Day 5 – Saturday 20 November 2010

The wake-up call came at the early hour of 5am this morning as were leaving Shanghai to fly to Hainan Island located in the South China Sea. Hainan Island is the smallest province in China and the second-largest Island after Taiwan. It has an area of 33,920 square kilometres.

                         

We boarded our mini-bus at 6am and said goodbye to our fabulous Renaissance Yu Gardens Hotel where we had stayed the previous three nights. We ate our boxed breakfast provided by the Hotel on the mini-bus as their breakfast buffet only started serving at 6am. We arrived at the Hongqiau Airport, 13km west of our central Shanghai Hotel, and checked in our bags at 6.30am. The weight limit for this domestic flight was only 20kg, so only my large suitcase weighing 19.8 kg went under the plane. I took with me my backpack weighing 8.6kg, laptop bag and the new bag I received at the Travel Mart. We went to the Departure Lounge at 7.15am and boarded the Juneyao Airlines plane at 8am for its scheduled departure at 8.30.

Due to heavy fog at the Airport we waited, waited and waited on the plane. It finally took off at 11.35am. The cabin crew were very patient with the passengers, some who were getting rather agitated about the long delay. Breakfast was served on the plane by the hostesses as it was parked at the Airport. We landed at Sanya Phoenix International Airport at the bottom of Hainan Island at 2.35pm. Even though the flight was delayed, it was still far quicker flying the direct 1,800 kilometres than driving 33 hours non-stop along the 2,400 kilometres of tollways and roads and taking the ferry to the Island.

We had left cool Shanghai and arrived in the 28 degrees heat of Sanya. It is interesting to note that Hainan Island is on the same latitude as Hawaii so experiences the same type of warm tropical weather all year round. After collecting our bags we were given a Reception Manual prepared by the Hainan Island Development Commission that detailed our extensive itinerary whilst on Hainan Island, and a “Honoured Guest” nametag to wear around our necks. We boarded our new minibus at 3.10pm. This is when I realised that we were part of a much larger contingent of people from around the world who were touring with us on Hainan Island and staying at the same Resorts. The Australian & New Zealand group were in mini-bus No 1, and groups from Italy, Switzerland & Taiwan, Canada, Myanmar, and Korea travelled in the other numbered mini-buses. A police car with flashing lights drove in front of us escorting our min-bus convoy, not for security reasons, but because we were VIP’s. The intention was for speedy travelling to our various destinations on the Island. This worked better on some days than others due to the varying amount of traffic on the roads.  Whilst travelling in the mini-bus I noticed many recently constructed buildings and the hive of activity of building sites. Many roads and footpaths were being upgraded to cope with the rapid expansion of Sanya. I noticed the innovative lighting system on some of the main roads.. The lights were powered by a range of power sources including solar, wind and electricity.

Unfortunately, due to our plane’s late arrival at Sanya, our afternoon’s sightseeing had to be shortened. We only had time to visit a new development area in which 32 five and seven-star hotels and resorts will be built in the next 10 years. At present, there is only a newly grassed lawn area with an observation deck and information boards written in Chinese.

The Police car escorted us back to our overnight accommodation at the five-star Sheraton Sanya Resort. This is located on a private 300-meter stretch of the white sands of Yalong Bay.  Other police were stationed at intersections stopping all other traffic to let us go thru lights unimpeded. We arrived at the Hotel at 5.55pm and were greeted by a bevy of staff who welcomed us by placing real orchid leis around our necks. We took our bags to our rooms where we were welcomed with a plate of delicious tropical fruit. I changed quickly as the mini-bus left at 6.10pm to take us to the nearby Horizon Resort Hotel for our Welcome Dinner. The dinner for the 6 mini-bus groups of people was served outside in the tropical garden setting. Unfortunately, the Chinese Banquet was mainly seafood, which I’m not fond of, so I only tasted 3 of the many dishes. During the evening there were speeches and delightful entertainment provided in the warmth of the balmy evening.

We boarded the mini-bus back to our hotel Sheraton Resort had a tour of the fabulous Resort complex. The night was late so I unfortunately ran out of time to take advantage of any of the swimming pools, spas or Fitness Centre. Instead, I retired to my room for a refreshing bath. With the louvered partition opened between the bathroom and lounge, I could view the television whilst soaking.