[Travel Notes] Xisha, if we don’t meet each other, how can we fall in love? (1)

Xisha, if we don’t meet each other, how can we fall in love? (1)

new morning

When I listened to the song "Xisha, My Lovely Hometown", I was still in elementary school. Because of this song, and because of the description of the beautiful Xisha in the textbook, I was full of curiosity and curiosity about her at that time. Love, but she is so far away. In the rippling blue waves and flying clouds of the South China Sea, there is a bright pearl with green trees and silver sand and romantic style. This is the beautiful Xisha...

In the selection of "China's Most Beautiful Places" organized by China National Geographic magazine in October 2005, after objective, fair and authoritative selection by more than 200 experts across the country, the Paracel Islands stood out among the more than 6,500 participating islands in China. , ranked No. 1.

The Xisha Islands, also known as Gemstone Island, are located on the edge of the continental shelf about 180 nautical miles southeast of Hainan Island. They were called the "Qizhou Ocean" in ancient times. Together with the Dongsha, Zhongsha and Nansha Islands, they constitute the southernmost territory of China. Because it has been inaccessible for a long time, it has a well-preserved marine ecosystem. For people who have lived inland for a long time, Xisha is simply the last secret place outside the sea and the sky!

On April 25, 2014, we finally had the opportunity. Several of our outdoor friends from Hengyang set off together to the long-awaited and dreamed-up Paracel Islands. My heart will go with love and I look forward to this kind of journey.

4Month 27, the first day of sailing

Happy "stowaway"

Departing from Lingshui County on the morning of April 27, we visited Boundary Island on the way. As we agreed to gather at the designated hotel at three o'clock in the afternoon, we left Boundary Island at twelve o'clock. We arrived at a seafood stall in Wanning City for lunch at around 1:00 p.m. Our friend "Dongdong" prepared a lot of fruits, mustard, boiled peanuts and other food on the boat for us.

We signed up online and chose the unofficial tour, hoping to see more and more exciting scenery. The price is all kinds of uncertainty: itinerary, number of people, departure time, location, price, and no contract. There seems to be no sense of guarantee. In the end, it was transferred to the boss of the ship. We turned around twice and still struggled to get to the destination, but our friend "Dongdong" came to our rescue.

Arriving at the hotel at 3pm, everything was mysterious and there was no receipt for the payment. The departure time and location are uncertain, and they are all unknown. There are temporary negotiations, and there are also people who decide to withdraw. After several twists and turns, I was told that we would board the ship at 6:30 in the evening, and my anxious heart finally calmed down. So, everyone went for a walk around the area without going too far, and had some dinner on the way.

There was a sudden phone call at six o'clock, urging everyone to gather and set off immediately. We set off half an hour early, rushed back to the hotel, packed our luggage, and piled into a minibus. Everyone was extremely excited and cheered. The sky outside the car window was getting dark. , arrived at the boarding pier around seven o'clock, and I didn't know where it was. I saw a small boat parked in the harbor from a distance, and a slightly larger fishing boat not far away. We all looked like "stowaways". We took advantage of the darkness, carried our luggage, boarded the small boats in batches, and ferried us to the large fishing boat 500 meters away.

The 32 travel friends from all over the world have arrived. They have built the same boat for a century. I hope that everyone will have a safe trip to Xisha.

The structure of the hull is divided into upper and lower layers. It is said that the load capacity is about 300 tons, which is considered a relatively light ship in the sea. The captain arranged for most of the beauties to go to the upper layer to accompany the captain. We didn’t know that the conditions below were a bit harsh. The seven of us were assigned to the first-floor cabin, along with other teammates from all over the country.

More than a dozen people crowded into a cabin of less than 20 square meters. Each person was given a bamboo mat and a small blanket. There was a small hole in the wall against which people could sleep. A couple got into the hole. Wen Wenwen left, but we all still slept on the bunks on the ship's deck. After packing our luggage, we rested on the spot.

