The beautiful tropical island of Hainan is very attractive for residents of post-Soviet countries, especially Russians. And it is not surprising - luxurious sandy beaches, an amazingly beautiful azure sea (like on postcards, I can't even believe what it really is!), Palm trees with coconuts (you can buy fresh and enjoy its juice right there, without leaving the ticket office) and, in in the end, it is exotic. In Hainan, we often meet former compatriots, including those with children, who do not know what and where to look for. And no wonder - the Chinese practically do not speak English or Russian (with rare exceptions), and if local inscriptions have a Russian translation, then they are often misleading or have no meaning at all. In general, it is not always easy. Let's figure out how to rest comfortably in Hainan and where to rush in case of an unforeseen situation.
When is the season in Hainan?
The traditional holiday months May-September on Hainan Island are considered unlucky for a trip. No one will like the tropical climate at this time - rains and unbearably humid air, even when there is no rain, spoil the whole impression of the rest. And clothes (which children get dirty at the speed of light) do not dry at all. It's very hard to breathe, and it's very hot here. Add to this the periodic typhoons (read flight cancellations and non-beach weather).
The optimal season is October - end of April. In December and until the end of January, the water temperature for children is still not very favorable, although it all depends on the year - sometimes one winter is colder / warmer than another.
Where to stay?
Our choice is Yalong Bay, which is proudly called a National Resort, it is here that you will have beautiful and clean beaches not oversaturated with Chinese tourists. There are exceptions, though. Here, as in the Egyptian resorts, there is the concept of the first and second line. If you decide to spend a vacation with children in Hainan, namely in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Sanya, choose a hotel that has direct access to the sea and its own beach (technically, it will not be private anyway, due to the lack of private property in the PRC, but it will fenced and clean). Plus, you will not need to study the schedule of the bus taking you to the sea from the "second line" and plan trips to the beach according to transport. It's never comfortable with children.
Taxi, by the standards of many countries, has low fares, but it is not always possible to catch it as quickly as possible.
We tried to rest on the first and second lines. Of course, in all respects, the first one wins. Huge savings in time and effort. And that costs extra money. If the hotel does not have a conditionally private beach, this means that you will have to wander in search of a not too "crowded" place. On a public beach, there is usually nowhere for an apple to fall, and young children rarely enjoy it.
The comfort of your holiday with a child will also depend on the availability of a children's corner, especially for children aged 1 year and older. Usually they are equipped with a couple of slides in the room, lots of interesting toys and even video games for older children. It's good if there is also a children's pool. Many kids remember this when they are relaxing at the sea - a room full of toys and other children and a children's pool. Believe me, if you have a child aged from one to 5 years, this room will save you in the hot part of the day, when the baby will rush to the street, wanting to have a good time. We loved the kids room at the Marriott. It is worth noting that they have the largest walking area among hotels of the same class, which is also nice.
What about food?
The issue of nutrition for children is quite acute. First, the vast majority of establishments serve Chinese cuisine. Which, by the way, are very spicy (there is not a word about this in the menu often and thickly). There are also establishments close to European cuisine. Among them are KFC, Pizza Hut in Yalong Wan Square. There is also a Russian restaurant Petersburg, where you can taste dishes close to Russian cuisine (one of the waitresses, originally from the city of Harbin, speaks Russian quite well). At KFC, which specializes in fried chicken dishes, for lack of better options, you can find more or less suitable food for children aged 1 and a half years: nuggets (peel off the crust and leave a lean chicken fillet), soft corn on a stick, soup with vegetables and egg, mashed potatoes. At Pizza Hut, due to the high content of oil and Chinese spices, little is suitable for children of this age. You can eat exclusively on the territory of the hotel, if the food is to your taste and wallet.
Since we are familiar with the situation in restaurants, hotels and shops, we carry a multicooker with us and prepare baby food ourselves. Rice for porridge can be found in any local supermarket, and French-made milk for dairy dishes can also be found there. If your child loves soft and tender pasta and noodles, then they can be bought at a supermarket in Sanya (read in the Stores section).
Local produce worth trying - fresh coconut juice (straight from the coconut), local mango, coconut powder and thin strips of coconut pulp (dried) can be brought as a tasty souvenir.
