Isnt it funny how you can live in a place without really getting to know it？ Sometimes when you get used to the daily 1）rhythm of a place， you can forget that all around you are things youve never seen and places youve never been； corners youve never looked around， and stories you havent started yet.

Thats what I was thinking about while sitting in the back of Tims car on the way out of Haikou. Id been living in Hainan for almost a year already， but Id been too busy with work， making new friends， and getting 2）settled down in my new apartment to do much travel around Hainan. “Ill always have time，” I thought. “Maybe next winter， when its cool again.” Well， as it turns out， by the time the next winter came I would already be in Beijing， working at a new job. So this was my last chance to see the island Id been living on for ten months， and Tim was kind enough to take me out to explore some of the sights.

Hainan is an 3）incredibly beautiful place. Not only is it 4）ringed by beautiful beaches， the hilly 5）interior of the island is defined by sharp and often 6）majestic mountainsides， covered in 7）lush green jungle. Just looking out of the car window as we 8）pulled out of town， I began to feel like I was in a scene from Jurassic Park.

The first day was pretty simple. We set out in the afternoon， so by the time we reached a little village where some of Tims friends lived， the sky was already showing beautiful shades of orange， yellow and red， 9）fading to blue and then to black. It was under the black sky that we sat with Tims friends， cooling off with a half-frozen coconut soup called， I think， “qing bu liang，” and talking about how much Hainan has changed in the last few years.

“How long have you been in Hainan？” one of the local people asked.

“Almost ten months，” I 10）replied.

The man 11）leaned forward and looked into my eyes. “Were you always in Haikou during that time？”

“Yes，” I replied， a little 12）hesitantly， not knowing why the man was looking so 13）intense.

The man looked away， sat back in his chair， and 14）chuckled softly. “Then，” he said slowly， “you have not been in Hainan.”

At first I thought he was a little bit crazy. Haikou is the capital city of Hainan. How can you say that being in Haikou is not being in Hainan？ I didnt think about the question much. We finished our 15）treats and got back to the hotel to prepare for the early morning.

We spent the early daylight hours 16）rolling over the gentle hills， passing through deep green forests and open fields where farmers grew all kinds of crops and peppers， many Id never seen before. At one point， Tim 17）pulled over and stopped on the side of the highway.

“What are you doing？” I asked him.

He looked back at me and smiled. “Going shopping.”

He climbed out of the car and walked to the edge of a field where a woman was 18）tending to a crop of long， green peppers. He called out to her， asked the price， then gave her some money and got back in the car with a bag of peppers. “Its fresher this way” is all he said.

假如你住在一个地方，却对它不甚了解，这不是很奇怪的事情吗？有时，当你习惯了一个地方的生活节奏，你可能会忘记周围都是一些你没有见过的事物、从未去过的地方、未曾踏足的角落、有待开始的故事。

离开海口时，坐在蒂姆车后座上的我正是这么想的。我在海南已经生活了将近一年，但是一直忙着工作、结识新朋友，以及在新公寓安家落户，都没有时间到海南各地旅行。“总会有时间的，”我想。“也许等到下一个冬天，天气再凉一些的时候吧。”结果是，到下一个冬天，我将身在北京，开始新工作了。所以，这是我再看看这个住了十个月的海岛的最后机会了。蒂姆人很好，乐意带我出去探索一些景点。

海南美得让人难以置信。这座海岛不仅被美丽的海滩环绕，腹地的山区还覆盖着浓绿丛林、耸立着险峻雄伟的山峰。我们驾车出城，一看窗外，就像置身于《侏罗纪公园》的场景。

第一天的行程相当简单。因为我们是下午出发的，所以当我们到达蒂姆朋友住的一个小村庄时，天空已经映照着绚烂多彩的霞光，从橙、黄、红，逐渐褪为蓝与黑。天色完全黑下来以后，我们才和蒂姆的朋友们坐在一起，一边喝着半冰冻的椰汁汤水（好像是叫“清补凉”）消暑，一边聊起在过去这几年里海南的变化有多大。

“你在海南待了多久了？”一个当地人问我。

“差不多十个月了，”我回答。

这个男人向前探了探身子，看着我的眼睛：“这期间你一直都在海口吗？”

“是的。”我回答得有点迟疑，不知道他为什么这样盯着我看。

他移开了目光，坐回椅子里，轻声笑了起来，慢悠悠地说：“这么说，你还不算真正到过海南。”

我一开始觉得他有点疯狂。海口是海南的省会，怎么能说待在海口不算到过海南呢？不过这个问题我没有多想。我们吃完就回到酒店，为明天早起做准备。

清晨我们开车爬过平缓的山丘，穿过深绿色的森林和开阔的田野，田地里有农民种植的各种农作物和辣椒，有很多是我从未见过的。途中，蒂姆突然把车停到高速公路旁。

“你要干嘛？”我问他。

他回头看了我一眼，笑道：“去买点东西。”

他下了车，朝一个正在地里侍弄一种细长青椒的农妇走去。他向她喊话询问价格，然后给了她一些钱，提着一袋辣椒回到车上。他说“这样买来的更新鲜”。

For the first time， I started to understand what the man from the night before meant. I grew up in the countryside of the USA， and Id been in China for three years， but Id never seen anybody buy vegetables from the side of the road. Theres a kind of direct 19）connection between people， even strangers， that is rare in other places that Ive been to. And little did I know， that kind of personal connection was about to help create the most interesting moments of our trip.

