When we got there, the waves had begun to pick up, so we decided to ask around to see if there was a place to rent a surfboard. One of the workers gave us an address she said was four kilometers away, so we hopped in the taxi and went off to find this mythical surf shop. We soon discovered that the exit was 14, not four, kilometers away. When we got to the exit, we found it to be under construction. Our driver managed to evade the cement trucks and construction workers, eventually navigating his way off the highway, only to find that there was no surf shop in sight.

Slightly disappointed, we returned to the beach at Shimei Bay to enjoy the rest of our day of tropical solitude. It being our last day, we had lunch at one of the pricey seaside restaurants. Luckily, we had befriended a local who knew the manager and had the price knocked down a bit. We ended the day with one last dip in the ocean, taking in the beauty of the area. At around 2:30 we returned to the taxi to head to the airport. There may not have been any surfing, but there were plenty of good times to be found on Hainan.

(China.org.cn July 25, 2008)