Serious Travel Article 18: Tropical Island of Broken Glass, Xiaodeng Island (Fujian, China)

I was determined to escape the overpopulated mess and grime of mainland China. I booked a hotel room on a remote island in Fujian province. About two hours north of Xiamen Airport (as remote as it gets on China's east coast).

Surely none of the usual hordes would have braved the exorbitant taxi ride to an unknown location. So obscure that even the taxi driver had to step out to ask for directions. As well as a perilous caterpillar electro-buggy ride to the dock and a 500m walk along the concrete jetty in  forty degree heat to arrive at a pontoon beside a flotilla of poorly maintained motor boats. No one would have risked life and limb jumping upon said boats, bouncing from one to the next, luggage in hand with sea below, and standing in the blazing sun for an hour as we sailed to an unknown island in the Taiwan Straight.

The dock on Dadenghaidao, the only way to get to the remote island of Xiaodenghaidao

Of course I was wrong. The boat was crammed, with people clinging to the sides. No life jackets or safety instructions. Luckily no waves either.

The floating pontoon, in front of a six boat flotilla which you must clamber over, luggage in hand to get to Xiaodeng Island. Fujian China.

From a distance, the island was a rocky green gem, with a layer of golden sand protecting it from the choppy blue waters. All around the sleepy green isle were shipping hubs, oil refineries, salt marshes, mud flats, piles of dredged silt and dredgers dredging that silt. An ominous sign perhaps but I maintained my optimism. The other side of the island had to be better!

The sea off Dadeng Island on our way to Xiaodeng Island. Piles of sand, dredged from the seabed behind white plastic floats in the water.

As we pulled into port and clambered over another line of moribund boats and onto the baking concrete harbour wall, I noticed the golden sand beside the harbour was strewn with trash of all descriptions. Not to worry, just the beach next to a working port.

We took another electro caterpillar buggy through the village on Xiao Deng Hai Dao to our hotel, passing old fashioned wooden temples and houses on the way, all complete with boat shaped rooves, dragons and shoulder spikes pointing up to the sky.

An electro caterpillar buggy on Xiaodeng Island. I decided it had similar proportions to a caterpillar so named it as such. 

We were greeted by an old man and his wife who told us there was no breakfast or dinner to be bought on the island. Fine, I thought. I'll live off packaged cakes and bananas. 

My travelling companions were less impressed. No breakfast! No dinner! Whatever shall we do! I'm not doing anything if I don't have my breakfast!

Strawberry are good for you! (Note the grammar). My strawberry and banana bread kept me going on Xiaodeng Island.

After hours of whining and complaining we found a restaurant for lunch, serving fish and rice. Too expensive! Shouted my companions, my wife's parents, who are used to low village prices, never having experienced the island inflation effect.

Fish waiting to be killed in Fujian, China. I'd rather have a banana.

After yet more hours of marching around looking for a cheaper restaurant, we came back to the fish and rice café we'd left hours earlier. Spending over £10 for a meal for four people. Goodness me!

As they ate, I ran with my towel to the island's main swimming beach over half a mile away. The beach was removed from the village so I expected clean sand.

The warm golden sand of Xiaodeng Island, Fujian, China. Littered with sharp shards of glass.

The beach was long (for a small rocky island) and uncrowded. The beach was backed up by forest, making it green and lush. Four huge rings lay in the gently lapping water and in the distance you could see another green gem and the Taiwanese island of Kinmen (Jinmen).

The distant Kinmen Island, owned by The Republic of China (Taiwan) as seen from Xiaodeng Island in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China). Confused?

I was hot and bothered but not hungry. I wrapped my towel around the trunk of a palm tree, took my flip flops off and ran barefoot into the warm sea swimming to the rocks a hundred meters offshore. I looked around to see an idyllic beach scene, golden clean sand surrounded by palm trees, complete with beach huts and a glistening blue sea. The warm sun completed the cliché and I swam back in a cheery mood. As I stepped ashore I noticed a green twinkle in the sand. I picked it up. A shard of newly broken glass. I noticed another. Then another.

What a lovely twinkly green beach!

Before I knew it I found myself immersed by bits of sharp broken glass wedged into the clean sand. I'd heard someone complain about cutting themselves, now I knew why. I stepped carefully from then on and was delighted to slip back into my flip flops.

After cleaning up dozens of shards I returned to my wife and her parents, who were startled I still wasn't hungry. (I can always do without fish).

The ancient houses of Xiaodeng Island, with philosopher, Coco Wang, in the foreground. Fujian, China.

The island is dotted with antique houses and temples inbetween the garish villas rich villagers have constructed. Sacred Buddhist shrines are kept superbly, decorated with dazzling bright colours and pictures. If the villagers and tourists treated their island the way they treat their holy sites, the island would be a tropical paradise and tourist magnet. It's obscurity derives from the way everyone uses the island as a dump with litter everywhere and glass mixed with filth along the beaches. It's telling that I spent most of my time cleaning up glass from the beach and telling locals off for littering. Although I doubt I made any difference.

