We spent our first vacation in Sanya, Hainan. A short 3 hour flight from Shanghai (all things are now relative to a 14 hour flight), Hainan Island is the southern most province of China and known as the “Hawaii of China.” We were spoiled at a resort in Yalong Bay over-looking the South China Sea. It was absolutely beautiful and exactly what we needed : no schedule, a little bit of adventure, and a lot of downtime together as a family.
The Island had a lot of new wildlife…including BIG snails!
We decided this must be the delivery method for China’s postal service, since it’s been taking nearly two MONTHS for us to receive mail from America:
We spent an afternoon visiting Nanwan Island. Also known as Monkey Island, it is a state-protected nature reserve for nearly 2,000 Macaque monkeys:
In order to cross over to Monkey Island, we had to take an over-water cable car ride.
Along with monkeys, the island also had parrots. Luke, aka “super-batman,” was not quite sure whether to be scared or thrilled at this moment.
For a little touch of home, we also spent an afternoon cooking with Tuscan-Chef Felipo. The kids learned how to make a kid’s “mocktail,” pizza, and tiramisu:
Tiramisu!
Countless hours were spent at the beach and pool. We caught sand crabs, Jack learned to ride a segway, Kate searched for seashells, and Luke was our “poolside server:”
And of course, when you’re at a beach in China…
…you try digging a hole to America!
ourshanghaidays 
What a beautiful experience! It looks like you had a wonderful vacation. Looking forward to seeing your next updates. Miss you all! Janet