Island hopping

I skipped classes this week to join Ling Ling for a short vacation to the Wan Shan archipelago, just south of Hong Kong in the South-China Sea. We had visited one of the islands on a short camping trip two months ago, but this time we took another ferry from Zhuhai to Wan Shan Dao （万山岛）, a scenic boat ride of almost two hours, passing several of the archipelago's more than 100 islands.
Already at departure from Zhuhai, security was very strict, with everybody having to show ID cards while purchasing tickets, and again at boarding. As the only foreigner in the crowd, I was withdrawn from the queue to have my passport examined by the military. The previous time no such security checks where performed, and I wondered if there had been some incident recently that made the military exercise such caution. Upon arrival at Wan Shan Dao, I was again escorted to a military office to have my passport copied and asked where we were staying. We didn't know yet, but were told to inform them as soon as we had found a place to stay. It was only after I noticed the large military radar installation on top of the highest peak of the island, that I understood the reason for all this. Apparently, this island is not so much a tourist destination as it serves an important role in China's strategic defence network.

We had brought a tent to go camping, but unfortunately this island does not have a beach, or any other useful location for camping (lack of planning on our behalf), so we opted for a guesthouse instead. On the hillside opposite the harbour we noticed a long low building behind a line of old trees and a nice looking terrace overlooking the bay. We climbed up a steep road and a staircase leading to the place and found some local people playing cards and drinking beer. After inquiring for a room, the proprietor pointed upwards to a single apartment which was set on top of the building, using the remainder of the flat roof as a private terrace. The sprawling branches of the big old trees were hanging low over the roof, perfect for suspending my hammock, which I had brought along.
Our quarters had a separate bedroom and living room, overlooked by a faded portrait of Mao Zhe Dong high up on the wall. I tied my hammock to two branches from the same tree, six meters apart, and was immediately very happy that I had brought it. It was much too hot to go hiking or anything like that, so we just hung out in our hammock for most of the day, eating delicious yangmei （杨梅）fruit which I had brought from Xiamen, only interrupted by short walks to the sleepy fishing village for lunch and dinner.

The next morning we left the island to find a beach on one of the more developed islands in the archipelago, Dong Ao Dao （东澳岛）. Our ferry had made a brief stop here on the way down, and most of the passengers had disembarked there. Being more developed, it has its share of tourist shops and elevated prices for just about everything, but at least it has some beaches, so we headed for the biggest one named Nan Sha Wan (南沙湾） or South Sandy Bay. At both ends of this beach two large hotels are still under construction, and an older resort is nestled up on the rocks. Behind the beach is a nicely laid-out park with lots of trees and shade, and a terraced network of picnic spots. There were not many people around. Most of the people present were actually workers watering trees and sweeping fallen leaves, and a group of lifeguards sitting under a large parasol on the beach, with not much else to do besides playing cards.
The nearby service center was not yet completely finished, but already open for business, with a small shop, change rooms, toilets, and showers. We set up our tent at the edge of the beach, and I found a pair of properly spaced shady trees to suspend my hammock from. Not a bad spot, but we had to pay 100 RMB a night to camp here, which was a bit high compared to our 130 RMB suite at Wan Shan Dao the night before, or free camping on Wai Ling Ding Dao, but the friendly staff waived the 20 RMB per head shower fee, so it wasn't all that bad.

The sea is nice and clear here, far away from the mainland, so swimming was excellent. In the late afternoon more people showed up for a swim, most of them probably staying at other locations, since we were the only campers out there, and the resort didn't seem to be very busy.
We had to go to the town again the next day to get some food, and we took the opportunity to go for a short hike up the hill behind the village to a lookout with a nice view over the harbour and several other islands, including Wan Shan Dao.
The next day early in the morning we took another hike, this time to the so-called Honeymoon Pavilion on the hill next to our beach, reached by climbing a long stone staircase seemingly ending in the heavens. The three-tiered pagoda has a large bronze bell hanging from the roof on the top level, with a bas-relief of a couple making love in a kneeled position. Next to the bell, a heavy polished wooden beam is suspended horizontally for striking the bell, which results in a warmly resonating and vibrating sound. With nobody else around, a stimulating environment indeed!