rock mummy sculpture

The rock formation looks like a woman lying down, not sun bathing though. This is why I label this as a rock mummy sculpture, etched by winds and sea waves and rains.

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I enjoy traveling to unknown places. Whenever I visit a country, I would travel on my own schedule, not with a tour group, even when it's not familiar ground. Basically I want to explore the place that I'm traveling to and not brag about the places I visited by being there!

The picture above is one of many finds on the rocky terrains at QiZi Bay. I was just sitting on this beach, pottering around taking in the sights and sounds when...

Photography is one way I discover I see more of a place I visit.

nature's sculpture

Illusion? Eyes playing tricks?

From this angle, this piece of rock looks like a human head -- hair, eyes, nose, mouth and high-cheek bone face?

Viewing from the opposite angle, it's just a piece of rock.

The nose is a piece of chipped rock of another kind.

Nature's artwork!

just married

Announcing home of the newly wed.

seven-fairies mountain 七仙岭

Seven-fairies Mountain is located in the central part of Hainan Island. This area has some natural hot springs.

We had the luxury of soaking in an open yet private man-made little hotspring pool overlooking the 7-fairies mountain.

Can you see or count there are 7 rocks?

These strange-looking rocks jut out of nowhere.

So I presume the locals wove a story to their existence.

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Once upon a time there were 7 fairies who descended to earth to enjoy the hotspring bath. They enjoyed themselves so much that they forgot their curfew hours. As a result they could not return home and were turned into those rocks. Hence the name for the mountain range.

postscript on qizi bay

Qizi Bay caught my attention when I was browsing and I stumbled on the Hainan Photologue (http://www.hainan-world.com/). It appears the coastline has changed a little since the last time those photos were taken. No pebbles were found on other beaches except for the one at Dajiao during our time there.

One finds elderly in their 70s still going out to sea fishing. They are strong and sturdy. Where are the young ones? Have they left for bigger cities to make a living rather than building up their little hometown? Perhaps poverty is what drives the young to seek fortune elsewhere. Will there be decentralization and development in areas like Qizi Bay?

Seafood is fresh but the way it was cooked, little to rave and considered expensive.

I was touched when we were told by the motocab driver that the hotel owner called her to find out if we had called around 3pm. They were wondering if they should call for help before dark. Hotels provide only lodging – no food.

While we were somewhat lost on the mountain sandy track at Dajiao, we saw goat droppings along the path suggesting we were not lost. We kept trudging forward. While on high altitude, there was no signal to the mobile phone. Thank goodness when we entered the rocky coastline, there was reception to the mobile phone! What a relief! We were then directed to this little hut (the elderly fisherman couple’s occasional abode) and the sand dune beach – telling us we’d arrived at Zhongjiao. We then continued on to where the motocab driver collected us.

When we were on the rocky coastline, I discovered our voices were muted when we yelled or called out to one another…even with a whistle!

Strangely there were no birds or seagulls along the whole stretch of the bay. Prickly plants were found on the mountain range. Was this a desert before?

Qizi Bay coastline has some varied and interesting rock formations. Please engage a local guide (if there is one) and wear life-jackets when exploring.

Is ignorance bliss or foolishness on my part to explore Qizi Bay without a guide or a map? Whichever, I enjoyed my time there and will return to explore again.

changhua 昌化镇

Changhua is a fishing port situated at the tip of the Qizi Bay.

What a clean and tidy little town!

A bus station. We call on the mobile for the tricycle motocab services to and from Qizi Bay.

An old man on his bullock cart.

These were taken at low tide. I imagine the whole place would be flooded when the tide is high.

qizi bay 祺子湾

The focus of my travel to Hainan Island [ 海南岛 ] was to explore Qizi Bay [ 祺子湾 ]. This is a stretch of 15km, from north to south, S-shaped coastline of sandy beach and rocks punctuated with coves ending at Changhua town [ 昌化镇 ]. We stayed at Changhua from 3rd till 6th instant exploring the Bay.

There was no guide or map on this rock 'trekking'. (I found this place on the internet and gungho I wanted to explore as I love rock formation coastlines.) We went by our instincts though. Along the way, a Chinese male visitor at the beginning of the Bay (or Dajiao literally meaning Big Point) told us not to trek those rocks alone!

The Bay is divided into 3 sections: Dajiao 大角 (Big Point), Zhongjiao 中角 (Mid-point) and Xiaojiao 小角 (Small Point).

A China Chinese friend from Guangzhou and I met at Haikou city, the capital of Hainan Island. We stayed a night at Banana Hostel, a place where overseas visitors stayed. Unfortunately this is not well-run. This friend reckoned it was expensive staying here.

We took a bus from the Western bus station at midday picking up commuters along the way until plying on the expressway. The condition of the roads and expressways were excellent -- no potholes.

Banana and mango plantations lined the west coast and flax were planted where water was lacking. We crossed several bridges. A chinese man told me proudly, "There is no flood in Hainan. All the water flows back to the sea."

The little towns we passed by were clean and tidy.

At one stopover, I had to ease myself and I was pleasantly surprise to find the squatting toilet, was clean and not smelly! This is not a flushing toilet, but there was a huge jar of water to clean it after each use. (Remember to bring your own toilet paper.) Whew! Later I was told the toilet (stood next to a shop) belongs to a home -- that was why it was clean and no odor!

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The bus driver dropped us at the first hotel sighted in Changhua town around 5pm. This was a one-year-old lodging providing room and no food. The room was spacious with a queen-size bed and a single bed -- for a family I suppose. There was comforter on the bed to keep us warm, an airconditioner if we needed to cool ourselves and there was electricity and hot water!

After checking in, we had to look for our evening meal. Eventually we ended up in the restaurant I found on the internet. Unfortunately the gentleman was not available to be our guide as he now owns a prawn farm. He showed us some photos of the natural rock sculptures and legends behind the unique pieces of rocks from his photo album.

haikou city

Haikou City is the capital of Hainan Island in China. (I would like to post a series of pictures on this Island but...)

There are many interesting places to explore on this Island. The weather is cool at this time of the year, almost like the spring in Auckland but the nights do get chilly. In the day it is sunny and can get quite oppressively hot (especially in the June month) depending where you are. Many of the richer mainlanders will travel to the Island at this time of year to get away from the cold wintry months. These rich will buy a holiday home on this Island.

Banana Hostel is owned by a foreigner (British) n his Chinese wife. Situated on an island off Haikou City linked by bridges in downtown. Wawa is the receptionist.

Xinxiu (新秀) Beach for sailing. Many sail boats and yachts anchoring along the beach front. There are several beaches in Haikou county. [China is sectioned by provinces, equivalent to states in the US, and in each province, there are the counties.]

Tricycle motocab is one mode of convenient transport for short distances.

The Western Bus Station terminus

Early morning market along a main street -- strangely clean, dry and no smell. Food is not cheap. Cost of living is high for the nationals.

visit to hainan island

It was one of the most interesting 10 days on the Hainan Island situated on the south of the Mainland China. This is the smallest province in China though she is the biggest island, next to Taiwan.

A 71-year-old man selling sugar cane walking along the Xinxiu beach in Haikou City.

This lady, in her 60s, is selling shellfish that she actually dug with her bare hands this bucket full of shellfish around the port area at Changhua, a fishing port.