The shops
The supermarkets here are purely Chinese. Inscriptions in English are rare, almost all products, even in Sanya, are purely Chinese. There are several supermarkets in Yalong Wan: La Floret, Crown Plaza (located at the Huayu Resort and Spa) and another, newer and less famous, not far from KFC.
Decided to save money? Go to Sanya supermarket and do global grocery shopping. One of the cheapest supermarkets is Wanghao Wanghao, the Chinese name 三亚 旺 豪 超市 (save for the taxi driver, it will cost about 60-80 yuan to drive from Yalong Wan depending on your hotel location and traffic conditions). In Wanghao there are vegetables (there are no vegetables for sale on Yalong Wan), fruits, pasta (a huge selection, but all Chinese), milk in large packages, yoghurts, meat (the freshness of this product did not inspire confidence in us, so we passed by), cereals ( rice, corn, millet, wheat), diapers of all sizes (again on Yalong Van there are only diapers for very little ones (up to 9 kg), household utensils, beach toys (you can also buy in Yalong Van, the price difference is insignificant), etc. , next door, there is a store of the Watsons chain, where you can buy cosmetics and household chemicals, souvenir-pearl street, where you can buy jewelry and all kinds of tourist trinkets.
Hospitals
Be brave, there are no hospitals in Sanya that speak at least more or less understandable English. With Russian, as you may have guessed, it is completely bad. You will have to express yourself either in Chinese (download the Google translate app or any dictionary that will translate without access to the network), or go home. In addition, almost all hospitals in this city (and there are not so many of them) are distinguished by a large population and a Chinese approach to treatment. Namely, droppers to everyone! So do not be alarmed if you see crowds of people sitting in the hallway or on the street with a needle in their forehead (for children) and in their hand (for adults) and a sachet of solution for intravenous infusion ...
There is no point in calling the hospital unless you speak Chinese.
We really hope that you will not need this information, but nevertheless, you should save the addresses of the hospitals.
Hospitals in Sanya:
- one of the largest is The People's Hospital of Sanya (三亚 市 人民 医院), 32 Jiefangsan Lu, Sanya City (in Chinese 三亚 市 解放 三 路 32 号). There is a department open 24 hours a day. Service prices low, long queues, everyone speaks exclusively Chinese.At the entrance (first floor), fill out the form (name, surname, date of birth, phone number), pay the registration fee, get a card and start the quest to find the right doctor and additional cash registers, in who will pay premiums for drugs or doctor's services.
- Hainan Nongken Hospital of Sanya 海南 农垦 三亚 医院, Jiefangsi Lu, Sanya City (三亚 市 解放 四路)
- The PLA 425 Hospital 三亚 市 解放军 425 医院, Youyi Lu, Sanya City, Hainan Province (三亚 市 友谊 路).
What to take with you?
Of course, you should have a good supply of sunscreen for the whole family. In Hainan, the prices for this cosmetic product are sometimes simply cosmic. It makes sense to take them from home. A standard baby first aid kit and sanitizers, of course (hand sanitizers can be purchased at Watsons, about RMB 7 apiece). Anti-mosquito remedies should also be on hand.
I also take a set of shampoos and skincare products, since local products are formulated for Asian hair and skin, which is not suitable for everyone.
Do I need special vaccinations?
Since our family currently lives in the Asian region, vaccination against Japanese encephalitis, which is transmitted by the common mosquito, is mandatory. If you decide to vacation in Hainan with children from April to September, check with your pediatrician if they have this vaccine. During the rest of the year, this vaccine is not relevant. Adults are not vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis.
To China with children. How to keep them busy. Good vacation with childAny caring mother is wary of spending time abroad with her child. After all, even a child's home constantly has to be protected from something, and abroad the dangers are ten times greater. And besides, will your child be interested in a foreign country? And if you think about how a child will endure a flight on an airplane, you can go crazy!
Remember the main rules when going on vacation with a small child: do not leave him alone and try to maintain the usual daily routine as much as possible.
