Not Approved by LP

Arrived back here last night to find a very crowded city in full swing and a notable lack of rooms, certainly the days of cheap accommodation seem to be over at least in high season. So after a rather long tedious journey from Hanoi the last thing I wanted was to get “full” at every request. But finally found somewhere so mood cheered up and difficult not to cheer up in Pattaya, just shame the budget not one for this place. Caught up with friends and applied for a new Vietnamese visa so I am sure I can “endure” this place for 12 days with its thousands of bars and even more pretty young things ( even if many are probably only copies of the finer sex !).

So back in the real world where hopefully using the internet doesn’t cause it to crash, a sad fate for the last month. The downside is that its also Hanoi, where crossing the road isn’t as bad as Saigon but still a near death experience. In fact the road from Haiphong in that league also with never ending near misses, the sad fate of Vietnamese roads. Maybe they should consider a motorbike cull, 5 million ideally !.

The other bad thing about here is that its cold and the never ending pestering. But I think one American tourist had probably been here just a bit too long, I sat down for a meal and he was in a screaming argument with the owner about the bill. His parting scream was that ” You, Vietnamese are the worst people in the whole world “. I had to smile and think maybe thats why you shouldn’t use napalm and asian orange on people !. Other than that Hanoi lively as always, ever more going on and thriving.

So for the previous month what have I been doing ?. All the time spent in CatBa doing not a lot and loving every minute of it. The beach, stunning scenery, reading, great company and will be back in 2 weeks after a quick trip to Thailand for another visa ( was going back to the UK but too cold etc etc). So tomorrow after a month of peace and relaxation the bright lights of Pattaya.

Finally made it back to CatBa after a few months absence. The place has changed a lot since then, sadly there are exceptions, dire internet speeds being one.

Anyway arrived at the Chinese border crossing early to be ready for the 8am opening, along with the rest of the Chinese population plus their bags, total mayhem, worst, I could have stayed in bed longer. But despite the confusion, pushing and elbows ( queing sadly not in the Chinese make up ), did finally get out the country and thru Viet immigration without a hitch. Walked out of customs, jumped on a motorbike, jumped off, onto a bus to Haiphong, how easy. There was a boat later but chose the bus for a 6 hour ride. Scenery nothing special and first bit of excitement was being stopped by the police. I think our oil change was out of date as we had to go to a garage and get that changed !.

The road in definite need of a serious upgrade, a narrow country road full of huge container trucks from or going to the port. A good dose of vehicles upside down, mangled pedal bikes etc, Vietnam looking very 3rd world after China. And one town a good contender for most polluted place on the planet. A coal mining place but certainly wouldn’t have to look far for the coal, the road or people’s gardens have a few years supply.

Arrived Haiphong and my luck held. Off the bus onto a motorbike, off the motorbike onto a bus, off the bus onto a boat, off the boat onto a bus, off the bus into a hotel. I doubt any of the changeovers took longer than a minute. Travel has become too easy !!.

First change I noticed here is now how many foreigners there are now, obviously “discovered” and now moving into the backpacker big league rather than just a stopover place on a tour. So tourism moving up a gear and the hoteliers happy. Plenty of other changes including now having to wear crash helmets, the carefree days look like coming to an end.

So this years’ travel now at an end and effectively this trip. Now it will be a bit of relaxation and being busy doing nothing, at least too busy for these internet speeds.

And what a great trip it has been and recommend it to anyone. Happy Christamas and New Year.

Finally at an end, or at least think this is. I assume this place is near the Vietnamese border which I hope to cross tomorrow. However the LP info ends at Beihai and if there are details about crossing the border they are not in my remnants and so basically clueless. And in an English free zone.

The bus down here a straight forward 4 hour trip but nothing of interest. Dongxing itself seems quite a fair size city and modern and must be near Vietnam as the writing in Viet and Chinese. If nothing else lots of hotels and the cheapest oranges in China so can’t be that bad.

So hopefully tomorrow will be in Vietnam, just hope its ok for foreigners to enter here and don’t get too much of a run around, I think Vietnam has improved to the old days but this certainly isn’t Hanoi. And don’t have a guidebook or map so wil be hit and miss.

Sad to be leaving China, been top notch with lots of great places and people and can’t wait to come back.

Nearly coming to an end, or at least the money is !!. Last night took the overnight boat from Haikou to here Beihai. The port a bit chaotic, no English spoken and all a bit confusing but eventually got on. Certainly no luxury cruise, all rough and ready and rougher than expected so plenty of people emptied their stomachs. But arrived 6am without problems.

In LP it states Beihai has 2000 years of history. The boat over probably the oldest thing I’ve seen followed by the rust bucket of a bus to the beach, so old you could see the road thru the metal flooring and the seats were metal !. The downtown area modern and nice enough. There is the remains of an old quarter but in need of being rebuilt which I am sure it will be.

Went to its famous Silver Beach this afternoon. Comes under a 4 star attraction and was one of China’s 35 top original tourist spots. So must be good !!. Given the star ratings I’ve had with my hotels the Chinese seem to have problems with stars, probably too many karaoke nights. In fairness the beach was nice but had a definite low season feel about it and felt a bit run down, to spend a week there I think I would be slashing my wrist type of place. Probably in high season a great place, buzzing and fun , just not today. I would have gone swimming but the sign warning of the risk of extortion whilst swimming scared me off !!, my money’s on the jelly fish.

Overall Beihai seems a wealthy city, anyone old enough to walk, on a motorbike, maybe all that extortion, and crossing the road Vietnam style, total madhouse and can do nothing but look away and keep walking and hope they miss you.

Tomorrow take the bus to the Vietnamese border.