After a full morning of 20）taking in the amazing 21）tropical sights of the Hainanese countryside， we pulled into the Su Dongpo Library Garden outside of Danzhou. The sights themselves were nothing terribly special—part temple， part museum， part garden， like a mix-up of a hundred places Id been before—but there were two things that set it apart from any other place Ive ever been. The first was that it was deep in the countryside， not the city， which means it was full of the wonderful 22）murmur of nature. However， unlike city noise， country sounds are soft and draw you in， making you want to listen more closely.

The second thing was Sally， a primary school student who was playing in the gardens with her little brother. At first she was shy； she would see us， run away， hide behind something， then 23）peek out at us and start following us again. Some of her friends joined her after a few moments， and before long we were being followed by a whole 24）flock of 15 or 20 children， all 25）curious and cheerful and friendly in a way that I never saw in Haikou.

这是我第一次体会到昨天晚上那个人说话的意思。我在美国的乡村长大，在中国也待了三年，还从来没见过有人直接从公路边买菜。在这里，人与人之间有一种直接的联系，甚至连陌生人之间也不例外，这在我去过的其他地方是不多见的。我不知道，正是这种人与人之间的联系，将为我们带来这趟旅程中最有趣的时刻。

在饱览了一上午海南乡村迷人的热带风光之后，我们把车停在儋州城郊的东坡书院。景点本身并没有什么特别——一部分是寺庙，一部分是博物馆，一部分是花园，就像是我以前去过的很多地方的一个混合体。不过，有两件事使它与我去过的其他地方不同。一是它隐匿于农村深处，而不在城市，所以这里到处都能听到大自然美妙的轻声细语。与城市的喧嚣不同的是，乡村的声音是轻柔的，引人入胜，只会让你想更仔细地聆听。

二是因为小学生莎莉。她和弟弟在花园里玩耍，一开始她很害羞，看到我们就跑开，躲起来偷看我们，然后又开始尾随我们。过了一会儿，她的一些朋友加入了她的行列，不一会儿，我们后面就跟了一大群小孩，大约有15到20个，全都很好奇、活泼而友好。这是我在海口没有见过的。

We started talking with them， and soon they offered to take us around and show us some other sights around Danzhou. With Sally and one of her friends in the car with us and about 15 kids on bicycles leading the way， we drove around Danzhou and visited the ancient， 26）overgrown walled city， the historic parts of town， and some of the beautiful stone 27）architecture along a well-preserved street that used to be the main transportation center of the town.

Ive been on many tours before， but never one like that. The sights themselves were great and unique， but what made them very special was our tour guides， the 28）innocent， trusting， cheerful and helpful group of children who formed an 29）instant connection with us. Thats not something you see in the big cities. Its a special kind of experience that you can only find when you take the time to step away from what youre used to and see whats just behind your daily routine， or whats just outside the city youre used to. So while the 30）incomparable beauty of the 31）jade island of Hainan is something Ill always remember， the most important thing is the lesson I learned that day， and the friendship we started with a group of children who were kind and open enough to open the heart of Hainan to us.

我们开始和他们聊天，很快孩子们就主动提出要给我们当导游，带我们参观儋州的其他景点。莎莉和她的一个朋友跟我们一起坐在车上，还有大约15个孩子在前面骑自行车为我们带路。我们就这样开车游遍了儋州，参观了杂草丛生的古围城、历史悠久的古迹，还有一条保存完好的街道边上的美丽石造建筑——这条街道曾是该城的主要交通要道。

我虽然经常旅游，但从来没有一次像这次一样。虽然景点本身不错，也很独特，但使其与众不同的是我们的小导游——一群天真无邪、毫无戒心、欢快活泼、热心助人的孩子，他们与我们一见如故，亲密无间，这是你在大城市看不到的。这次旅行是一种特别的体验；只有当你花点时间，离开你司空见惯的生活，拨开日常生活的帘幕，或是走出习以为常的城市时，你才能获得这种特别的体验。我会永远记得宛如碧玉般无比美丽的海南岛，同时最重要的是我那天学到的一课，还有我们与一群孩子之间培养起来的友谊——他们足够友善和坦率，向我们敞开了海南之心。