Monkey Jane's Guesthouse Yangshuo

After getting off the bus we looked for a cab to take us to the Giggling Tree hostel which is situated in the Yangshuo countryside. A local woman helped us communicate where we wanted to go and the taxi driver indicated that the cost was 4 RMB. After the five minute drive through rough dirt roads, we arrived at the hostel and tried to pay the driver. He laughed when we gave him a five and said that the cost was 40 RMB. The girl from the hostel explained that the normal cost was 30 RMB, so we ...

We landed in Guilin, a major city in the Guanxi (sometimes spelled Guangxi) province, on June 27. We had originally intended on spending some time in Guilin but our flight was delayed and once we arrived we decided we wanted to go straight to Yangshuo and explore Guanxi from there. When we arrived on the afternoon of the 28th, we found Monkey Jane's Guesthouse on Xi Jie (West Street), the main drag for foreigners in Yangshuo. Monkey Jane is a 25-year-old woman from Yangshuo who runs a guestho...

I've been in Yangshou for around 5 days now and it's a beautiful place. I managed to do a cave trip, and had a cycle around the paddie fields which is very scenic and peaceful. There is a place called moon hill which is a good 40 minute trek right up to the top, and I must say the views were spectacular. I have made friends with some really cool guys and we've been hanging out for the last few days having a laugh, and we got rarther drunk last night so not feeling too clever today, but still ...

So, the last few days seem to have revolved around stunning scenery and bizarre culinary experiences - welcome to Southern China! Boxing Day lunch time we arrived in a very foggy Guilin and immediately tried to make our way out of it again, headed for the poetically named Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. On arrival, the weather was equally miserable and we ended up staying in a draughty attic, chosen for its cheapness rather than any major commending features. After a wander into the almost d...

This is a second attempt. I got all the way to the end a couple of days ago and then the bloody computer crashed just as I was saving it! Thursday 17th April I got up and waited outside the front of Frosty Morning at 8.45 like I was told. Guess what? The bloody minibus didn't turn up! I waited until 9.45 before I gave up and left. By this point I had already missed the two morning buses to Qiaotou from the main bus station. I went for breakfast just around the corner at an Italian restaurant,...

Greetings from China. The travel gods smiled on us today and we made an incredible journey involving an early morning taxi ride in the pouring rain, 4 changes of bus and a tense moment in customs where I was told that I "looked nothing like" my passport picture, we caught our flight from Shenzhen to Guilin. We landed in a thick mist and against advice conviced a taxi to drive us 2 hours south to Yangshuo. The road system here is a minor step above total chaos, as our driver swerved in and out...

Our last province in China, the Yunnan, and we are back in the mountains (hardly anywhere is below 1800m) and feeling the cold winter air along with a fierce sun. The Yunnan is the only place in China where they make coffee and we're taking full advantage of it before trying the black nectar in Vietnam. The Yunnan is on every westerners tourism map and for that reason we've met loads of fellow travellers, the good thing though is that the Chinese masses stay away from the natural places in th...

According to experts on astronomy, total solar eclipse will happen on July 2, 2009 in China. It is reported that it will be the total solar eclipse lasting the longest time in this century. Besides, it just happens once after 3 hundred years. I never see total solar eclipse in my own eyes, which is a big regret for me. Most people think that their life is not complete and perfect if they can't see total solar eclipse. So do I. however, I will not miss it this time.

According to the ex...