Tacky for sure, but interesting.

Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park DSC03750_mono_1620

A little disspointed with this park, though admittedly, we didn’t explore all of it and there is a lot to explore. Basically an excuse to sell things to tourists.

And that’s it from Sanya. If you have ever considered China and want somewhere other than Beijing and the Great Wall – I can Recommend Sanya, though you may want to go during the autumn/winter months. Yes it is very touristy, but still a fantastic experience.

The End of The Earth

Tianya Haijiao lies to the west of Sanya and roughly translates to ‘Edge of the sky, Rim of the Sea’, or simply ‘End of the earth’. It is a beach and park area, and since this is China, you have to pay to get to in. The beach was a bit too crowded for me, but since the Chinese love crowds, I had to learn to go with the flow. The beach is characterised by the large rock formations that everyone was climbing on, despite the signs. There was a poor police officer who looked exasperated as he constantly moved people off the rocks. He had the patience of a saint and characterised my impression of the Chinese Police – professional, polite and cool at all times.

Tianya HaiJiao

It was also a favoured location for fake wedding shoots. Can you imagine being a photographer competing for a clean background in the middle of this? ( I count 8 separate shoots on that outcropping)!

DSC04052_1620

Nanshan, part 2

At first glance, Nanshan is kind of like a buddhist theme park, and I must admit, it felt a little tacky. The further we went into the park though, the less tacky it felt. Watching people pray and burn incense at the many altars in the park, was a very strange, but moving experience. The incense is free, so it costs nothing to join in and be a part of the experience. During the ten days I spent at Sanya, Nanshan was by far the most memorable, and my favourite experience of the visit.