When choosing a resort for a vacation with a child, the determining factor should be the distance and travel time. Therefore, Russians living in the central and European part of Russia prefer rest in Europe. But the residents Of the Far East going on vacation with children to China! For example, the resort town of Beidaihe is only 2 hours away by plane and plus half an hour by bus. This resort area is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea, a 4-hour drive from Beijing. The climate is temperate continental. Sandy beaches, many amusement parks, one of the best safari parks throughout Asia. In addition, it is in this place that the Great Wall of China originates.
The long-awaited sea will not please with the transparency of azure waters. It is rather cloudy gray, due to the fact that fine sand constantly rises from the bottom and muddies the water. But the sea is very warm, which is perfect for swimming with children. It is also quite calm. During a two-week vacation, you may not even see waves.
The first question that arises for families who came to China with children is how to feed the children? Chinese cuisine is very specific, with a lot of hot spices, raw foods and exotic ingredients. Children's stomachs would hardly be able to digest it. Therefore, Chinese chefs in restaurants have adapted the traditional menu to include children's cuisine. For example, Peking duck, boiled chicken, etc. Well, in supermarkets you can buy milk, and natural yoghurts, and cookies.
Hotels in China are different. For example, in the above-described Baidaihe, all hotels are three-star. There is plenty of free walking space on the territory of the hotels, playgrounds for children, green plants and plantings of flowers. Of the tree crops, pines are widespread, which exude a wonderful forest scent!
How to organize leisure time for a child in China?
Let's say right away that China has a rather interesting system of paying for excursions for children. At the entrance to the amusement parks there is a height gauge: if your child is over 140 cm - the cost of an adult ticket, from 120 to 140 cm - half the cost, below 120 cm - free. It will be interesting for very young children to visit the botanical garden, safari park, lantern park and olympic Parkand also go to hot springs.
If we talk about where it is better to go with children, what Chinese sights to visit, the following should be said. China is a huge country, traveling with a child, you can create a whole program. It will be especially interesting in China for older children. The great history of this country "will leave the pages of history textbooks" and will come true! An educational vacation in China with a child contributes to the development of creative inclinations, harmony and a sense of beauty.
Do not get carried away with the study of cultural monuments, the child just needs to run, jump and swim! And in China, many water parks, dolphinariums and other entertainment places have been built.
One of the most memorable parks is Beijing Disneyland. The entrance is quite inexpensive. The rides here are really amazing! Adrenaline is provided not only for children, but also for adults. We recommend buying a small park guide before entering the park. Believe me, the most vivid impressions of the trip for a child will remain from Disneyland!
As soon as it gets dark (7-8 hours), you can go with your child to the Lantern Park. This is a park with magical lakes!
In general, children will not be bored on vacation in China!
Is it your first time traveling abroad with your child? Why not choose China, which will definitely be of interest to children of all ages. Both adults and kids will be happy warm sea, exciting excursions, national cuisine and great shopping.
By the way, for adults, China provides huge opportunities to earn extra money for the family budget, for example, fashionable dropshipping. What is dropshipping? You will be able to profitably buy Chinese goods and resell them - it's easy and you don't have to put in a lot of effort. So think on vacation and about the opportunity to profitably replenish the family piggy bank.
Sea in china
The sea in China has a gray-yellowish tint. It is hard to collect seashells here as a souvenir of the trip, but children enthusiastically build castles from the finest sand on the shore.In addition, the Yellow Sea is very warm, and even the smallest can be bathed in it, and this is its main advantage. On the beaches, hardworking Chinese sell various souvenirs for mere pennies, and you and your children can buy something to remember the Yellow Sea. The sea is very calm, gentle, and only sometimes there are small waves on it. Adults will not be bored either - there are various water activities and attractions for them.
How to feed the children?
The Chinese national cuisine is specific, and therefore many mothers are worried about how they will feed their children. But the cunning Chinese have long adapted to the abundance of Russian tourists with small children. Therefore, mothers do not have to worry about food for their child.You can easily order dishes from boiled chicken, duck, rice in almost every restaurant. In many cities in the country there are Russian restaurants, in which, of course, the dishes are slightly different from what we are used to, but, nevertheless, they are quite suitable for baby food during your trip to the Middle Kingdom.
