Yet another long week has passed and blogging about this trip is taking forever! Anyway I totally forgot about module bidding until I subconsciously asked my friend if she secured her modules during our catch up. Logged into CORS and found out that it was already the closed bidding round, and I only got allocated 1 out of 3 modules. Fortunately I managed to get the modules. This is what internship does to you.
Speaking of internship, I will be staying on part time with the company. Since I have 3 free days I might as well make use of it. Now let’s hope I won’t go crazy. Okay onto Day 3!
The cruise was supposed to dock at Sanya at 11am so we had some time in the morning to spare before disembarking. Went for this dancercise thing at the swimming pool and the cruise staff asked me and 3 other people to join him at the podium as his backup dancers lol. Luckily the rest of the audience were rather enthusiastic and if I happen to be caught on camera, I will be somewhat famous. Went to treadmill at the gym after that. *End of morning routine*
Here we are at Sanya. It is located in the southern most part of Hainan Island, China, and is recently opening up to tourists.
Main tourist attractions (and what was offered by the cruise) include this Deer Turning Head Park 鹿回头公园, Yalong Bay , a 108m Guanyin statue. We chose to sign up for the Li and Miao Minority Village tour. Will talk more about it later.
Speaking of Hainan it is well-known for many things- betel, wen chang chicken and especially coconuts which grow everywhere. The weather is tropical all year round and people there enjoy the highest longevity. The beaches are popular as honeymoon destinations and wedding photoshoot locations. There is even a saying that goes “If you love her, bring her to Sanya”. And last but not least there is this super expensive condo that cost 20k yuan per m2.
The streets of Sanya.
I remember seeing this kind of vehicle in Suzhou but I forgot the name. Surprisingly it travels quite fast. 
Our group consists of Malaysians, PRCs and this ang moh European family residing in Singapore. The tour guide arranged us with the ang moh family at the same table for lunch cos he assumed that Singaporeans are bilingual, but nope, not the older generation. Ate a coconut lunch at this hotel and the food was WEIRD. Maybe it was due to different palate, or maybe food doesn’t go well when fried/marinated/steamed/whatever with all things coconut.
On the way to the Li & Miao minority village, which has been developed by the government into a 4A national tourist attraction. Talk about ethnic tourism. It is located up in the mountains.
Here’s the entrance. The chinese words read 槟榔谷 (Betel Nut Park). The village is home to many betel nut plantations and some natives still chew it as a habit.
Took the buggy uphill to watch their cultural performance which showcases the traditions of the Li and Miao group. Tourists have to pay extra for the ride, but the location is rather inaccessible by foot.
Nope this is not someone’s house, but the stage backdrop.
In my opinion the performance was a tip-of-the-iceberg in introducing the ethnic group. They first showcased their trademark, which is still adopting the primitive way of starting a fire (which somehow evolved into swallowing and spitting it). Others include cloth weaving without the need of any machine, sieving rice, bamboo dancing, and flirting what they look for in a romance. Call me ignorant but I didn’t know they are further divided into 5 sub groups, which have different way of dressing as well. Oh and they made the geese and goats parade around the stage.
Along the way back to the entrance cos the itinerary was of a rush.
Random geese on the street! 
People still live in these houses according to the tour guide… but how come I see no one?
Apart from the performance area, everywhere else was strangely deserted except for some vendors selling miniature sized pineapples, red dragonfruit, jumbo, mango and touristy fried food. Maybe it’s because of the area we happen to be in.
Given another chance I would definitely head back here to experience something more daily life like visiting a traditional house and looking at how the minorities do their crafts. Overall the area was made for tourists and of course it doesn’t do justice to the rich heritage of the Li and Miao ethnic groups, but that is the inevitable fate of minority groups should they be earmarked to boost the tourism of the locality.
Then we head to this local product supermarket to experience the last taste of Sanya. Saw many products carrying this brand called Chun Guang 春光, so I guess it should be a popular local brand. Common food items include coconut powder, coconut milk, coconut candy, all things coconut! There’s also pepper and chili and the chili sauce was awesome. Anyway the supermarket is difficult to navigate around, partially because it is swarmed with tourists and they designed the aisles in a manner that you have to see everything before you leave.
Here’s my mum’s loot. If you are feeling adventurous you can mix coffee with coconut powder (Disclaimer: I will not be responsible for any mishap caused).
Total for this shore excursion cost 540 HKD excluding shopping expenses. I felt it was a bit pricey especially so when the lunch was crappy, but getting to visit the minority village and sightseeing plantations along the way was a one-of-a-kind experience.
okay now back on the cruise. My mum and I chose Western food for dinner at Genting Palace cos the Worst Travelling Partner was reluctant to eat western food. For the appetizer I had boned chicken wings which flew off the plate cos I was using utensils. Our main course was dory fillet. It doesn’t have the sea/dirt smell and tasted really fresh. Under the fillet is mashed potato and beans, with cheese sauce surrounding it. The portion was just nice as well. The Chinese food that day didn’t taste good, according to my dad.
The cruise staff put up a show called Decades, featuring classic song performances like Footloose and Shanghai Bund 上海滩. My mum was falling asleep until towards the end where 3 guys posed as females wearing sexy clothes and did funny stuff such as hugging a male audience and propping their legs on the audience seat. The crew have really good singing voices and it was a smart move to put the crazy item as the last.
4th day coming soon to Halong Bay!
SuperRandomWorld 