Wednesday, February 23, 2005

(Chinese staff left to right: Cleaner Lee, Betty, Cathy, Cathy's husband, Michelle, Dancey and Cleaner Lee's mother. Missing from photo: Nancy)

This morning we were leaving Sanya to travel to the northern part of the island toward Haikou, the capital city of the Province of Hainan. Miscommunications once again led us to believe we were to get up at 7:00 am and would leave at 8:00 am. Our wake-up call came at 7:20 followed by a knock on the door to tell us the bus was leaving in ten minutes! Our Chinese staff (pictured above)was already on the bus waiting for us…….didn’t they notice we were not up and about when they left? Their rooms were next to ours on the same floor. I had packed most of my stuff the previous night and had only to wash and dress……….no shower, no coffee this morning! We made it down to the lobby but it was close to 8 am. Maybe that was their plan………to get us there for 8am on the dot.

Our tour bus travelled east out of Sanya. What was in store for today? Our first stop just outside the city was a mystery. We travelled down a dirt road toward a boat shack on the edge of the water. We were told to get off the bus and go inside. There in two plastic washing tubs were two turtles. Apparently one was over 100 years old and a rare type of turtle that has scales on its shell. More interesting than that was the family that lived in this shack. Along side the turtles tubs was what we dubbed "the honeymoon suite" where the couple slept. They had a table laid out with bracelets and necklaces and other items for sale. After a quick look I went out to take pictures of the gunge in the water. It was not a pretty
site.

A mountain would be our next stop. Note:I never found out the names of any of the mountains. I asked but no one could tell me what the Chinese symbols meant. It would cost 38 yuan to go in the cable car up the mountain. There was a monastery and a temple on this mountain. I had yet to visit either in China so I was going to do this mountain trip. When we arrvied and looked at the map of the park it was determined that the cable car went up the mountain in the opposite direction of the monastery and temple. You would see the scenery and come back down – that was it. But you could walk up to the monastery and temple for free. The steps leading up the mountain we were on a angle close to 90 degrees………like climbing a pyramid. Narrow, stone steps that were too steep for my liking. Coming down would be tricky. It turned out that no one on our bus wanted to go, so we left.

Next stop – another “Exhibition”……more shopping……..Chinese style. This place looked impressive and was named “DeBreers”……..note the extra "r" - a knockoff of the real DeBeers, famous for it’s diamonds on Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive. There were diamonds of every size and shape. They were beautiful but very pricey. After a quick look around through the maze of counters, Marrie and I opted to for ice cream instead of glitter.

After another lunch of “same old, same old” we arrived at a park and told we were taking a boat to a secluded beach area. Beach? You mean like water and swimming and bathing suits………which were packed in our suitcases in the bus? Not again!

Complete with life jackets we were put in large speed boats that flew through the water cutting the wake of passing boats. We screamed and hollered like we were on a ride at an adventure park! And we would get to do it again on the way back! We arrived at the beach - it was beautiful. A meandering path lined with stalls selling everything from fresh fruit to nuts led to the sandy beach. We found a table under the palm trees near a BBQ stall that cooked those wonderful Hainan style chicken legs. On the way, Marrie and I bought fresh coconuts that had a slice chopped off the top and a whole made in the center where a straw was placed for drinking the coconut milk. Along with our chicken and coconut milk we ate yellow watermelon. (It tasted exactly the same as pink watermelon.)

We had a relaxing three hours under the palm trees, eating, drinking and watching the Chinese people on our tour who on this the last day decided to brave the water. They had their bathing suits on under their clothes and proceded to strip on the beach. Well, some people were prepared after all……….just not us! Marrie was still carrying her winter scarf around in her purse and posed for this picture wearing it on the beach. I think the sun was finally getting to her…………

After another fun ride back to the buses, we were tired from the heat and everyone napped off and on as we continued our journey north, along the coast of the South China Sea, through fields of rice paddies and small towns. Mid afternoon we arrived at the entrance to a park. It was adorned with many Chinese fountains and sculptures and a museum.

Marrie, Bella and I wandered off on our own along the stalls of souvenirs for sale. Marrie posed for a picture on this motorcycle which was parked outside the “W.C.” It was a quick on and off before the owner came along! We had lost the rest of the group and waited in the shade until they came along at the end of the tour. Apparently we did not miss much. The museum exhibits, mostly pictures, were all in Chinese.

Back on the bus we played games of “Who Am I” and the “Alphabet Game.” We are teachers after all and can entertain children so we certainly know how to entertain ourselves!

We arrived in Xinglong. It looked like a small city that had sprung up out of nowhere with hotels and restaurants built solely to accommodate the thousands of bus tours on the island.

Our hotel looked brand new. The rooms were really nice and lo and behold they had bathtubs!!!! We knew what everyone would be doing that night! After booking into our respective rooms we had little time to freshen up and get ready for dinner. This was the night we were going to the “Ladyboy Show.” We knew about this attraction before we left Changsha. The Chinese staff had talked about it and couldn’t wait to see it. This should be entertaining. Showgirls Las Vegas style which were actually men.

