Welcome to Sanya!!

Sanya is commonly called the Hawaii of China. How were we to know it's more like Russian influenced LA? But it was a beach and there was sun and I was more than happy. We got to our hostel late in the afternoon and went straight to the beach. This is were we first experienced that China has a beach curfew and lifeguards come to kick you out of the ocean at sundown. It's probably necessary because I could stay in that ocean forever. Its the warmest ocean I have ever had the privilege of swimming in. So instead of swimming, Rachel and I walked the length of the shoreline. The next day we headed to the beach early to try and catch the sunrise. You couldn't really see the sunrise, but we had the beach all to ourselves. And it stayed that way for most of the day. Where are all the people?! Well, Chinese people usually avoid the sun and except for the surfers the beach was practically empty until 5:00 at night. We stayed at the beach basically the whole next two days leaving only for food. I was on a diet of mangos, bananas, coconuts, and ice cream cones. Not mad about it either. 

 We would lay out to tan, swim for a bit, eat some fruit, reapply sun screen, repeat. On Brin's birthday we celebrated by making her a mermaid and going to Pizza Hut. You may laugh, but Pizza Hut is a classy establishment in China. Like we dressed up and everything! It was the most delicious pizza I have ever had. (That may be due to the previous fruit diet but anyhow...) We went to the beach that night and one lifeguard helped us take a group picture.  Soon we were chatting with several life guards. On our China bucket list is listed "kiss a foreigner." So what happens next was done in the name of YOCHO. One of the lifeguards wanted a picture and of course my "friends" chanted "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!" He didn't know much English but of course he knew THAT word. So we kissed for the camera. Harmless fun, right? I thought so.

NOT AZN LOVER

BDAY GURL

The next day we all woke up terribly sunburnt. We didn't even want to leave our room. We all just laid on our beds mostly naked, turning up the AC, and laughing in our misery. It was so fun. Because Aloe Vera is like a kajillion yuan in China we opted for DIY sunburn relief. We crushed up advil mixed it with water and lathered the paste on our skin. It worked wonders. We decided to hit the beach around 4:00 when the sun would be a little kinder to our skin. As I was laying in the sun, almost asleep, I hear, "I LOVE MEGAN! C'MON BABY, LET'S GO!" It was my 5 ft, 28 yr old, Asian, stalker. Maybe I was overreacting. He's a lifeguard afterall and he has to be at the beach. But he was right in front of me with three floaties and a friend. So Mckae, Shae, and I went out to the ocean with our boyfriends. This is where we named him Michael Jackson. I was really leaning toward Jonny Tsunami, but he loves MJ so we went with that. As we floated out to sea MJ and I drifted farther and farther away from the group. He wanted a romantic get away, I wanted a taser. But he was harmless enough. It was more awkward than life threatening because we couldn't say anything to each other. He only knows how to say, "I LOVE MEGAN! C'MON BABY, LET'S GO!" And that got old after a few times. There we a few moments he tried to get handsy but boundaries were established quickly. Eventually we were back with with Shae, Mckae, and his friend and all was well. It makes for a good story anyway.

It was our last night on the beach and Nichole, Kels, and I swam in the waves for hours. We were surrounded by hundreds of asians and just laughing when each wave would smack us around into the throng. We swam until the lifeguards whistled curfew. We couldn't escape another encounter with Michael Jackson but there was no teary goodbye. It was just more shouting, "I AM MICHAEL JACKSON. I LOVE MEGAN! C'MON BABY, LET'S GO!" Whew. Rachel, Nichole, Kelsey, and I went to get mango ice which is so delicious. As we were waiting, Kels got heat stroke and almost passed out! Luckily we were all very calm and quickly got her cooled down. Then Rachel and I ate dumplings and the nastiest jack fruit. It's like plastic cheese bubblegum. And then it was goodbye, Sanya.