The long-cherished trip to Xisha finally set sail. It was the first time I was on this kind of fishing boat, and I felt that life at sea was novel and interesting. Everyone was in high spirits before boarding the boat, but they all lay down after the boat sailed. It was said that they would get seasick, so everyone took the time to rest and recharge their batteries. I didn't feel any discomfort. I came to the deck alone. The vast sea was surrounded by darkness. It seemed to have calmed down. There were some stars on the sea in the distance with lights. The wind and waves on the sea outside the cabin were too strong. I was a little afraid of the cold, so I had to Go back to the cabin and rest. The deafening sound of the engine came from the side, followed by a heat wave with the smell of diesel. It turned out that the engine was placed near where we were sleeping, no more than 3 meters away. With such a loud noise, it seemed that it was difficult to have a good rest. .

The conditions on the fishing boat are very simple. You eat, drink, and poop on the boat. The smell of sweat, stink, and fish are all mixed together, making it difficult for people to adapt. The tonnage of the fishing boat is too light, and the sea voyage is very bumpy. The bodies shift, collide, and crowd each other from time to time. The roar of the fishing boat's engine is extremely loud in the middle of the night. The lights on the boat swing lazily, making it difficult to sleep. (weigh anchor, prepare to sail)
(cabin)

Seasick, seasick!

We felt like we were rocking in a cradle. "Brother Xiaoman" was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly woken up by someone. It turned out to be W, a female travel companion who had vomited so much that she climbed out of her berth and sat on the stern of the boat, asking him to help her find the leader. He bravely got up and climbed up the escalator to the second floor. At this time, the ship was moving at full speed, and the wind and waves were strong. The deck escalator was full of wind, waves and heavy rain, making it swaying and slippery. If you were not careful, you could easily flip into the sea. At this time, It happened that the boss of the boat came down, and W pulled the boss and strongly demanded that the boat go back. She said that she was dying and asked to go back to the shore no matter what. As a result, the leader was immediately stunned and he began to squat on the ground, hold his head and vomit. No matter how much the boat boss tried to persuade her, saying that seasickness was a normal reaction, W still collapsed and demanded. The boat boss also became excited and repeated the same sentence: Just lie down and it will be fine. "Brother Xiaoman" vomited again, and the "Lama" next to him finally couldn't hold it anymore and vomited a small mouthful. "Wu Wu" next to him also got up. He himself said that he was suppressing it, but when he saw the result I also vomited when I went to the small round hole in the toilet. In fact, it wasn't much of a big deal. W was helped back to the cabin by the ship's boss and lay down to rest. In the middle, I saw "Big Liu" sleeping soundly while holding a big bucket of vomit. It turned out to be W's vomit bucket. "Big Liu" was afraid of falling over on the bunk bed, but he could sleep soundly in front of a big bucket full of vomit? Seasickness is basically a chain reaction.

"Daiyu No. 1" who vomited the most on our boat later said that when she was lying on the edge of the boat at night and vomiting, if a storm hit her and she fell into the sea, she would stop struggling and simply die. .

"Qingqing" was also the one who vomited more seriously. Fortunately, "Brother Xiaoman" took care of her at the VIP level.

The boat is like a big fish swimming in this vast ocean. On the way, we passed two areas with relatively strong wind and waves. The entire hull not only swayed back and forth, but also swayed violently from side to side. Looking ahead, it seemed as if the bow of the boat had been submerged in the waves. The wind and rain were dimming, and the sky was spinning. I no longer had any fear of whether the boat would capsize. I can only leave it to fate.

My mood couldn't be calm for a long time, and I had nowhere to put it. It was like this fishing boat floating unsteadily in the sea, with thousands of thoughts, expectations and confusion.

In the middle of the night, I started to feel like the food in my stomach was churning, and I felt nauseous, but I couldn't vomit it out. I had to close my eyes and rest, hoping to get better tomorrow. Maybe I was dizzy so hard and so tired that I fell asleep in a daze.

