GuLangYu Island is a small Island of the coast of Xiamen. It's completely packed with beautiful old colonial buildings and interesting small alleyways. As a result, it is always busy with tourists during the day but the last ferry back to the mainland leaves at 6pm, so after then, it's all people staying on the island like I was.
Unfortunately the hotel I had booked looked nothing like the pictures and so I had a bit of a miserable time. My room was off the main road, up 2 flights of stairs, past a filthy pool and a broken down garden, into another building, along a corridor, down two flights or stairs, through a restaurant kitchen and then down a final corridor. From the front desk it was a pretty hefty walk so when the door card stopped working, every time and I had to go back to the front desk it was a pain. One time it took three goes before I got angry and made her send someone with me. Just unlucky and some bad advertising. I suspect photoshop had been heavily employed in the pictures.
Anyway, it was fantastic getting the island with far fewer people in the evenings. By far my favourite time of the trip. Everyone left and the shops and restaurants stayed open for us. Nothing late but still nice, chilled, quiet and the staff in these places were more relaxed and welcoming.
The only thing really to do is to wander about the island and get lost in the streets. You can't really go that far wrong, it is a small island after all. There is a small coastal path that circles the island with most of the hotels and restaurants being towards the middle.
On one of the days I went to the small aquarium by the ferry port. It was small and very poorly funded which lead to some hilarious exhibits. My absolute favourite was the piranha tank, in which there were 5 dead, stuffed fish hanging on fishing wire. Given how rubbish it is, it's hideously overpriced and the animals did not all look particularly well looked after. A Japanese Giant Salamander in a tank the same size as him was a bit of a tough one to see.
After wandering my fill and trying all of the local foods, I checked out of the most disappointing hotel and got the ferry back to the mainland. Big trip tomorrow to the TuLou Earth Buildings. Another one of my bucket list items.
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