We arrived back at the school the next day and right when I walked in the gate, Dave was leaving school. It was heart wrenching to see one of my babies. Then I saw Sandra and Beyonce and Jessie! So sad/happy/emotional about all of that. I don't know what would've happened if I saw all my kids. Tears, definitely tears. I love my kids, I love Ningbo, I love China. I learned so much about myself, others, and life in general. There's nothing else to say.

Last Dinner at Cafeteria

Queen Shabib ready for America.

Yangshuo/Guilin

Yangshuo was everything I expected and more. We had a whopping 5 days in Yangshuo so this is where the vacation REALLY started. We had time for whatever we pleased. The first day Rachel and I went to the Li River which was a block away from our hostel and walked around West Street. THis place is tourist heaven. It's basically just a line of shops, street vendors, so so much good food, and tons of people. It's like Mardi Gras every night! Rachel and I snuck into a cemetary on a mountain and climbed up until we found a cave and a great view. We were all still pretty tired from traveling so that night we watched MULAN at our hostel. We had wanted to watch this forever and it finally happened. Dreams come true in Yangshuo.

West Street 

The next day we started with a bang. Mopeds to the Li River and Bamboo Rafting! The raft guides had a fun time splashing us and we cruised the Li river with nothing but smiles. Syd and I also took many a selfie. We had a brief quarrel with the moped people but decided not to let it ruin our day. 

We hung out on West Street instead. I could walk up and down that street a thousand times and never get sick of it. It seemed like there was always something new happening. Also they have the best coconut milk and dumplings and ice cream and people. We got fish pedicures that night and stayed for two hours just talking. So fun.

The next day Rachel, Nichole, Kelsey, and I went on a hike to Moon Hill. I have never been so sweaty and it was the shortest hike ever. But southern China has a certain humidity that you just can't escape. We also maybe might've mooned Moon Hill but I'll save you from those pictures.

Then when we met farmer lady. She was so funny that we just had to buy mud cave tickets from her. And she gave us a great deal! After our ticket purchasing, Rachel and I headed to Butterfly Mountain to meet up with some rock climbers we had met the night previously. Anyo is his name and climbing is his game. No really he is sponsored by North Face and is so so good. Only problem was that it started pouring rain when we were walking there. So Rachel got in one climb and then we decided to come back another day. I rode back to the city with no other than Chicken Brother. He is Mongolian, flirty, and drinks like a sailor. He told me to "hold tight" as we rode back on his moped. I got some weird looks on that ride and I probably made some too because we were going so fast! Now inducted into the climbers club, Anyo and Chicken brother invited us to dinner with all of their friends. We went to "I Love Fish" where we had a feast of beer battered fish. I couldn't understand anything they were saying at dinner but everything was so funny. And good ol' Chicken Brother got our tab! What a guy. Walking back Rachel bought this mask, we danced with some old guy on West Street, and watched Cast Away at our hostel. Blissfully good day.

The next day we took a bus to the Mud Caves. China is one giant marketplace. They sell everything and anything anywhere. Even the caves had things for sale and you had to bypass this section of souvenirs to get to the mud bath part. Also I decided that I want my future profession to be Stalactite Namer. They had some weird ones in the Gold Water Cave and I think I could do better. Anyway, then it was time to be pigs and take a good long mud bath (mud fights and mud slide included). Following all this exfoliation fun we decided to lounge in the adjoining hot spring cave. Skinny dipped. Oops.

 Getting back to the hostel we watched School of Rock and then hit West Street again because we can't get enough. I bought myself a dress, KFC butterscotch ice cream and the best donut China has produced. It was basically American. Now HERE'S a good story. West Street has several shop that sell this granola bar/seed stuff. It's all the rage in China. And they have samples at every store. So naturally I take a sample every time I pass by. The problem? I'm white and I have been to West Street more than a few times by now. Long story short, I got rejected! From FREE samples! So embarrassing.

