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Rediscovering the Measure of Time at 18°N Latitude

Awakened by Light

As a photographer, my internal clock is always set by light. In London, the light is often a heavy, moist grey-blue. In Sanya, it pours like liquid gold.

I awoke in a seaside guesthouse in Houhai Village—without an alarm, just the steady rhythm of waves against the rocks. Opening the window, I was met by a rush of warm air, carrying the scent of sea salt and coconut. In that moment, I realized: time here isn’t made to be chased, but to be spent freely.

From Surfboards to Fishing Nets

People often ask me why, having traveled to places like Hawaii and Bali, I’m still drawn back to Sanya. The answer lies in the narrow lanes of Houhai—in the way worlds overlap here.

At 10 a.m., I’m carrying a surfboard into the water, surrounded by digital nomads from around the globe, chasing an adrenaline rush on the waves. By 4 p.m., as the tide recedes, I’m walking deeper into the village with my camera, capturing an elderly woman from the Danjia community repairing fishing nets.

She smiles, hands me a freshly opened coconut, and speaks to me in a local dialect I can barely follow. In this village, the cutting-edge surf culture and centuries-old fishing traditions exist just a street apart. This kind of raw, unpolished authenticity—free of deliberate design—feels rarer than diamonds on today’s travel map.

A Symphony of Sour and Spice

For travelers, food is often the fastest way into a city’s soul. The flavors of Sanya go beyond the sweetness of fresh seafood—they carry a bold, tropical intensity.
At the night market in First Market, I tried Zaopo Vinegar for the first time. The sharp, electrifying sourness hit instantly, waking up a stomach dulled by tropical heat. I still remember that bowl of Qingbuliang: rich coconut milk wrapping around mung beans, red dates, and tapioca noodles, chilled to perfection.
Sitting on a plastic stool, watching tourists in floral island shirts and locals in flip-flops share the same simple joy, I felt that this—not white tablecloths—was a true “Michelin three-star” experience.

Deep Silence: Breathing in the Rainforest

In pursuit of a deeper calm, I drove inland to Qixianling in Baoting. As the scenery outside the car shifted from blue coastline to lush rainforest, the air softened with it.
Surrounded by towering trees, I put my camera down. I closed my eyes and listened to waterfalls roaring, to unfamiliar birds calling from the canopy. That afternoon, with no signal at all, I soaked in a natural hot spring, watching mist rise between the mountains.
In the city, we slice time into tasks. Here, time thickened and slowed, sweet and heavy as honey.

On my last day in Sanya, I visited Tianya Town to catch the sunset. Just as the ocean took on the deep shades of sunset, an airplane slid across the sky at the perfect moment.

I once knew Sanya only as a bustling vacation hotspot, but this time, it greeted me differently. Beyond the luxury resorts and duty-free shops, I found warmth, everyday authenticity, and a natural, gently healing energy.

They say the true value of travel lies not only in the places you visit, but in what you take back with you. From Sanya, I returned with a suitcase of duty-free goods—but more importantly, I brought back a long-missing courage to face life at a calmer pace. Sanya — till next time.