Sep 16, 2009 - Guilin

The train journey from Hangzhou to Guilin was actually pretty bearable, within my section there was a student who spoke okay english and we spoke for sometime. She was having to learn a whole book of English words even one that, as far as i know, isn't a word? Eatable? Anyway, i could see why some Chinese prenounce some words abit funny because this book often gave an "i" sound when there should have been an 'ee' sound. For instance, Bitch instead of Beach. The worst thing about the trip was, you guessed it, the toilets. The first half of...

Aug 16, 2009 - On the way back to Dalian

Sunday, Aug 16, 2006 Overnight in Guilin, Guangxi and flight to Dalian, Liaoning When we arrived in Guilin around 6:30 pm the temperature was still in the low 30’s Celsius. Our hostel, Guilin Backstreet Youth Hostel, a multi-stored building, shared an alley with the Sheraton. The lobby/lounge was filled with travellers despite the lack of air-conditioning. We signed in and hauled our belongings up a couple flights of stairs. The rooms were adequate, but some paint and routine maintenance would have made our brief stay more enjoyable. Oh...

Aug 16, 2009 - Exploring Yangshuo countryside

Sunday, Aug 16, 2009 A Day Exploring Around Yangshuo Sunday in Yangshuo dawned already warm with a light mist in the air. We were lucky enough to snap a few early morning pictures of the river scenery. Then it was breakfast and plan making time. Becky and I decided to rent bicycles from the hotel and go for a ride out to the Yulong River. This time I made sure the bicycle was better suited for me AND it had a ringer on the handle bar. Suzanne, Gwen and Kina decided to go for a walk along the Li River to see what they could see. We rode...

Aug 15, 2009 - Yangshuo--China's Best Scenery

Sat, Aug 15, 2009 Li River Cruise We landed in Guilin, Guangxi, after a 2-hour flight from Kunming, where our Yangshuo hostel’s driver was waiting for us. After an hour’s drive we arrived at our hostel that was really a hotel. The River View Hotel was situated, on the outskirts of Yangshuo (only 310,000 population), across the road from the picturesque Li River and the famous limestone karst mountain formations. Things looked promising here and the hotel rooms and beds turned out to be the best we had stayed in so far. Through the hotel we...

Jul 4, 2009 - China I: picos y lluvia en Yangshuo

De Hong Kong nos fuimos en metro a la frontera con ShenZhen, una de las ciudades comercialmente más poderosas de China. De allí íbamos a coger un bus nocturno para llegar la mañana siguiente a YangShuo, una aldea rodeada de picos de piedra caliza a la orilla del río Li que hace uno de los paisajes más lindos de toda China, o por lo menos eso dice la gente. Cuando cruzamos la frontera, los agentes migratorios chinos revisaban y revisaban mi pasaporte por ser de un país tan desconocido. Esto me pasa todo el tiempo y me llena de tensión...

Jun 28, 2009 - Yangshuo and the Li River

We arrived at 6:00 AM, and were greeted with a sunrise showing us amazing scenery! The karst mountains here are not just in a patch or two, but everywhere! The train arrived first into Guilin, that seemed a bit too big and bothersome, so a quick bus to Yangshuo down the road brought a welcome smaller town. Yangshuo is seated at the confluence of the Li and Yonglu rivers, and gives great options for all sorts of activities. It is pretty touristy, but it has been good in that it is really making us feel like we are on vacation for the first...

Jun 11, 2009 - Guangzhou to Guilin

Whats up you'll I'm just kicking it here in Nanning awaiting my visa for Vietnam. The trip form guangzhou on has been a breeze, a quick stop in Wuzhou, and then into the mountains. The Guanxi province, home to Yangshou and Guilin is famous for the Karst limestone topography that give the hills such distinct shapes, but for hours outside of these towns the surrounding areas are filled with similar features, so the bus rides have been sick. But Yangshou is definantly the main attraction, apart from attracting plenty of foreign visitors,...

May 27, 2009 - Yangshuo - bike ride thru countryside

Started the day looking for breakfast, but we didn't do very well. Bought some dumplings from a street vendor, but one was filled with noodles and the other was filled with a mixture of peanuts and sugar. We did manage to get soy milk, but I later grabbed some muesli with yoghurt. Met the group and headed off for a bicycle tour. I must say that my expectations for the gear was fairly low given our experience with rented bikes on the city wall in Xi'an, but this time we were given full suspension mountain bikes that actually seemed to work....

May 3, 2009 - Pagoda Hill

What to visit Three hills bathed in sunlight Pagoda Hill and Tunnel Hill are both famous hills in Tunnel Hill Park. Together with Elephant Trunk Hill, they form part of the beautiful Li River Scenes. When the sun rises, the three hills are bathed in the golden morning light, creating a poetic picture. Reflection of Pagoda Hill Small as it is, the hill is attractive for its exquisite and oddly shaped rocks. Many tourists come here to appreciate the unique reflection of the hill in the clear Li River. Longevity Buddha Pagoda Pagoda Hill got...

Apr 19, 2009 - Wuzhou Is Beautiful!

I am in wuzhou right now! my hometown and i went to my orphinage. It was sooo amazing! I met the directer and a women who knew me and rememberd me which i thought was amazing. so we went to the little convreince room. And they gave me a gift. it is beautiful! It is a little glass ball that is like a diagram of the place. I made my speach and they understood!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was really happy about that! Then they showed us around and it was amazing! but it was really hot! So they were really proud and nobody ever did what i did. and they...

Apr 19, 2009 - Wuzhou

We undertake the long 4 hour journey to Wuzhou today. The weather is unbearably hot and humid. Thank goodness there is good air conditioning in the car! We drive with our guide Elvin who has made 4 trips to Wuzhou before to either undergo adoption with a new family or to undergo a return visit such as ours. He is very knowledgeable about the area and has great rapport with the girls. Nothing about Wuzhou is recognizeable - like most of China, the city has undergone such growth and rebuilding. The city has about 300,000 people. The river...

Jan 4, 2009 - West Street in Old Yangshuo

Yangshuo is an old town dating back 1,400 years, with an old street as old as the town itself--West Street. West Street is located on the bank of the Lijiang River. We were up with the lark to see the first rays of the dawning sun on the river. A long line of fragrant osmanthus trees standing beside the riverbank, sending out a sweet scent on the morning wind. The sky lightened, the morning sun leapt over the fiver surface, strewing its rays and tingeing the river sunrise-red. A light breeze blew. All was bathed in light and color. An...