A Slow, Meaningful Escape: My Time in Hainan, China

To end of the year, I went on a trip to Hainan, China, where I spent my time exploring the city and most importantly, attend my uncle's wedding.

Day 1: Landing in Hainan

Once we landed, we took a train from the airport to Haikou Train Station, and from there, a car back to our house. The moment we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms and treated to an incredible spread of food. There was an overwhelming variety — from different kinds of meats to fresh seafood like crab and prawns — the perfect way to start our time in Hainan.

After we finished eating, we went to explore my grandfather’s own little area, where he kept ducks, chickens, and geese, alongside fruit trees bearing pomegranates.

Day 2: Wedding day

We started the day off early by taking photos and kicking off the wedding ceremony, followed by a huge feast for lunch. The day passed by pretty fast, and in an instant, we were having dinner and fruits, such as the promegranade grown by my grandfather. We ended the day with fireworks.

Day 3: Visiting the Zoo

Planned by my sister the day before, we started the day off by going to the zoo. Unfortunately, it was raining lightly that day and we couldn't see the animals roaming about. We had an eventful day meeting various animals such as ducks, goats, peacocks, and even capybaras!

We then went to have lunch, and I got to try banana pancakes for the first time, and it was quite nice. After lunch, we went to a mall to walk around to digest our heartful meal better, and chanced upon a huge Chagee store. We couldn't let up this opportunity and went inside the store to try the drinks there. The store was very pretty and had really nice aesthetics. Lastly, we ended the day off by having dinner back at home.

Day 4: Birthdays & Fireworks in Full Bloom

Day 4 was a relaxing one, starting off with a filling breakfast, and in the afternoon, we celebrated two birthdays at once - my grandma and cousin. After eating cake, we drove to a suitable location to put out fireworks. Our first stop was at a bridge, but the location was not suitable for fireworks, so instead i got a nice photo of the bridge. At the next location, we played with various types of fireworks until we ran out, and ended the day there.

Day 5: Lighthouse

For breakfast, we had yoghurt on top of fruits, together with pomelo. For mine, I had mango as my fruit. Later, we went to a see a lighthouse and took many photos. There was a beach there, but we didn't get the chance to actually go there and touch the sand. We then went back to have lunch/dinner, and ended the day there.

Day 6: Going to Haikou

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We planned to take the early train to Haikou, but accidentally went onto the wrong platform, so we had to wait another hour to catch the next train, which was unfortunate. After arriving in Haikou, we took a cab to out hotel, where we met up with our relative. After setting out things down, we went to a mall and explored around. We had dinner in the mall and went back to the hotel. The night was still young, so we once again went out to have late night supper with our relative.

Day 7: Visting Haikou's Largest Miniso

We visited Haikou's biggest Miniso, and were shocked to see how big it was. With two levels and and various products being sold, it was no surprise when we spent over 1 hour there. I walked away with many items, one of which was Harry Potter playing cards which I thought was quite worth the price, being only about $2. I liked it so much that I went to a different Miniso the next day and managed to find the cards again. This way, I could use one set to play and the other to keep in its original condition.

Day 8: Last day in Hainan

We woke up and headed to a restaurant beside our hotel, where we met up with my relatives and had a hearty breakfast. We then went to a shopping street to walk around, and ate a small desert as a snack.

We returned back to the hotel and rested for a while, and left to see the sunset. The scenery was very pretty, with many people waiting for the sun to set too. Being the last day of our trip, we ended the day off with dinner with our relatives.

Overall, it was a fun and pretty eventful trip, and I can't wait to go back again!