The next day Nichole, Brinley, Rachel and I went rock climbing again with Anyo. It was my 1st time climbing outside and it was worth all the hype. We also got to climb with the nicest Canadian and Jewish girls. Anyo was so good to us and there couldn't have been a better climber to go with. Nichole, Brin, and I wanted to leave earlier than Rachel to find a place to swim. We had to get back to the city but couldn't find anyone to take us for a good price. Finally we got this guy to take us on his moped. 4 people, 1 moped, 2 much fun. Then we rented our own mopeds and basically went on a tour of Yangshou. Two things: 1. I am really bad at turning on a moped. 2. Driving in China is crazy. Those two things made for a very interesting day and luckily Nichole was a very good sport on the back of my moped. We never found the swimming place but we stopped to eat some famous Guilin noodles and some quality girl talk. THen we were back on the mopeds for another ride.

That night Kate and Rachel and I hit West Street for the last time to celebrate Yangshuo and our friendship. Kate would be leaving in just one day!! But we tried not to think about it. We joined some people dancing on a table, went to McDonalds, and made a toast to our friendship. then we befriended Snake and Jake. This odd duo asked us if we were American or Austrailian. I would proudly claim the latter but we told the truth and ended up talking to them for like 2 hours in good ol' Mickey D's. China has some great people let me tell ya.

The next day we said goodbye to our beloved Yangshuo and went to the rice terraces in Guilin. Syd and I walked to the top of the Ping'an Zhuang Rice Terrace and it was gorgeous and SWEATY. but we took a photoshoot anyway because YOCHO (you only china once).

We got back to Guilin and to be honest we were disappointed. It's a ghost city compared to Yangshuo. No street food?! No parties? NO STEAMED BUNS? And you call yourself Chinese...tsk tsk. But we can make almost anything a party and Guilin was no exception. We got ice cream, sat by the river, and talked about almost everything. It was Kate and Syd's last day on the vacay with us. so sad. Can I just say again that I have the best friends!

LAST day in Guilin: Or so we thought...We watched movies ALL DAY. Now You See Me, Catch Me If You Can, Bourne Identity, 500 Days of Summer. We took a shuttle to the airport only to hear the worst news of our lives. FLIGHT CANCELLED. So apparently in China there are these things called Typhoons that reak havoc and make it impossible for airplanes to fly. Point is we were stuck in Guilin for another day. Tropical Paradise was ripped from our fingers.

Real LAST day in Guilin: WE slept at the airport hotel, made up dialogues to Chinese soap operas, went a little stir crazy, got a complimentary breakfast, took a nap, and then FINALLY landed a plane for SANYA!!!

Zhanjiajie

The school gave us an 18 day vacation before we headed back to the US of A. So we turned it into an 18 day party! First Stop: Zhanjiajie. We only had two days here so we had to make the most of it. On train there I sat with two 27 yr olds, a cute little family, and their grandma. The baby was our constant source of entertainment and came to sit with me several times throughout the 21 hours train ride. It didn't take long before we all felt like family. A long overnight train ride will do that to you. The 27 yr old helped me with my bags, shared his food, and offered one of his headphones so I could watch his movies. Movie of choice: Weird low low low budget film about deathly fire ants, a murderous boss, and an awkward love triangle. We all exchanged contact info at the end and tried to converse in our broken English/Chinese. They were wonderful travel companions.

Anyway, there are two National Parks in Zhanjiajie; Tienman Mountain and Zhanjiajie National Forest Park. We decided to hit both. To get to Tienman Mountain we rode the longest cable car in the world! It was the best thing thats ever happened to me. Part of the way up we were just surrounded by clouds and we couldn't see anything. Then we could see mountains peaks shooting up in the fog and below was the most dangerous road in the world. It was just beautiful and pictures just don't do it justice.

