Xincun, Hainan Island

On day two, we started out with a yummy brunch and outside the restaurant was this traditional "bride carrier," a perfect photo op for us silly folks! After brunch we took a train to Xincun, which is an incredible fishing port town. It's a small town, off the beaten track, and oozing with character. Fruit stands abound, with fresh mango, tiny bunches of bananas, papaya, lichi, dragon fruit, and bundles of fresh coconuts. The locals zip around on motorcycles and the taxi drivers are motorcycles with covered side cars - a real hoot to scoot around in! The streets were dirty, and lined with small restaurants that had tables and chairs on the sidewalks full of people eating and chatting, hanging out enjoying each others company. A typical scene in China!

In the early evening, just before the sun went down, we took a boat tour across the bay, where hundreds of families live on permanent floating houseboats, all rafted together, forming a water world community. The homes are rafted together like street blocks, and in between the "blocks" there are water ways, creating a neighbourhood-like feeling. It's an absolute feast for the eyes. The boat tour included a stop on one of the floats. The driver grabbed a net and scooped a turtle out of a pen, and let each of us hold it. Another stop was at a huge floating restaurant, (an option of the tour was to eat here, but we opted out.) As we were heading back to the dock, the huge fishing vessels were pulling in, at the end of their work day. They looked like pirate ships! I couldn't fill my eyes enough. 

We stayed in a hotel in the centre of town. The hotel lacked an elevator, so we got our exercise while staying there! The room was spacious and clean, and the reward of six flights of stairs was the incredible view overlooking the ocean, with constant boat traffic travelling in and out of the bay. 

There is so much that I have seen, heard, smelled, and experienced that I just don't have the time to write about. Every day is so full, and it is such an amazing experience being here.  I am loving every minute of it. China is fantastic. I never expected to love it this much.