Traditional Fujian Houses on Xiaodeng Island, Southern China.

We left the island a day early to escape the filth, and headed for the tropical island city of Xiamen (Amoy). Never go to Xiao Deng Hai Dao.

How to sneak into first class, flying around the world.

How to get free first class treatment while jetting around the world?  A question asked by many but answered by few. Stop reading if you're looking for a foolproof method.

This method is NOT foolproof and has only worked for me a few times. Persistence is key, don't be put off if it doesn’t work the first time. 


Before I delve into my foolish method. I want to discuss the morality of doing this. Sneaking into the first class zone of a cabin and claiming the first class treatment when you have only paid for an economy class ticket seems rather low, doesn't it? That said, you wouldn't feel the same guilt when asking for a free upgrade, no is there any ill feeling when bloggers suggest free methods of traveling or staying. This method will not exclude a paying passenger from first or business class. It will also not cost the airline any more money as leftover food and drinks are usually tossed, sometimes donated and occasionally pilfered by airline staff. So in reality, the only loser if you succeed will be an orphan given an economy bag of peanuts rather than a premium bag. So, no I reject claims this method is immoral or illegal.

If you still feel bad, don't do it. 

Back to the method.

This method only works on smaller aircraft. Don't try it on a jumbo jet or an A380. It will only work if you have to walk past the first or business class seats on your way to economy class.

Business class on China Southern Airlines. Much like the area I've snuck into.

Step 1: Try to get seats towards the front of the cabin. If things go wrong, you might be able to salvage your mission with seats just behind first or business class. Make sure you don't order any special meals.

Step 2: Make sure you are one of the last to board the aircraft. Let the others push, shove and queue up while you relax at the gate. If you are ferried to the aircraft by a little bus, let everyone else on first.

Step 3: Walk confidently onto the aircraft, if you spot any free seats in first class, sit down (carefully concealing your economy class ticket in the depths of your jeans/handbag).

Step 4: Enjoy the high life! Just relax and don't act suspicious.

Business class on China Eastern Airlines. Another airline I've managed to pull this off on.

If you wimp out at the last moment and don't take that empty seat, don't go back in a flutter as the steward might help you and remember your economy status. Continue to your real seat, at the front of economy.

After the plane has taken off, but before the cabin staff have been released, quickly dash to the empty seat.

What can go wrong:

No empty seats. Nothing you can do, try again next time.

Ticket owner takes his vacant seat. Apologise, feign error, find another empty seat or go to your own. This shouldn’t happen if you make sure you're the last on though.

Get caught by cabin staff. Apologise, feign error and go to your economy seat. Try again next time.

The passenger next door objects to you pouncing on his spare seat. Don't argue, just act silly, confusing a 45c for a 14c, "ditzy old me!".

It sounds too easy right? The key is confidence.

Key rule: If you get caught out, don't make a fuss. you just sat in the wrong seat. "I thought economy class had gotten better since I last flew! I'm sorry, where am I supposed to sit? Over there? Thank you." 

If it works for you, congratulations! It's worked for me a few times now. I've lived the fancy life for a few hours, now its your turn! Good luck!

How to get dirt cheap hotel rooms in China

Hostel Bookers is better than Hostel World. Travelling around Europe on the cheap taught me that. More choice, no booking fees. Simple.

Even though it's been years since my days travelling around Europe and a yonk since I've been anywhere close to Australia, my loyalty to Hostel Bookers has remained firm during my travels around China.But after using Hostel Bookers to pay over the odds to stay at quirky but charming hostel in Qingdao, my wife warned me against being ripped off next time.

She introduced me to the top Chinese travel site, Ctrip which now has an English language version. I was sceptical to say the least. I told her Ctrip was just a site inexperienced Chinese travellers use because they've never heard of anything else.

The amazing youth hostel overlooking the city of Stuttgart. Booked through Hostel Bookers for £10 (not sure how many Euros) a night, including breakfast. It remains the best hotel/hostel I have EVER stayed in (including 5 star hotels).

What a stupid thing to say.

Whereas Hostel Bookers charges per person, Ctrip charges per night, per room and sets a limit to how many you can cram in, slashing prices.

With Ctrip, I paid 128RMB for 4 people per night. 32rmb (£3.20) per person to stay in a private en-suite room. The cheapest bed on Hostel bookers was 106rmb per person in a dorm with 8 beds. 

Ctrip offers the same info, photos and maps you'd get with hostel bookers but gives you a great choice, listing hundreds of hotels and hostels in a Chinese city where Hotel Bookers or Hostel World might only list a dozen. This is because Ctrip allows hotels to register on the Chinese Language site using Chinese, and translates the information into English manually, allowing thousands more hotels in China to advertise to English speakers. With Ctrip, international visitors can get the same dirt low prices enjoyed by Chinese travellers.

Ctrip also allows you to book without creating an account making booking extra speedy.

In China, I won't be using Hostel Bookers again.