Adventures in Guangzhou!

While it is minorly disturbing that they have to shut the air conditioner off during take-off in order to muster enough strength to get airborne, the seats are comfortable and it's a heckuva lot quicker. Touching down in Sanya, the small city at the southern end of the island, we immediately noted that the place was reminiscent of Florida. Having not been to Hawaii, I can't verify the veracity of the "Hawaii of the East" sobriquet, but it sure was tropical.

We hopped in a cab to head to the hotel and took in the scenery. It was gorgeous. Once we got away from the gaudy decorations and advertisements near the airport, the mountains, palm trees, and coastline were quite impressive. The air, too, was noticeably cleaner than Guangzhou. No surprise there. We passed through some smaller towns and I noticed that while the tourism industry is flourishing, it doesn't appear that anything else is coming close.

We were lucky enough to book a five star hotel for a very reasonable price. Having never stayed at a five star, I didn't quite know what to expect, but I rolling onto the property of the place, I was impressed right away. The (man-made) waterfall and perfectly manicured greens were beautiful. It was exactly what I was looking for--a nice hotel located right on a nice beach. That's what vacation's all about, right?

We checked in and headed up to the room and checked out the view of the ocean--brilliant. Exploring the grounds, we determined that the multiple fresh water pools and immaculate beach were even better. I certainly had no complaints. Though the restaurants were expensive, the food was amazing, and did my personal best to make sure that the all-you-can-eat buffet made no money off of me. Nine plates later, I think I represented well.

One thing interesting about the five star hotel experience was the class difference in the clientele. As expected it was almost all Chinese people, as well as a few caucasians to fill out the room. What was different was that these Chinese were the absolute upper crust of society. In order to afford the rooms there, you had to either luck out with a good deal online (read: us) or simply have a ton of money. People were dressed well and even displayed common western ideals of etiquette. Not once did I get shoved aside in the buffet line. People were (generally) kind to all employees. They didn't stare. Nobody would have dreamt of spitting on the floor. I hate to admit it, but it was a welcome respite.

I had to laugh, though, at what I have named the "Vacation Suit." Starting the first morning at the free breakfast, I looked around and saw almost half the room wearing identical hawaiian shirt-like outfits. I don't mean that everyone wore the same pattern; rather, every couple had matching suits. The combination of the matching outfits was just too much for me--it looked absurd. Kelly and I joked about buying a set but I backed down. No way I was spending money on something that chintzy. And I don't even have style!

Being on vacation also turned out to be a catalyst for going on a reading binge. I finished four books during the week and am almost done with a fifth. Of course this has meant that my Chinese study has taken a back seat to page turning, but waddaya gonna do. A brief rundown:

Mao, The Unknown Story (Jung Chang & Jon Halliday)- this somewhat controversial book came out about a year ago and I have been meaning to read it ever since. Wow--what a read. In the interest of not rocking the boat too much I won't get into any major details, but once again I am astounded by the actions of such a powerful dictator. I think my impressions may be somewhat colored by having read the initial review by Kristoff in the NY Times last November, but he made a good point in saying that some of the arguments need to be verified a bit better. It's tough to read historical scholarship that isn't really well footnoted, but regardless, the book brings to light some information that simply can't be ignored. Lets just say that if more people in China read this, they might not be so happy about still having the Chairman's portrait up in Tian'anmen.

The History of Love (Nicole Krauss)- This was another *incredible* read, in a totally different way. While it helps if you know some basic hebrew or yiddish, the book is basically an interwoven story of families, writing, and, of course, love. I'm not a cryer but this one definitely made me shed a tear. It's a beautiful story that is told in an equally beautiful way. I highly recommend it.

The Lion's Game (Nelson DeMille)- If any of you are into easy read mysteries that involve a main character who says all the things I wish I had thought of first, this is for you. While I think it is actually the weakest of the John Corey series so far (definitely read Plum Island, followed by Night Fall, both awesome vacation reads), it's still a very entertaining read. I was discussing the book with my roommate and he brought up an interesting point-- reading any book about terrorism that was published pre-9/11 is really an eye-opener. I guess it's true that we were all a little naive before. It's not always easy to recognize the more subtle changes, but something as simple as the attitude in writing is clearly a world away. Sad.

Dance, Dance, Dance (Haruki Murakami)- This is the sequel to "A Wild Sheep Chase" and it is another good story. Sheep Chase was the first Murakami I had ever read and I went on a small Murakami spree afterwards. I said it once and I'll say it again--I think Murakami is one of the most creative writers in the world today. What an incredible talent! This book once again dips a bit into the surreal but in a way that seems completely realistic and appropriate. Definitely worth checking out.