Beside The Sea... Haikou, China!

Being on an island I needed to see some of that ocean blue, Haikou allowed me to be 'Beside The Seaside' with an informal edge. Those tropical rainstorms poured down like never before, I was able to get some nice photos but really it was so nice to see the sea once again! Oh, I looked high and low for that coconut! I was saving up that taxi fare because I biked a lot! H, take me back! 

I had funds in my bank account but I was feeling extra stingy with my money that morning in Haikou, China. After I had my fill of Haikou's Qilou Old Street and the surrounding areas I made my way towards the promenade, as if I was about to call it the 'boardwalk?' No! Scanning one of two bikes, I peddled for the longest of times through the streets of Haikou City from that tourist appropriate area. I had half a clue where I was supposed to go but as always I encountered some route recalculations for certain. I had everything in hand, no I actually didn't but by some miracle I found the main thoroughfare that faced the ocean blue. It was mad how nonchalant I was with that bike because whilst in Nanjing earlier in the year I was a damn mess, I had no clue! After being back in China for a few months around that August month had allowed me to relearn those pre-Pandemic ways of getting from A to B on a shared bike. Haikou saw me saving those pennies because I had just secured my overpriced South Korea trip for National Day. Oh!

Spatially surveying that boardwalk cycle track, I caught a glimpse of that spectacular ocean view. Haikou served city and construction but those blue waters served 'No Scrubs Realness' with nature at the heart of that vista. Dodging the current was crucial, the sea didn't need to be acting shady, I didn't want to get wet! I was not the one to get played that day, the weather was about to come for me! I couldn't express how soothing it felt for my feet to feel the sand and those lapping waves, still I wasn't trying to get completely wet. Are you mad? I'm not! The weather was on the change but to tell you the truth I was loving that Hainan beach moment because I had not thought about visiting that specific beach. I was on the lookout for a ordinary looking lighthouse, please I needed a slice of 'Lighthouse Overness!' Yes, the beach healed those Zhangjiajie heights, maybe that Greek cruise wouldn't be all that bad? No, but not right now because I have other European and North African travel plans! Monsoon, she better don't! Florida would be served! 

My coconut obsession wouldn't let me live, I was strung out on finding a certain beachfront establishment. Firstly, I was feeling thirsty! Finding the first food and beverage place, I ordered a cheeky beer because with the ocean blue in view I couldn't say no! As soon as I had made my order through the tables own QR Code, I had to move inside because the weather turned upside down! I was being served a complete tropical storm and I wasn't mad, with a ferocious wind in the air it was slightly underwhelming to see those darker clouds still lingered after that impromptu Floridian-like storm. I finished my beer with a serving of blind optimism, those false positive thoughts needed to get real really fucking quick! No lie, walking along that 'boardwalk' felt right! There, I said it! I needed to talk to mother nature because that promenade moment served ocean views forever, my eyes needed to see those never ending waters. Oh, that lighthouse was clocked and I was like what?! Haikou didn't help, I was fine though! Really, Hai?

I could almost taste my coffee infused coconut milk treat, I sure located that beachfront eatery as that post-storm mess passed before the next shower. Ordering my coconut choice was a trifle challenging but even though it involved something different than what I was expecting, I wasn't mad. In the end I found myself sipping from a coffee infused coconut shell, the milk had been mixed with coffee but because of communication challenges I didn't ask any further questions. I minded my own business, sipping on my coffee coconut treat was the right thing to do, protecting my peace I actually didn't care about the weather. I was in spitting distance from the beach, I had no stresses and nothing really mattered because I was on a tropical Chinese island. Running for cover I did not have to do, like a pack of cards I had the queen in my possession, no meteorological mishap would or could faze me! Haikou's storm ensured that I almost had the front outside area to myself, I would leave when I was good and ready. Ooh, coffee and coconut! 

I was counting on that lighthouse earlier on that day, keeping it moving I kept walking along that beach with my eyes peeled for that new-build focal point. After my coconut treat was no more I walked out to catch a closer glimpse of that lighthouse but that dream didn't come true because I should be so lucky? I waited for the golden opportunity, I wanted to take a chance so I took a pew for a while in the round in front of the lighthouse. The weather threatened more rain with wind gusts like no other, I was not having none of it! For real, I had not travelled down to Hainan for it to 'Rain On Me' because Beijing had done that to me and more! Qué Pena! I took a small walk along the beach but honestly people were acting like a hurricane was on the horizon! In the end I took my photo of the lighthouse after a group of people had concluded living their best lives. Live-streaming they were not, I admired their unashamed display of self-expression. Telling me that it's obvious, my iPhone was acting the damn fool! Haikou, we ought to talk? Yes!

Respectively, my first day on Hainan Island had served 'Beside The Sea Realness' regardless of the weather. Realising the time, I thought about making my way back towards my guesthouse because I was hungry. I also had enough of the weather, I had not escaped the Typhoon in Ningbo to be greeted by another Beijing-like rainstorm. I called a taxi through my usual APP, the rain impacted the journey because the traffic was not ideal. From those wrong turns to the thunderstorms, I never knew that my view of the sea would be so unpredictable. Paranoid, I did not want that turbulent weather follow me anymore! The beach was blessed with a reminder of Fuzhou with a smattering of Gulangyu Island also. Haikou had been my first tropical island sight in China, from that up an down showcase, I kept am open-mind ahead of my Sanya departure. Sending those sunshine weather conditions up, I hoped for better! H, I needed to speed away to a place without rainy skies!

Rain On Me! 

Desperately Seeking Adventure