Sanya is the beautiful southern city of Hainan island. It’s sand is nearly white and it stays warm year round. Last winter when I went it was warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but swimming was not popular due to the chilly water. There is a long row of new luxury resorts, many still under construction. In the winter it was not crowded and we easily found a hotel without a reservation. You can get to Hainan by air or train from Guangzhou. Wait…ride a train onto an island, you say? Yes, it is indeed true that there is an overnight train departing from Guangzhou and arriving in Hainan…by ferry. The train is split into sections and loaded on an enormous ferry that then crosses the strait.

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November 29th, 2006 | Travel, Hainan | No comments

The best way to see the Three Gorges Dam is by riverboat. There are tours departing from both Wuhan and Chongqing going up and downstream. You can also take luxury cruises leaving from Shanghai. The dam is a part of any Three Gorges tour. It is the largest hydropower station and dam in the world. A mile and a half long, it’s designed to take ocean-going ships 1,500 miles inland to Chongqing. It was also originally slated to provide 10% of China’s electricity. China has grown and, as our guide told us, it may only provide 3% or 4% of China’s current power demand. Due to the rising of the Changjiang river many towns and villages were forced to move to higher ground. This summer we were still able to see the ruins of abandoned cities, but the guide said they would be under water by September.

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November 28th, 2006 | Travel, Hubei | No comments