Small paradise in a jungle

One day in November we decided to climb up to the stony top of the Seven Fairies Mountain. According to a fairy-tale, once upon a time seven fairies landed on the top of the mountain. It was a foggy day up there, just like it often is today. The mountain is situated south of the Five Finger Mountain massif, the highest top in Hainan, 1867 meters.

We took a local bus from Sanya up to the town of Baoting, from the lowland to the highland, from the eastern highway to small winding roads. We passed green woods and some rice fields in connection with some rivers coming from higher levels. It is a very beautiful way to travel, like many others up to the High-Hainan. Baoting welcomed us with a very fine and artistic portal over the entrance street.

A future project

After some kilometres with a motorcycle taxi, we arrived to the starting point for our climb to Seven Fairies Mountain. In the surroundings there are spa hotels situated near hot springs. A majore future project is planned for this area, comprising 22 square kilometers and devided into three areas: a preservation area, a green buffer area and a development area.

The following quotations are from the Investment Promotion Office of the Hainan Province (copyright 2003):

"The preservation area is focused on the preservation of the natural ecological environment with only a few tourist projects, such as arrangement of a mountain-climbing service area and an ecological road for walking...

"The development area is located in the area surrounding the hot spring lake and the Yuanyang River, it is the core part of this ecological tourist area, including a vacation area, the Li and Miau culture villages and a commercial centre..."

Visiting a small Li-village

A small Li-village is situated in the shadow of Palm trees, so tight grown up that they almost hid the houses. Some women are working with very old traditional handicraft. There are pigs, chicken and hen around the houses.

 
Some hundred metres away, we can see the rice fields. Men and women are collecting the harvest. Water buffalos are drawing old-styled carts or are being used as riding animals. The landscape around the village has a great biological diversity, a condition for the life of the village.

We are walking further. A small electric train is passing us.The few passengers will stop at a path leading directly up to the mountain. After a couple of hours. they will reach the top of Seven Fairies Mountain with a fantastic viewof the other mountains, forests and valleys.

A glade in the jungle

Aila has discovered a small paradise not far from the road. A very small path leads to an idyllic glade in the jungle. A small river dance down a rock, pass a pool and then continue over a stony flat on the way to the rice fields some kilometres downhill.

We are sitting down, Aila, Solveig and I, Bertil. The time has stopped in a wonderful peace. Bath in lukewarm water. The music of the streaming water. Butterflies landing on our hands. Birds singing in the green nearby jungle. The smell of for us exotic flowers. A fully ripe papaya to eat. This is "the top" for us.

Bertil Peterson