April 28, the second day of sailing

Simple life on board

There were chatter and laughter in twos and threes on the deck outside. I was still a little dizzy from sleeping last night and seemed to be seasick. I felt a little uncomfortable when I got up, but I never vomited. After washing, I came to the deck to watch the sunrise on the sea.

At this time, it was not bright yet, and the surroundings were very quiet. There was only the sound of machines on the boat. At exactly 6 o'clock, the sky was light blue. In a blink of an eye, a red glow appeared on the horizon. The sun was about to rise from the horizon. I stared straight ahead. After a while, a small half of the sun's face appeared in that place, slowly trying to rise. At last, it finally broke through the clouds and jumped out. There were dark clouds around, the clouds were very thick, and the sun walked into the clouds again. The light radiated in the black clouds, passing through the siege of the black clouds, setting a luminous golden edge on the black clouds. Later, the sun slowly broke out of the siege and appeared in the sky, even dyeing the black clouds purple or red. . Unfortunately, the clouds are too thick and today’s sunrise is not very clear.

It was already dawn, breakfast was cooked, but many people didn't get up to eat. They really didn't have the energy to move, maybe because they were seasick, so they didn't want to move.
After breakfast, I sat on the deck to rest. My seasickness symptoms didn’t seem that severe today, and I was secretly happy. I heard that it would take around seven o'clock in the evening to reach the campsite, and we would have to drift on the sea for a whole day. I began to slowly get used to life at sea.

After walking around the ship, I discovered that there are two extra large water tanks under the bow deck, which can supply more than 30 of us with fresh water for a week. There are also dozens of boxes of small bottles of pure water piled on the right side of the cabin door after exiting the ship. Water consumption is basically no problem. There is also an icehouse in the middle for storing food. It may be used to store fish when fishing.

Coming to the upper level of the ship, there is the captain's operating console in front, and a rest room behind. The rest room is full of spring scenery, and all the beautiful women are lying down. No wonder the captain shouted when he got on the ship, let as many women as possible stay on the upper deck, which reflects the captain's love for the ship. A woman's care! There is also selfishness. Of course, the upper level is much quieter and cleaner, but the shaking is much worse than the lower level.
The captain's surname is Wang. He is experienced, witty and humorous. He loves singing. When he is happy, he picks up the walkie-talkie and sings Hainan songs at the top of his voice. Navigating the sea depends on the helmsman. Our fate for the past six days depends on him. In the captain's control room, looking at the many instruments and meters on it, I felt that they were all driving automatically. The captain didn't have to move his hands, just looked at it. I asked the captain if there was a satellite phone on the ship, and the answer was no. I was shocked. If he encountered In case of emergency or pirates, it is impossible to call for help. I am a little worried, because less than half an hour after boarding the ship yesterday, all mobile phones have no signal. I can only silently pray to God for blessings and that we will be safe in the next few days!

The sun in the morning was not very hot. Standing on the side of the upper ship, white clouds floated in the blue sky. The golden sunshine made sparkling waves in the sea water, just like handfuls of gold scattered by the fairy in the sky.

Flocks of seagulls circled and danced on the water, their silver wings flapping. Sometimes it flies high, sometimes it skims the water, and suddenly it sprints towards the sea, and then it suddenly flies up again. Seagulls are on the sea, and their prey is palm-long flying fish that are shot out from the sea from time to time. Suddenly a seagull flew on the water, as if to peck at something, then there was a sound on the water, water splashed, and a group of small fish flew to various places with the water.

The water is so blue and so clear, like the brightest glass. Not far away, there is a big fish jumping up. All the big fish and small fish swim around like birds in the sky. Looking from a distance, in the distance of the sea, the light blue sky and the dark blue water merge together, making it impossible to tell which is the sky and which is the sea.

For lunch, the captain’s wife cooked a lot of dishes, which were relatively bland and not to our taste. Most people were seasick and had bad appetites, so the food was not very fragrant.

The sun at noon is a bit fierce, there is no cell phone signal, and there is no Internet. It is also boring and a bit boring, so I can only lie down and rest.

