Day 21: Arrival, Long Walk, Dinner
At the airport, they directed me to a bus for 'City Center.' Only 33RMB, that sounded like a good deal to me. However, the last stop of the bus definitely was not in the center of Guilin, at least not the tourist part. Rookie mistake - not checking where it would let off. Not knowing where I was, I pulled out my phone. Google maps seems to give you fairly accurate placement, even without an Internet connection. Fortunately for me, an Irish couple sat in the same boat, but they actually had a map of Guilin. We figured out which way to walk and set out.
About an hour later, I finally arrived to my hostel. The hostel sits in what I would consider 'City Center,' which looks much more maintained than the first 45 minutes of my walk.
A girl from Holland, that I'd briefly met in Beijing, and I had plans to meet for dinner, since we knew we were crossing here. I quickly checked in, changed my sweat covered t shirt, and rushed to meet her.
A popular pedestrian only area with shops and restaurants surrounds a little night market with skewers and griddles of hot food. Tables and chairs scattered about the alleyway held dozens of people eating delicious smelling, family style dishes. We took a loop before choosing a place. Our chicken, beef, and vegetable dishes arrived shortly after, perfectly filling after a long day of travel.
Walking around a bit more, sweet tooth aching, we stopped in a pastry shop. I bought a powdery sweet bread filled with cream and berries. Not nearly as sweet as I expected, it still hit the spot.
Day 22: Li River Cruise, Yangshuo, Yukon River Bamboo Rafting
Gary the tour guide picked me up from my hostel early in the morning to begin the second and final tour that I'd pre booked before leaving the States: Li River Cruise. I climbed into the van, discovering that I was the last stop for pick up and the only single traveler. Gary instantly won our hearts - I'd highly recommend him for an tour or as a personal tour guide. He made small jokes and radiates happiness along with his knowledge of Guilin's history. (His email is 446976648@qq.com if you are ever in Guilin looking for a guide, contact him!!)
After about a 40 minute drive, learning facts about the hursts long the way, we arrived to the boat. A Chinese group joined us, so Gary gave them a brief introduction before boarding the ship with other tour groups.
Pictures don't do the scenery justice. The hursts have such a unique shape, strangeness that sets them apart from other mountains. Dr. Seuss must have drawn inspiration from here.
During the the hour cruise I had the pleasure to get to know an adventurous couple from Canada who lives in Scotland. In fact the entire group from the van consisted of people from very different parts of the world who were all simply kind hearted. Gary, too. He actually demonstrated Thai Chi on the roof of the boat after lunch. I'd always seen a slow, relaxing version of the martial art. He demonstrated and explained that it starts slow, but builds and becomes powerful.
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Scene from the back of the 20RMB pictured above
(I cut off the left part in all of my pictures :( ) |
Docking in Yangshuo, Gary gave us 45 minutes to browse West Street - vendor after vendor selling you any possible souvenir you can imagine. The couple from Canada/Scotland and I decided to forego the shopping for some beautiful scenery along the river. We took off our shoes and walked out onto a slippery rock on the side, photo op!
Rejoining the group at our meeting time, Gary performed Thai Chi for everyone, this time in the hot sun, before loading up and heading to part two of our day. For an additional 150RMB you can take a bamboo raft ride on the Yulong River. Fun fact - parts of Star Wars 3 - about 43 minutes worth - filmed here. Being the only solo traveler, the guide offered to come with me. I told him it was his choice, that I'm fine either way, to discover that he'd
never done it before! Of course I encouraged him to join me.
Beware: your shoes do get wet on this raft, from the first moment you step onto it. A man stood on the back with a long bamboo pole, pushing us forward. Under a true, old stone bridge, Gary told me it's the largest one on the river and no cement is used, only the pressure of the rocks fitted against each other. Only pedestrians and cattle may cross, no vehicles. More beautiful views of the hursts surrounded us. Then on the left, an assortment of props for wedding photos scattered on the long grass: fake windmill, arch, giant word 'LOVE,' fake hot air balloon... you get the picture. About a half dozen brides in varied colored dresses posed around the scene.
To regulate water flow, there are a few changes in height, dropping one foot a couple times as we went downstream. Gotta lift your feet to help keep them from getting soaked, but your face will get splashed regardless. On the way back up, a motorized incline with a belt carries the raft forward for an even bigger splash as it releases you back into the river. After taking selfies with Gary and taking turns standing at the end of the raft for photo ops, we came ashore near to where we started and the stone bridge. Man is the view from that bridge priceless.
Two hour ride back in horrible traffic, I arrived to the hostel to find the Internet not working. Tired, went to bed for an early morning.