Tours
there is interesting feature in China - children up to 120 cm in height go on a tour for free. Children from 120 to 140 cm in height pay half the price for the tour. Well, children taller than 140 cm must buy an adult ticket. Therefore, it is even beneficial to go on excursions with kids.There is something to see in China - there are wonderful zoos, various attractions, and botanical gardens. And what about the most beautiful Chinese architecture, historical monuments, monasteries! It will be interesting for everyone in China - both adults and children.
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Even within the same country, it is difficult to find parents who feed their children exactly the same. However, some trends can still be traced. Have a great influence on the diet of children climatic conditions and the cultural traditions of each country.
Asia: seaweed porridge
IN India, Japan, Southeast Asia wheat is hard to find, but it grows well there rice... Therefore, at 4-6 months, the child is introduced to rice porridge, to which new ingredients are gradually added. In India, these are mainly seasonings - cumin, cinnamon, in Japan - seaweed, dried fish and vegetables.
Also, Japanese children try traditional miso soup almost from birth. Older children are given natto (fermented soybeans), vegetables fried in soy sauce, fish and seafood, lotus dishes, burdock root, carrots. But sushi from raw fish is not included in the diet for children under a certain age.
IN China, Vietnam, Thailand and neighboring countries also the basis of the children's diet is rice, as well as local pumpkin varieties, green beans, bamboo shoots, seaweed, fish, shrimps, coconut milkwhich is added to. Meat - chicken and pork.
It may seem that our diet is much more varied, because in addition to rice, we have buckwheat, barley, millet, oatmeal. But in Asian countries there is such a variety of all kinds of rice and its combinations with other products that you cannot definitely call a boring children's menu.
Africa and the Middle East: Breast Milk with Papaya
In African countries, vitamin A-rich food is used as the first food sweet potatoes, cornmeal porridge, a little later - pumpkin. During weaning, milk is mixed with papaya. They say that children like the taste of this fruit, and they are more willing to refuse in favor of it.
IN Israel many mothers from breast milk transfer the baby immediately to solid food, bypassing the period of mashed potatoes and smoothies. And there they are very tolerant of little ones: it is considered unacceptable to force a child to eat by cunning, or even worse - by force.
USA and Canada: sweet potatoes and sandwiches
It is difficult to talk about the dietary habits in all states, after all, they are very different, but the preferences towards what we call fast food (sandwiches, burgers, nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, pancakes, cereals) are very noticeable. Of course, we are already talking about children over 3-4 years old.
Babies, like ours, are given, in addition to breast milk, cereals (barley, oats, rice), which are specially enriched with iron and other necessary microelements. Vegetables popular with American children - pumpkin, sweet potato (sweet potatoes), carrots and green peas. But there are practically no children's dairy products (kefir, cottage cheese, baby yoghurts) in the USA.
Once a friend from the USA came to visit me. She was in Russia for the first time and was very surprised at how I eat. She flatly refused to taste the morning oatmeal, scrambled eggs and vegetable salad and generously spread a piece of loaf with chocolate paste. Then I asked what her children were eating. “Usually cereals with milk (this is good), sandwiches, pasta, pizza, hot dogs. They are obliged to eat vegetables once a week, although it can be difficult to get them. " Of course, the experience of one mother is not indicative: in the United States, like nowhere else, the movement for healthy eating is strong, but the idea of \u200b\u200bhealthy eating, as we can see, is different for everyone.
In Russia, as a rule, the opposite is true. The main food is soups and salads, but from time to time, parents spoil their child with fast food. By the way, it can be homemade. Try to cook healthy. Fillet for him is fried in a pan without adding oil in special frying sheets, and pita is used instead of buns.
IN Canada they are less loyal to fast food. Children are fed with cereals, vegetable purees and fruit cocktails. Turkey is especially popular for meat.
Western Europe: snails and lasagna
In France cereals and cereals are not considered healthy food, therefore, babies are fed mainly with light soups and vegetable purees, and after a year, soft cheeses appear in the diet. If you cook porridge, then from quinoa or amaranth, rich in vegetable proteins. No one will be surprised oysters and snails in the diet.
