Through one of the friendly gals I met at Zumba, I found out about a group called Dragon Adventures that organizes big group events and trips around China. They just so happened to be planning a weekend trip to a tiny island tucked away on the southeast coast of China called Tantou Island. Unfamiliar to most Chinese, this island is somewhat of a secret spot, and not yet a commercialized tourist trap. While there is a hostel on the island, they also line the beach with tents for rent, which would be our accommodations for the trip! Although we only knew Lauren, my Zumba friend, we thought it would be a blast and a great way to meet people, and signed up!
On a Friday night we all met at a local bar to have a few pre-trip brews and load the buses. I assumed it was going to be one bus full, but we were pumped to find out there were 93 20 and 30-somethings going on 3 buses!! We drew for our seats and were proudly appointed to the "Shark" bus with Lauren and some of her other buds. During the 5 hour trek we quickly got to know our bus-mates from all over the world and knew there was a crazy weekend ahead! We stopped in a small town on the coast called Shipuzhen and stayed in a hostel Friday night, and then boarded a ferry to the island early in the morning. Although the water wasn't exactly turquoise blue, the scenery was breathtaking - green mountains, low clouds, small towns, and other boats sailing by. When we arrived on the island we took a short golf cart cruise to the beach. As we walked through the "town" comprised of a few shops and a long open dining shelter, we were greeted by hundreds of Chinese vacationers taking our pictures and waving as our foreigner-herd traipsed by. An adorable little girl who looked to be about 5 ran out and asked to take a picture with me (Throughout the weekend our crew received many "drive-by photo ops" by the local Chinese paparazzi)! :) As we approached the beach we saw the rows upon rows of tents and staked our claim, with our new friends as our tent neighbors. The next 24 hours consisted of: splashing in the waves, meeting new people from all over the world, eating feasts of family-style fresh seafood, bon-fires, high tide almost wiping out our tent, human pyramids, eating more, oh... and drinking a few pijius (beers)! The pictures will probably tell it best.
On a Friday night we all met at a local bar to have a few pre-trip brews and load the buses. I assumed it was going to be one bus full, but we were pumped to find out there were 93 20 and 30-somethings going on 3 buses!! We drew for our seats and were proudly appointed to the "Shark" bus with Lauren and some of her other buds. During the 5 hour trek we quickly got to know our bus-mates from all over the world and knew there was a crazy weekend ahead! We stopped in a small town on the coast called Shipuzhen and stayed in a hostel Friday night, and then boarded a ferry to the island early in the morning. Although the water wasn't exactly turquoise blue, the scenery was breathtaking - green mountains, low clouds, small towns, and other boats sailing by. When we arrived on the island we took a short golf cart cruise to the beach. As we walked through the "town" comprised of a few shops and a long open dining shelter, we were greeted by hundreds of Chinese vacationers taking our pictures and waving as our foreigner-herd traipsed by. An adorable little girl who looked to be about 5 ran out and asked to take a picture with me (Throughout the weekend our crew received many "drive-by photo ops" by the local Chinese paparazzi)! :) As we approached the beach we saw the rows upon rows of tents and staked our claim, with our new friends as our tent neighbors. The next 24 hours consisted of: splashing in the waves, meeting new people from all over the world, eating feasts of family-style fresh seafood, bon-fires, high tide almost wiping out our tent, human pyramids, eating more, oh... and drinking a few pijius (beers)! The pictures will probably tell it best.
We had an EPIC time. We saw a pocket of China that few have and it was beautiful in it's own unique way.While the combination of sand, sweat, mosquitoes, and a tiny 2-person tent was a little trying at times, honestly, we didn't expect to do much resting or relaxing on the trip anyways, so we just cracked open a cold (err.. luke warm) one and partied on! Above all else, it was the perfect way to meet a ton of cool people our age that love to travel, party, and love life! In general, the fellow expats we have gotten to know are inspiring-ly well-traveled, well spoken (bi- and tri- lingual), well-educated, and well... awesome! While we are by all means not most of those things comparatively, we are ready to play catch-up!
Stay tuned for a post on our weekender to Beijing!
Stay tuned for a post on our weekender to Beijing!
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