晴

寻亲迹 I

Just like what the title of this entry says.

I tagged along with my parents back to hainan island to visit our relatives.

I call it 寻亲迹 simply because this trip allows me to have a better understanding of my root.

寻找亲人的足迹.

The lives of my ancestors.

The place they were born, bred and eventually left so as to earn a better living.

Not just for themselves, but for their future generations.

And I am one of the lucky ones to benefit from their sacrifices.

Thankgod for them, I say.

田园生活

Is what majority of the people in hainan are experiencing.

Maybe not just hainan, but a big part of china I presume.

Somehow or rather, I love love love china's vege.

Crunchy, sweet, healthy and more importantly GREEN.

Much greener than what I've seen around.

No chances for constipation here ah!

And so, residents here just plant, plant, water, water, harvest and harvest.

All year round.

Quite a pretty landscape I find.

The greens and the blues with some buildings as decorations.

Now, Day 1's main objective.

Visit my mum's blood sister.

The middle building is her house, and the one sitting at the entrance is my ah-bo.

12years age difference, thousand miles apart, different culture, different upbringing,

but here, I saw the beauty of kinship.

But then again, it just reminds us to not take things for granted.

Countries developed and we moved on,

So did they.

From the village, dilapidated houses, concrete floorings,

To renovated houses, tiled walls, heated waters,

And to decent houses that we see above.

Change, always occurring.

Environment changes, so rapidly, some chose to stay on, some left and strive to adapt.

This is life.

Those that remained, continue to live on, hoping to safeguard all that they've left.

The shadows, just as nice, drew a line.

So distinct.

The old VS the new.

The concrete VS the tiled.

Chinese culture, so amazing.

Even the door handle, so full of meanings.

出入平安

Isn't that what you hope for the most every time your loved ones leave the house?

And look at the ceiling.

I suppose every decorations has got a meaning behind.

Like the red cloth, the lantern, they all must have meant something.

Again, the contrast that I can't not emphasize more.

一代传一代

Random run-down hut along the street.

And I just love to shoot them.

The mess, the greens, the blues, the whites.

This is what my cousin do for a living.

Rearing pigeons.

What Hainanese are known for.

Chickens.

Hainanese chicken rice is well-known throughout the globe.

It's not hearsay, it's a fact.

9 years ago, I went and I got so sick of the chicken that I stayed away from this dish for a month or so.

I can't take the sturdy; rubbery chicken meat.

It hurt my jaws then.

9 years later, I fell in love with the aromatic, fleshy and succulent chook.

And I miss it so much now.

Ohman, the sauce left me hankering for more, more and MORE.

Miam, miam, so dumb of me to not have discovered this a decade ago.

But better late than never, I love love love Hainanese chicken, authentic ones!

Ohhh, will post pictures of people and food for the next couple of entries.

What they use to move from one place to another.

The three-wheels vehicle that we took to move freely in the villages 9yrs ago.

Don't underestimate this truck!

They can travel to places which the four-wheels can't!

And tada, the most common mode of transport for the residents.

Cheap, movable, easy to park, and can fetch up to 4 passengers.

I'm serious, YES, 4 passengers, the most kua zhang load I've ever seen.

Alright, that's all for the first entry of my 寻亲迹.

There's a lot more to blog and share about my hainan trip.

More to come ah, if you're interested in hainan, or my trip, stay tuned!

If not, erm, go fly kite and come back few days later. :D

Cos I think it will take me a few entries to finish what I wanna say.

Hahahaha.

All in all, a fruitful trip I would say.