The bus drove us down the street to the big eating area and once again the same food. We ordered beer and just looked at the food. I just couldn’t eat it……….as hungry as I was. We decided we would go out and find something to eat after the show. We took our beer with us on the bus! (Wayne, Kim shown here.)

We arrived at the building where the show was being held……….many, many buses!
It was a rather old building with a small stage. The audience was seated in row upon row of couches that were elevated step by step as in movie theatres. The place was packed and the smell from the washrooms was horrid.

The emcee came on looking rather dapper and proceeded to entertain the audience with a comedy routine………all in Chinese of course. The audience laughed at all the right times………but we were clueless. The lights dimmed and the show began. I was impressed with the music, the lighting, the costumes……….if you got passed the smell you really would think you were in Las Vegas! The “girls” were decked out in colourful costumes with swooping wings. From our view more that half-way back you could see their fake nails which looked 6 inches long. They had it all - figures, the hips, the boobs……… This particular group was from Thailand. No picture taking was allowed. If caught your camera would be confiscated and not returned. (Someone translated that part for us.)

I couldn’t wait for intermission and needed to use the “W.C.” in spite of the smell that I knew I would encounter there. When you gotta go, you gotta go! There were only two stalls in the women’s washroom. I could see feet under one and tried the door of the other but it was locked. I looked under – no feet – and thought it must be out of order. So, I waited. Suddenly the door to the “empty” stall opened and out walked a “woman” who was at least six feet tall not counting the hair piled up on her head. Her makeup was a little wild, she wore stilletto heels, plaid slacks and a white tank top. I watched “her” make her way to the sink and proceed to wash her hands. Her long fingernails were painted bright red. She “preened” in the mirror and fussed with her hair and left. I knew it was one of the performers in the show……….and it was a weird feeling to know she was really a man using the woman’s washroom. I had tried not to stare but I really wouldn’t want to see the look on my face. Later I picked her out on stage and told everyone that I had encountered he/she in the washroom!

The show continued………..more he/she’s………the music became all the same and the acts were the same only different men/women. After another hour it became boring and at intermission time we wandered outside and decided to leave. We were told the second half would be mostly informing the audience how the sex change operations were done and what “things” they went through to look like women. Of course it would all be in Chinese and we wouldn’t be able to understand a thing. So we convinced our bus driver to take us back to the hotel. There we caught a cab and went hunting for food.

We found a sidewalk restaurant and ordered………you guessed it – Chinese food! At least it was good food that we were used to: fried rice, dumplings, egg & tomatoes, shrimp and beef. We pigged out, bought ice cream for dessert and headed back to the hotel around 11:45 pm. Earlier in the evening we were told that tonight was the last official night of Spring Festival which had started 15 days ago. At midnight the fireworks and firecrackers began and could be heard into the wee hours of the morning.

After a warm, bubble bath I crawled into bed and slept in my air conditioned room. No one seemed to know what time we would leave or if we would get a wake-up call…………but we knew one thing for sure………tomorrow would be our last day on the island of Hainan.

From ThaiTips Website:
Thailand Lady-Boys - ThaiTips Travel Guide
Thailand is famous for its lady-boys (kathoey), men who dress and behave as women. These sometimes look incredibly realistic to the downfall of many male Western (farang) tourists. Thailand is very open-minded on the whole and lady-boys are an unmissable and obvious part of Thai society. You will see many lady-boys around working in restaurants, hairdressers, bars, hotels etc. There are some transvestite or transsexual muay thai boxers as well. There are kathoey cabarets in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket which are promoted as tourist entertainment.
Buddhism teaches tolerance, and transvestites and transsexuals are more open about it in Thailand than in the West. Beneath the surface though there may be more prejudice than appears on the surface but laws were passed in 1997 to make everyone equal. This still doesn't prevent discrimination. Kathoey are portrayed in the media as figures of fun - while this may seem harmless, it means that they are not taken seriously. Kathoey are sometimes referred to as the third sex.
Thailand is a popular place for sex change operations as the hospitals in Bangkok are very good and it is cheaper than in the West. There are many clinics which specialize in gender realignment surgery. Men can have breast implants and both sexes can be given new genitals. Hormones have to be taken first. Surgery is more effective if done earlier rather than later as otherwise transsexuals still have to live with some of the effects of puberty. For instance men to women transsexuals will still have a deeper voice, larger hands and feet, and more facial hair than most women. Many transgenders feel from an early age that they were born the wrong gender but usually do not undertake surgery until they are older. Some lady-boys can not afford to have the sex change operations required and continue with male physical attributes, but dress and portray themselves as women. Some kathoey have surgery in stages as they can afford it so they may have breast implants but still have male genitals. Thais who change sex have the right to change their title as well, ie the equivalent of changing from Mr to Miss.
Lady-boys are very hard to spot. Some clues are: the height - bear in mind that Thai women are very petite so a lady-boy may be the same height as a Western woman rather than a Western man; signs of an adam's apple; shape and size of hands, wrists and hands; and a deep voice.

For more information see : http://www.thailand-travel.usa.ru.com/lady-boys.htm