In the afternoon, everyone drank tea, chatted, drank beer together on the boat, talked about the past and present, some fished, and some were in a daze facing the endless sea. It was so comfortable, and it was a simple life like a fairy.

From a distance, I saw that the sea fruit actually showed two colors. The one in the distance was green , but the one nearby was blue . It seems that the boundaries are also very clear! It is estimated that we are not far from our first destination, Panshiyu Island. At this moment, the ship has been swaying on the sea for a day, bumpy for nearly 24 hours, and has sailed more than 700 nautical miles from Wanning Port. The gentle sea breeze, blue sky, blue water, and free-flying seagulls accompanied us along the way, and all the hard work disappeared. Of course, seasickness also confused us, and the journey was not easy.

There are boats going around far and near. It was getting late, the sea had receded, and the water level was too low for the boat to get close to the sandbank. All we could do was look at the white sandy beach in the distance and sigh, looking forward to tomorrow. (clear blue water)
(the captain's brother-in-law)
(a small boat in the vast ocean)
(a wave seems to be able to turn the boat in)

(Anchor, prepare to stop sailing)

The dinner was quite sumptuous. Because of seasickness, everyone had a bad appetite and didn’t eat much at noon. We were really hungry, but everyone still enjoyed the dinner.

The big boat we were on had been abandoned. After dinner, everyone rested on the deck and took photos. The sea was calm at the moment.

(pointing to the ocean)

sea ​​fishing

After dinner, everyone talked and laughed on the deck. Someone started to work fishing, and suddenly someone shouted: "Flying fish, flying fish".

The captain turned on several large fishing lights, illuminating the sea tens of meters on both sides. In the distance, groups of flying fish were swimming towards our boat. The fish suddenly surrounded the fishing boat. Fish were flying on the sea surface, including a cuttlefish. Chasing a school of small fish. The small fish in the water gathered together densely. Regardless of whether the fish is big or small, they will dare to swim under your nose. You can reach out and wave your hand in front of the fish a few times, but still act as if nothing has happened and go its own way. It even dares to swim through your fingers. It will not turn unless you touch its nose with your finger. Fish of various beautiful colors, red fish, blue fish, black fish, yellow, green ... large and small, form an unparalleled underwater beauty. The water is very clear. If you use a sea rod to hammer the fish next to the boat, the bait on the hook can be seen in the water. After throwing two pieces of meat down, many small fish immediately came around to eat. These fish were really small. Suddenly there were several bubbles on the water. A big fish ran over and turned over and swallowed the piece of meat. However, the bait was still floating on the water and no fish came to eat it. Some use hand lines, and there are even more innovative methods of "fishing from the sea". Two teammates use nets to look for big flying fish. As long as they find the target, take the nets and fish, one by one, they will catch something. Some teammates also caught some unknown long-billed small fish. There were already several flying fish lying in the small bucket next to it. The friends were extremely happy and tried one after another without success. If you don’t fish, you can simply pick up the flying fish and pose for photos with the flying fish.
After a while, the flying fish sashimi dinner started again.

While everyone was resting in the cabin, they walked outside the cabin. One person came to the bow and sat on the bow of the deck, looking up at the sky. Countless half-bright stars hang in the dark blue sky. The fishing boats are shaking, as if the stars are also moving. They are so low, as if they are very close to me. The night at sea is gentle, quiet and dreamy. As a passerby on the sea, it is a blessing to be friends with the evening breeze and stars. This feeling cannot be described in words. My missing heart is like the stars in the sky, twinkling and falling one after another. I am very confused. I don’t know which star can represent my heart. I hope it is the brightest one, which can make you look up when you look up. You can see it at first glance. I seemed to hear the stars talking. At this time, I forgot everything, smiled in the arms of the stars, and fell asleep, like a child, sleeping in the arms of my mother. Missing is like this star, far away in the sky but close at hand. It's cool on the sea late at night.

(To be continued, the next chapter will be more exciting)