We flew to Guilin and were met by our tour guide for the next few days, Li. The main attractions center around the town of Yangshuo, so we got back in the van and hit the road. Right away we can see the scenery will be outstanding. Bob and I watched an episode of Wild China to learn about the area right before we left, so we knew about the attractions. The main reason for visiting the area are the karsts - limestone rock formations.
En route we stopped for a bamboo raft cruise. The main river in the area is called the Li River, and this was something different, but I cannot remember the name. This was fun and the scenery was nice, but the sun was bearing down. I was glad I had my umbrella! We were very lucky to get this kind of weather in the spring. The whole ride was full of amazing views of the karsts.
(Bob asked if he could try it for a bit, his guy is on the back behind the chair)
Our next stop was a tea house for lunch. The food was little strange here, but the hotel/tea house was really cute.
This is out front of the tea house/hotel.
Finally we reach Yangshuo and our hotel, Magnolia, which was very nice. Bob and I were upgraded to a suite which was appreciated, although there was no separation between the toilet room and the bed area aside from a curtain. Not a lot of privacy... We walked around a bit to check out the shopping and eating options. This town was very touristy with many types of restaurants and shops. The only part I didn't like was the badgering. Everyone wanted to sell us a tour, a postcard, a watch. It was endless and they even came to our table when eating.
I learned a little bit more about being in China at this point. It's a cash based society, so not only would we need cash for eating and shopping but also to pay our tour guide. We had to stop at the ATM a few times... Their largest bill is a $100, which is about $15 US. Imagine what it's like to pay your rent! Also, there are limited options at the pharmacy. We've always felt like if we had a credit card, it didn't matter what we forgot on a trip - we could buy it. Not the case in China. I tried to buy ear plugs and they didn't have them. I am glad that's all I forgot because simple things like sunblock were also hard to find. Katie said they buy many food and pharmacy things in Hong Kong.
Our last event of the night was watching cormorant fishing. Fisherman have trained these birds to catch fish and then return the fish to the boat. They tie a string around the bird's neck to prevent them from swallowing their catch. The fishing is at night because the birds can use the light on the boat to see the fish, but the fish can't see them. I had no idea how this was going to go when they loaded us up on a squat little boat on the Li River. We cruised upstream for a bit and then suddenly the fisherman appears next to us and we watch the fishing in action. Here's one of my best videos from the trip:
Go ahead and laugh at my stupid commentary :)
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