A few days in Haikou - No Permanent Residence

      I had to return to Zhuhai for my second rabies shot. It's a long story, but I got anxious about the cat I adopted for a few days. I decided to get the rabies vaccine just to be safe, not realizing it was a series of five shots! It really stressed me out and made me overly paranoid about the situation. I didn't encounter the tabby cat again and couldn't figure out which one of the cats wandering around the school he was. I never saw such a friendly cat again; they all ran away from me. I started to worry that maybe he was gone because he had died of rabies. That idea was frightening, and I hoped the vaccine would be effective. I was also scared to learn that my hospital had a special clinic for rabies prevention. I couldn't help but wonder how many cases they had dealt with.

      After one night’s sleep, I went to the bus station, thinking I was in for a relatively short bus ride to Haikou. Baidu maps indicated I'd reach the city by 9 p.m., but in reality, I didn't arrive until 6 a.m. We spent quite a while waiting for the ferry around 2 or 3 a.m., and then there was another hour where the bus driver contemplated changing the back tire. He examined some spare tires at a really remote bus station and ultimately decided against it.

      By the time we arrived in town, local buses were operating, so I jumped on one to my hotel. The staff allowed me to check in early, and I collapsed into bed. The following morning, after a bit of a struggle, I got up and explored the old buildings downtown. They were quite similar to those in Chaozhou, and I even mixed up the photos when posting them in my blog, so I don't blame you if you do too. Thankfully, I'm here to help clarify that for you.

      After that, it was already afternoon, so I visited "Holiday Beach." I assumed it would be warm since it was scorching downtown, but to my surprise, it was windy and chilly, making my towel and bathing suit feel pointless. There was also a no-swimming rule (as expected). Nevertheless, I walked along the beach barefoot, watching the kite flyers. I spotted at least four large, unsightly dead fish that looked like they had come from the ocean floor, and one bloated rat that had lost its face to whatever scavenger had feasted on it. Additionally, I watched a young girl bury a small animal, which may have been a baby sea turtle (but wasn't), in the sand. I'm uncertain if the animal survived, but her father didn't say anything to her while she did it. How about a simple, "Hey kid, don't bury other animals alive you psychopath. Dig him up now!"? Nope, they just continued walking, seemingly forgetting about it. Meanwhile, that moment is etched in my mind.

      Just for posterity, in case she becomes famous one day:

      As the sun set, I caught a little bus back to my hotel for a mere 60 cents (a 10 km ride). The traffic was horrendous, yet I thought there wouldn't be such congestion if everyone utilized the fantastic public transit system available.

      The next day, I woke up early and headed to the Hainan provincial museum right when it opened. I was glad I did, as it became progressively busier as I explored the exhibits. I found it intriguing that there were numerous English references to the South China Sea and claims of China's sovereignty over it for millennia... Hmm, calm down, Mr. Xi; I think you can share the ocean with others. There were also several exhibits featuring the native people of Hainan, with little mention of the negative impacts of the Han civilization when they arrived from the mainland. Before the Han settled, it appeared they shared more in common with Polynesian cultures than anything resembling Chinese heritage. Hmm again. A native Hainanese individual with a giant bong!

      Afterward, I was quite exhausted, but I pushed on to the Temple of the Five Lords. It was fortunate that I did because I arrived just in time for a small concert in a leafy café. I listened to the screechy ancient instruments, closing my eyes and imagining myself worshipping the lords thousands of years ago. The "lords" in question are five exiled ministers and officials who ended up in Hainan. The temple was dedicated to them because, although exiled from the emperor's court and relegated to the "malaria-infested" island of Hainan, they all fell in love with their new home. Today, there are far more than five lords honored there, and I felt overwhelmed reading the stories of the significant figures who were sent there for disobeying authority.

      Just as I was about to head home and get some rest, I remembered I had to dine at a unique fish market

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