Today in Sanya we were berthed next to a synthetic island attached by a causeway, with 4 massive almost oval shaped skyscrapers one of which holds a 7 star hotel. The views were gorgeous from the ship, hills, bays, beaches, full range of water fun. Sanya’s main part is over this causeway, and seems to be a very attractive holiday resort for people from mainland China and from Russia. Every sign in town translated into Russian first. It seems quite unusual to see this.
Our captain has since explained that it’s a difficult place
for a large cruise ship to access, and it’s only because of the Arcadia’s
Asimuth Pods, propellers on pods that rotate, therefore no rudder required, that make its turning circle so tight, that
allows it in to such a narrow dredged channel approaching Sanya.
We thought we would be arriving at 8 a.m. and leaving the
ship at 9 a.m. for our excursion, but even though we arrived on time, there
were a few delays with immigration this morning so it was nearer 10 when we got
going. We all had to have a face to face
interview this morning, the outcome complicated because some passengers only
had single entry visas, some had multiple, those people who had single entry
were allowed in twice but only if they did a p and o excursion. A bit confusing, but all was well in the
end.
The temperature reached around 28C today, and the coach was
air conditioned, all in all very comfortable, with plenty of water and a lot of
Our trip made me think of “Perfect Day” (drink tamarind in the sun) taking us to a beautiful, utterly unspoiled beach
and stunning coastline, (bonus moment: lush swimsuit purchased for a fiver) a
cultural park, complete with “deer looking backwards” statue, “beware of
snakes” “away from the monkeys” notices,
monkey sightings (no snakes though J),
uphill and downhill walks, several panoramic viewpoints over the island, a
pearl museum, “and then home”,
accompanied by a very humble, sensitive and beautiful young tour guide, who in
spite of her struggle with English and her nerves did a fabulous job.
We then had a late lunch and a lazy few hours. Our afternoon
ended in the hot tub, stretching everything out before dinner, sailing away for
a day on Thursday 19/3/2015 reaching Phu My in Vietnam and taking a full day
trip to Ho Chi Minh City on Friday 20/3/2015.
Bye for now. x
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