- Tip #1 - pack really, really light clothing. And I mean *light*, because Haikou is hot and humid, the combo no one wants. Sorta like Houston in the middle of summer, or Phoenix in the summer except much, much wetter. When you sweat, it *sticks to you.* Makes you want to take a shower two or three times a day. I recommend going to a sports/outdoors store and getting clothes there for the day. Or if you’re a guy, just go shirtless and put some sunscreen on. - Tip #2 - be careful in the streets. It’s not that there are criminals around, but that the drivers here are really, really dangerous. Those lane markers? People drive like they aren’t even there, including my own relatives, which makes being a passenger really really fun. And most of the streets here *do not have lights. *Most people jaywalk across streets, it’s easier that way. - Tip #3 - sunscreen is your friend. While it’s been cloudy/overcast/raining these past few days, when it’s sunny, it’s *sunny, *especially at the beach. - Tip #4 - want to go to the beach? Head to Sanya. Beaches in Haikou are pretty bad, and besides, no one goes to the beach in Haikou, as it is quite ugly compared to Sanya’s beaches. Take a tour bus there.
Finally here…as I suspected, Tumblr’s blocked from China. It is a blogging service, after all. *sighs* Unfortunately, I don’t have an adapter for HK outlets, which makes me wonder why plugs/outlets aren’t the same everywhere. It was raining in Hong Kong when we left at 11:45, and we arrived in Haikou at 1…and was subjected to 34 C heat! The immigration area and baggage claim weren’t cooled, so I was sweating as I was processed. The guy at the counter asked if I knew Chinese - in Chinese - and I said “No”. Which would imply that I lied somehow, right? Took a while for me to get processed - which alarmed my mom a little. Anyway, I’m at my uncle’s apartment/condo and (thankfully) cooling down. The one really interesting thing in China is that most places don’t have central cooling, like how it is in the West. Instead, there are small units that cool down the air in each room. Having central cooling would be expensive for most families. Haikou is never constant. Every year, there’s something new. 5 years ago, I was in the same place, staring at a field from my bedroom window. Now, there’s another apartment complex right across from us. The city is expanding out, kinda like Houston in the US. Moving away from the center of the city. There are finally signs with proper English. There is also a few nature preserves around the area now. And I just had some to-go sushi that was actually decent! Oh, and before I forget, there’s a golf course right outside of Haikou now, that I saw from the airplane window. Better go. I’ll post some pics later.
HEY GUYS! I’m in Hong Kong NOW and holy crap, 18 hour stay here, next flight out to Haikou isn’t until 11:45 AM tomorrow (10 pm). 14 hour trip. I hate long trips. But oh my god, the plane was amazing. It’s a Boeing 777-300ER… 9 to a row in economy but business and first class have it awesome - their seats are also beds. Not bad in eco, though, I got free booze (the minimum age is 18 on Cathay Pacific, apparently, although my mom was angry that I ordered some…) and it’s video and music on demand so it wasn’t too bad - although I really wanted to pull the laptop out. It also has an exterior camera, like the space shuttle, so you can see what’s underneath around the front landing gear! Awesome for landings and takeoffs - it made me really appreciate how hard it is to land and take off the aircraft, especially at Hong Kong - the runway is basically capped at the ends by *water.* * * 18 hours at an airport. At least I have my laptop! :D * * * *
LAX DOESN’T HAVE FREE WIFI
@ LAX…the city of angels never looked better.
