Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu Island is the draw card of Xiamen.
A multicoloured, cobblestoned Island of European archicecture, gardens and small wind swept beaches. The only taffic on Gulangyu are well trodden feet and electric golf carts, that whiz past silently, full of resort seeking tourists. Tranquil music, from hidden speakers and tea houses waft bohemian rythms, to which Gulangyu abides.

This is what my guide book promised me. A little piece of paradise, sanity and calm, in a not so sane, or calm China. Somewhere I could rest my teathered nerves and exhusted body.
Paradise awaits me.

All I had to do was find the bloody bus that got me to paradise! Decide which stop it was that I had to get off at, to catch the boat to my mecca. All in a sweltering bloody heat, that made the task stressful, as well as uncomfortable! After some time, I worked out which side of the road I had to get the bus and on a stroke of luck, got off at the right stop. See, it's not so much that I couldn't find someone to help me get there... I couldn't bloody pronounce the name of the place. I am a phanetic speller ( as you are all aware of , with my really bad spelling) and Chinese pronuciation is no where near Phanetical!
After a death defying road crossing, over something like a 4 lane freeway on either side, I found a ticket office. I stupidly believed the lady's response, of "yes", to, "Is this the passenger termianl direct to Gulangyu?".
I purchased the required ticket and jumped on board for my 5 minute trip across the way.
Ahhh, something seemed odd when the boat men were passing out bionoculars to all the Chinese passengers. Nothing these days in China would surprise me though and I didnt really take too much notice. It was only when we set off and the Chinese commantary came on (All English was fast forwarded) and we seemed to be bypassing the terminal on the otherside. I found a tour guide that spoke relatively good English, who explained to me that I was on a-round-the-Island tour and not until that had finished, was I going to arrive to my intended destination...half an hour later.
Normally, this would be fine and some what amusing, but since I was already in a less than ethusiastic "China" mood. Listening to deafening Chinese comantary, with a bunch of over excieted office workers, on a day out from the office, bloody well infuriated my already shattered tolerance levels. I was bloody furious.
With no other choice, I sat on the boat with my ear drums being pierced by high pitched loud commantary, absolutly furious. I almost pushed a few happy office workers overboard in my attempt to get off the boat. When I did get off, I was greeted by a lovely little Island that resembled a little resort. With the added bonous of Hutongs and great back alleyways. Only the mobs of Chinese tourists zipping past, at a great rate, on golf carts destroyed the tranquility of the Island.
First and formost I wanted to find the beach for a swim. Water is my calming element and by this stage, I was ready to put a 50 kg weight around my ankles, dive head first in to the ocean and never surface again! I changed in to my swimmers, beat off the lady trying to charge me for using the change room and strated to head for the beach. This is where i came across my 2 meter friend sunning himself on the step where I was just about to put my bare foot. In a very ungraceful move, I did a kind of Micheal Flatterly highland fling manouver, went up a few meters in the air and landed, splat, on the concrete a few steps away from my still sun baking mate. This graceful and embarrasing move grabbed the attention of the locals, who all decided to come over a see what made me preform such grace and give them a reason to laugh, hysterically, at the Westerner! Only then did my snake mate move himself from the path. Apparently the sight of the snake slithering in to the bushes bought some great amount of joy to the locals. Bring this to my attention by slapping me enthusiastically on the back.
Luckily one onlooker spoke English well enough to tell me that spotting a big snake, to the Chinese, means wealth. I am to come in to some big money and good fortune some time in the near future. Hearing this did help to calm the remaining embarasment burning away on my face. HUH! Laugh at that my friends! I'm gunna be rich!
I continued on my way to the beach to take a swim but the feeling of 50 Asian eyes boring into my back and the less than clean water put an end to that idea.
Bugger!
I was really looking forward to floating face down in a large body of water. My ears filled with only the sound of the water rushing past me. Instead I found refuge in a desolate beach, covered in rocks and shaded by big beautiful trees. This was going to be where I was going to waste away the rest of my day. Then along came a beautiful little girl who was as besotted with me as I was with her. This was a great opportunity for some photo's. Considering the Chinese hate you taking photos of them and love to take sneaky shots of you! This little one was certainly not camera shy.
After many happy snaps from both sides, the little girl and her parents, left me there and I was agian absent mindedly wasting away the afternoon....Until I was washed away by a big wave out of no where.
Man O man....
Not even perching myself on a big rock saved me from the huge waves, that semmd to be coming out of no where.
This is where my day at Gulangyu ended. It was calmer, safer and far dryer, in the refuge of my bunk at the guesthouse.