Children's menu in Germany not much different from ours. Unless local mothers prefer lean types of meat, for example, rabbit and even pigeon. Oddly enough, rice is also popular among German women.
Have swedes has its own unique product for children - welling... This is a milk-grain mixture, similar to liquid oatmeal, which was invented almost by the Vikings.
Italians very early they offer their children what they eat themselves - pasta and lasagne, and some parents even allow them to drink coffee... Few people bother with vegetable purees, it is believed that the child needs to be accustomed to adult food as soon as possible. But the pluses of the Italian menu can be called the abundance of soft cheeses - ricotta and mozzarella, which are rich in proteins and easily digestible.
IN UK and Iceland one of the main children's dishes, of course, is oatmeal. It is cooked in milk or water, with maple syrup, fruit and butter added to the finish. Much attention is paid to foods with a high content of vitamin D: due to cloudy weather and a constant lack of sunlight, this vitamin is most often lacking in the child's body.
Latin America: coffee with milk
At 2-3 years old, many parents allow their children to drink coffee with milk. This sounds a little strange to us, but in Brazil believe that coffee is rich in antioxidants and helps the child to focus. More children in countries Latin America they adore banana bread, soft cream cheese and chocolate milk.
In Russia, it is customary to give small children cereals, fruits and vegetables as complementary foods, and when it comes time to introduce meat into the diet, it is usually either chicken or turkey. Have you ever thought about what mothers from Mexico and China feed their children? We invite you to look into the plates of tiny inhabitants of different countries of the world.
Bulgaria
Veal, rabbit and fennel are often on the menu for babies. They are also given mashed potatoes from cabbage, broccoli and other vegetables with a pronounced smell, while fairly neutral potatoes are rarely used to feed children. Bulgarians are guided by a very unusual logic that if a child gets used to strong tastes, it will be easy for him to fall in love with weaker ones.
Germany
In a country where sausages and beer occupy an honorable place in the diet of adults, great attention is paid to the nutrition of children. German women are very picky about the menu of their kids and buy only the most lean meat (for example, pigeon or rabbit). Of vegetables, pumpkin, potatoes are most often used, and rice is most often used for cereals.
USA
In the United States, as everyone probably knows, there has been a problem with the nutrition of the population for many years, and this is confirmed by the fact that more than 50% of Americans are obese. If we talk about the smallest inhabitants of the country, then in this case the percentage is, of course, somewhat lower, but it also raises serious concerns about the health of children. In recent years, American doctors have sounded the alarm and urged parents to take care of the quality nutrition of the younger generation. Therefore, more and more mothers here themselves prepare food for their children, and do not buy ready-made cereals in stores, which often have too much sugar and carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes are very popular among vegetables, lean chicken is very popular from meat, and apples and prunes are among fruits.
Japan
Perhaps you think that Japanese children eat raw fish from birth? In fact, this is not the case. Their diet is mainly based on rice, boiled white fish, spinach and burdock root (it tastes very good and resembles both potatoes and parsnips).
Canada
In the past few years, exotic cuisine has become very fashionable in Canada, so the inhabitants of this country often prepare cocktails for their children from various tropical fruits. Turkey is the most common meat, sweet potatoes are vegetables, and young corn is the most common cereal.
Poland
Obviously, most Poles want their children to grow up into big, strong and mighty heroes. How else to explain that from an early age kids are taught to "serious" food such as hearty meat soup with veal and vegetables, pork goulash with vegetables and noodles or chopped meat with boiled?
Mexico
Little Mexicans are really lucky, because in their country it is always warm, and therefore the season of fresh ripe fruits lasts all year round. Mothers here feed their babies healthy purees made from tropical fruits such as mango and papaya. Such food is not only tasty, but also extremely rich in vitamins and minerals.
China
Many people believe that Chinese kids eat only rice and soy sauce, but this is not at all the case. Most mothers in this country prepare delicious homemade food for their babies. They try to make food nutritious, but at the same time easily absorbed by the body, for which they use chicken meat, lean fish, asparagus, bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage. In addition, toddlers are given herbal teas made from a mixture of chamomile, linden blossom and other healthy plants.