Brinley, Kate, Rachel, and I had limited time in the park so we hit the big stuff. The glass walkway was our first endeavor. Then we headed to Tienman Cave or more commonly called "Stairway to Heaven" and rode the longest escalators ever to get there. We didnt even realize we had made it straight to the cave without walking the 999 stairs. BUt we decided to do it anyway so we walked down and up. Take that 1,998 stairs! Then we took the cable car back so we could hit the next park!

The face of bravery.

To get to Zhanjiajie National park we took an hour long bumpy mini bus ride. Straight to the AVATAR MOUNTAINS. We hiked some thousands of stairs to different lookout points of the forest and made some monkey friends along the way. Apparently I got too friendly cause one slapped my cheek. I GOT MONKEY SLAPPED! 

We were hiking so hard that we lost track of time! That night the four of us planned to stay at the hostel in the National Park. But you have to hike 3 hrs and take the Bailong elevator up to a different level of the park to get there. It was already late afternoon and elevator rides only went until 6:30. We turned the three hour hike into a 1.5 hr hike in pouring rain. We barely made it to the elevator on the last ride up because a nice bus driver took us the last 30 ft. We literally wouldn't have made it without him. On the way there we kept looking for alternative sleeping arrangements just to keep our minds from heading to shear panic. These are the sweat and rain soaked faces of pure relief and exhaustion.

Welcome to my crib.

But the adventure was far from over. We still had about a 2 hour hike to our hostel and it was starting to get dark. With my head lamp on and our feet drained from 16 miles of hiking, we were lured to a hostel only to find it was the wrong one. We continued on feeling mostly like a mix between pioneers and wet dogs at this point and stopped a man with a moped cart for directions. With a few bats of our sweaty eyelashes, he agreed to give us a ride.But unsure of where to go, he calls our hostel. The following occurred:

Man leans in and asks in Chinese: "Where are you from?"

Four girls: "America"

Moped Man in Chinese to phone: " I have got four very lost American girls here, how can I find you?"

Eventually our hostel came to pick us up and we arrived looking like Tom Hanks after Castaway. The following was a blur of a shower, drying off with my dirty clothes, peanut butter for dinner, and going to bed without even brushing my teeth. Our beds were on the floor in a little closet of a room but it was heaven compared to the makeshift shelters we had been creating in our heads all day. After 3800 steps, 17 miles and literally my favorite day in China, we were sleeping in Zhanjiajie National Forest Park. The cherry on top: waking up to a rooster at 6:30 in the morning.

Day 2: This is where we were supposed to ride the bus all the next day to different lookout points to allow minimal (if any) walking. However, the language barrier is REAL. We rode the bus several times back and forth to try to find the stops but no one understood even Rachel's 4 yr Chinese. So we thought, "Who wants to spend their last day in a national park on a bus?!" "NOT US!" We toughed it out and took a trail down Tianzi Mountain to hopefully get a scenic walk to the exit. In this never ending stairway down, we saw this arch, so many monkeys, and the craziest spider webs. We also got this scenic view!

 But there was no time to rest. After Leaving the National Park, we had a 6 hr hard seat train ride to Changsha where I met the cutest little friend.

I try to seduce all the Asian babies in trains to love me. Usually it takes several rounds of peekaboo and maybe a candy. But she was an extra shy little diva. However, before long we had a game going. We would copy each other's every move. She clapped her hands, I clapped mine. I waved my first finger, she copied. Soon we were fast friends and she would throw a tantrum if her grandma tried to move her from the seat facing me. We caused quite the ruckus. The train ride was followed by a 3 hr layover (12-4 am) in the train station with no air conditioning. I ate two ice cream cones at that ungodly hour just to keep cool! I also left a banana on my suitcase, took a nap on the chairs, and woke up to find my banana had been kidnapped!! Luckily for me, this is the only thing that was stolen during my China trip. Our 7 hr train ride to Guilin was mostly uneventful except for a lady demonstrating her cucumber peeler by spreading cucumbers all over her face. That kept us entertained for far longer than it should've.

I spy Megan in the top left corner....