Left Qiongzhong for a dull 3 hour bus trip to here,Haikou. Luckily the reindeer stayed off the road but are massing here, along with the Christmas trees and staff in the shops wearing their Santa hats. Christmas must be nearly here. I noticed, I think it was on the UK Yahoo website, one article titled something like “how to have an ethnically correct Christmas”, I didn’t read the article but it made me laugh thinking here in communist China how they seem more than happy to celebrate it and I am sure if it brought more tourist dollars in we would get the artifical snow as well. All good fun.

Quite like Haikou, a fair size city but friendly and easy going. Feels more like an SE Asian city or how I would expect a Chinese city to be, a bit rougher, dirtier with lots of street life. Most of the cities I have been to have been a bit sterile, sometimes I get the impression China wants to be a very large version of Singapore, everything organised, clean, efficient and controlled, here just seems a bit disorganised !. The old part of the city lively with lots of character and street life. Further out there is quite a pleasant undeveloped long sandy beach (but with the usual hyper development going on) even if yesterday bit wind swept and sea too rough for swimming. Not a lot going on but did get attacked by a loads of students ( in a nice way), which their teacher explained they have never seen a foreigner before. Seemed a bit strange given that Haikou and Hainan a long established tourist destination but then I’ve yet to see another foreigner here, no idea why.

Had hoped to take a boat from here and wake up to a sunrise in Halong Bay, Vietnam. As it is no boat so have to go the long way round, first an
overnight boat to Beihai, on the mainland, and then a bus to the border.

Not a place name that readily comes to mind and given the way the local look at me get the impression that not too many foreigners or tourists come here.

Now up in the central highland area of Hainan, largely dominated by the Li and Miao people. Largely green and forested with small villages and friendly natives. This place only a small town and easy enough to get around and surrounded by pretty countryside and hills. However its another one of those Chinese towns that suffered from over enthusiastic kitchen tile salesmen. When the west realised that those horrible white kitchen/bathroom tiles aren’t actually that nice they sent the factories producing them to China who then thought why not cover our horrible grey buildings and everything else with white kitchen tiles. Probably looked ok at the time or maybe not !! but now….. At least newer buildings tend to be an improvement here as elsewhere. Other than that not a lot here but friendly, lots of coffee houses and even more oranges. Given the scenic surrounding countryside surprising how there isn’t any tourist development but I expect will one day come.

Spent the previous 3 nights in Wuzhishan which sounds more like a central asian republic but actually China’s smallest city and bar 7000 university students not a lot there. But a chilled out type of place, very slow moving and was nice to wander the countryside and just chat to local student from the various provinces. Yesterday went out hiking into the surrounding hills with a group of the students. All good fun even if held up for quite a while due to some local officials demanding payment for us to carry on. Which our group insisted they had no right to charge and it was illegal. Watching a group of students demanding their “rights” against Chinese officialdom provided sound entertainment !! As it was we lost the argument but not to be outdone we then hacked out way thru the forest over the hills making our own paths and checking out on the local snake population. Hard going as very thick forest and type of bindweed constantly wrapping itself around you but amusing and finally found our destination.

Tomorrow of to Haikou.

Done my Chinese beach bit so now time to pack and move on. Interesting !, if Father Christmas wasn’t enough today even had a camel on the beach. At least he looked more at home and a vast improvement to the quad bikes running you down whilst sunbathing. But still think nothing beats the old guys with the rubber rings and worse the arm bands on as they go into the water, hard not to laugh, even beats whole families wearing identical hawaiian outfits. As LP says, the fun of Sanya is just people watching, wise words indeed.

So check out a few places on the island then hit the mainland again and head south for Christmas.

Yesterday checked out Yalong Bay as its where the UK package tours apparently now going and also reputed to have the best beaches.

Despite an overcast and very windy day so not the best time to hit the beach, the place still on a lovely strip of white sandy beach. Surprisingly for China, given that as far as I am aware the country isn’t overloaded with great beaches on the mainland nor warm weather at this time of year, the place surprisingly undeveloped. The big name western hotels and a few others but other than that all fairly limited. However like everywhere in China lots of construction and I am sure development will follow at the usual speed China is renowned for. The weather certainly more windy than where I am staying with red flags flying and not the ones showing the hammer and sickle so maybe the coast is fairly exposed. Even Father Christmas was there taking a winter break !! ( here we already have the Christamas trees up – who said Christmas is becoming very commercial ).

All in all ok but on a long haul holiday not convinced, better places to visit in China and better beach culture elsewhere even if I am sure the Miss World competion gives it great promotion.

So the most beautiful girls in the world are Chinese or at least the Chinese girl won the Miss World crown down the road from here last night. I am sure, like the Eurovision song contest, politics never comes into these things or home advantage !. In fairness there are plenty of pretty Chinese girls and with a population of 1.3 billion have the advantage in numbers.

Certainly all those beautiful girls not to be found here in Dadonghai, Sanya and I think the beach babes of Brazil, latin America and elsewhere still not need to worry too much. But a relaxing day on the beach regardless. Lots of sunshine, blue skies and a lovely sandy bay and swimming ok. And where else do you get to see whole families wearing identical hawaii style outfits (must be a longing for the old days wearing identical mao gear) or worse and much worse. In fairness I think beaches here more about taking the obligatory photos, doing the jet ski, run down your fellow beach friends with a quad bike or even get your photo taken with a snake, just anything but sunbathing. In fairness white skin is regarded highly and I am sure no one would want to be confused with a peasant farmer, in fact of the students I’ve met in China, peasant farmers will quickly become a dying breed if they can help it.

So all in all good. Tomorrow will probably check out the more serious beach along the coast with the upmarket big hotels where I assume the western tourist hide.