Day 23: Seven Star Park and Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill, Chunji Goose Dinner
Debating whether I wanted to have a long day or short day the previous night, I woke up confirming that short day wins. That means I go to Seven Star Park and see the Seven Star Cave, a 30 minute walk from my hostel, instead of an hour or more bus ride to the Reed Flute Cave. No regrets.
Walking over, I also thought about how much cash I had left. Being my last day in China, I didn't want to take any more RMB out of the ATM, so budgeting enough to get me to the airport early tomorrow factored into the day as well.
Walking across the bridge and crossing the crazy traffic, the park is only two blocks on the other side. I imagined it to be this peaceful scene, and for the first 40 minutes of taking a side trail, I was right. Stairs lead up to temples where early morning locals practiced Thai Chi, at least 50 people. I explored a bit more before directing myself towards the cave. Then I crossed the bulk of the park, which is targeted at families with Children. Play structures, games, merri-go-round, minions, the whole bit! There's even a zoo, which I didn't venture towards (separate entrance fee).
I reached the cave with about 10 minutes to wait until the next tour. You must go with a guide, as she controls the lights throughout the cave. 100% in Chinese and the only non Chinese person on the tour, two students started talking to me before we entered. They had a bet as to if I was from the US or England. They offered me a couple of mandarin oranges and ended up translating parts of the tour for me, starting with the big red characters in the entrance of the cave reading: China is Communist.
Colored lights lit up the stalagmites. All of it quite beautiful. My impression of the tour was that she mostly spoke about how some of the stalagmite formations looked like different animals or scenes from old Chinese folktales. Some were labeled in English, others my student friends helped to explain. Photo ops at key points cost an extra 5 RMB each. They shut the lights off as soon as they walked away so you can steal a photo. Halfway, in an open area, vendors waited selling souvenirs.
At the end of the tour, I made a beeline for Elephant Trunk Hill, stopping for a couple of meat dumplings, costing a mere 1RMB each, on the way. I decided I didnt feel like climbing the hill or pay for entrance, I simply wanted to take a picture.
Turned out to be more challenging than I thought. They purposefully planted a line of thick trees to block your view of the hill from the sidewalk. Of all things in China, this pissed me off. Just to get a view of the Hill from the opposite bank, you would have to pay over 200RMB. Not happening.
I circled, trying to find a gap in the trees. I wall towards the bridge leading across to the park where you'd have to pay to hike the hill, still not the right angle to see the hill properly.
Returning to the treeline, frustrated, I decided to climb the trees. Yes - trees. First one, then the other. Waste of time - I still couldn't see anything (but I did get a lot of strange looks and people pointing at me).
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| View when I climbed the tree |
Not giving up, I eyed the hotel across the street. Marching straight past the lobby and to the elevator, I pushed the button for the top floor "garden bar." Success! Gorgeous view, perfect angle. I snapped my photos and called it a day before the staff could question me. Although they didn't seemed to be bothered by my being there, so maybe this happens all the time.
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| View from Golden Oriole Hotel |
Back at the hostel, I decided it was a good afternoon to drink tea and catch up blogging. Sometimes sitting alone that long attracts other solo travelers. A guy from somewhere nearby in Chine, recently returning to the country from his travels, sat with me. We eventually decided to go grab dinner - he knew a great place. Wary of Scams from Beijing, I immediately asserted the amount I was looking to spend, emphasizing that I didn't have many RMB left.
I had no need to worry - his restaurant choice was on point. Chunji, about 20 minute walk from our hostel, sat on a corner with a line of people waiting for a table. He took a number and we sat to wait when suddenly a series of firecrackers went off outside, setting off the alarms of at least 10 to 15 motorbikes. Apparently it was some girl's birthday.
A short while later, a hostess lead us upstairs to a larger than expected room of communal tables with lazy susans in the center. I was the only non-Chinese person there. After ordering, the server places a sand timer in front of you, counting down 28 minutes. If your food doesn't all arrive before then, your meal is free. As is normal in China, each family style dish came out one at a time as it was ready. Spicy eggplant preceeded bone in spare ribs. To cap it off, a quarter of a goose. I loved every bit of it, especially the goose.
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| Goose! |
Walking back in the rain, we both returned to the bar to use the Internet (more blogging catch up time) before saying goodbye and goodnight.
Day 24: The hostel arranged a set price taxi for me early in the morning, since I had an early flight. Only thing I want to mention, is I noticed when taking off that fake, soldier looking scarecrows holding fake maChine guns lined the runway and scattered about the grass at the airport. Goodbye China!
