Halong on Land
Trip Start
Oct 24, 2005
1
58
150
Trip End
Ongoing
Yangshuo,
China
Saturday, January 6, 2007
We wanted to buy train tickets for the next leg of our journey before leaving Guilin because in China, seats tend to sell out many days in advance. So unless you want to pay a lot for soft sleeper, it's best to plan ahead and get there early. That I knew. What I didn't know was how insane the train station was going to be. I walked into the ticket office and was shocked by the huge lines of people.
B&W Boat on the Water
Again, I had no idea where to go, as all the signs were in Mandarin, so I just went for the line with the fewest people in it. The woman there was able to help me, but she couldn't sell me tickets -- I had to dive into the masses for that one. So I went and joined a line, probably about forty people long, and waited. And waited. And waited. As I waited, I watched what was going on around me. Big groups of people would come to the station together, then one person would stand in each line. The person who got to the front first would then get the attention of his or her mates, and then they would all run over and get tickets from the same window. Unfortunately, this meant that instead of one person taking two minutes at the window, they would take ten. So I waited. And grew a bit agitated. I was worried Konrad would think I'd been kidnapped or something. But I didn't want to leave my post! And my perseverance eventually paid off: an hour later I was at the window, where I easily got my wishes across to the woman, and within a minute was the proud owner of two very pricey tickets to Kunming. I made my way back to the bus station, Konrad quickly procured two bus tickets to Yangshuo, we hopped on the bus, and within minutes we were back on the road. We disembarked in Yangshuo and, after not a terribly long time, settled in at the Holiday Inn (no, it's not affiliated with the big chain...)
Boat on the Water
. We found a lovely room, with a nice bed, great comforter, nice balcony overlooking the river, wonderfully hot shower, and... in-room internet! Ta dah! With a cozy room secured and some food in our bellies, we set off to explore the town.Yangshuo is a town slightly bigger than Madison (about 300,000 people), and sits along the Li River (also found in Guilin). We found it much more beautiful than Guilin, which boasts much of the same scenery. Stunning karst formations surround Yangshuo and the countryside, dotting the river and creating a beautiful backdrop for any Sunday afternoon drive. The city is also very nicely laid out, with a huge pedestrian-only street lined with a dizzying array of hotels, restaurants, and shops -- all geared towards the foreign traveler, so not knowing Mandarin is no problem at all.
We've spent most of our time in Yangshuo renting bicycles and exploring the countryside. One of the big biking destinations is Moon Hill (Yueliang Shan), a limestone peak with a crescent-shaped hole in it. We biked there from town and then hiked up (more than 1250 steps, according to our book!) to the bottom of the crescent. The views from there were unbelievable, but not as good as they were higher up! We climbed up some more and were amazed by the vistas
Bridging the Gap
. Not to be disappointed, there were more to be had! We hiked all the way to the top of the crescent (yikes!) and had unbelievable views of the area around -- I think we actually saw Hanoi up there! After hiking Moon Hill (tired legs), we decided to take an alternate route back to town, as outlined on our trusty map. However, the map proved to be... not so trusty, and we got quite lost. We found ourselves biking through farm fields, along riverbanks, and through tiny villages -- it was amazing! Everyone yelled "hello" to us as we passed (except for one little boy who pretended Konrad was a racing horse and whipped his bike with a stick...). As we were lost, we often stopped to ask for "directions." Everyone was very helpful, and we encountered a few people who spoke English (pretty well, actually) -- even in the rural countryside! So much for the belief that no one here speaks English.... As the sun sank lower in the sky, we finally pedaled our way back into town. Exhausted, we relaxed a bit and reflected on our amazing afternoon. That night we found a pure vegetarian restaurant and partook of some delicious veggie treats (bean steak w/xo sauce -- yum!). See, Yangshuo has everything we need....The next day, we biked along the Yulong River, another river in the area, which was stunning. The sun was shining, the water was glistening, and the views were spectacular. Unfortunately, the route was not terribly long, so we improvised (again) and ended up cycling for four hours straight, mostly on gravel paths and rocky roads. Nonetheless, the scenery was worth it -- beautiful orchards, farm fields, and rice paddies lined the road.
We've spent three days in Yangshuo, and wish we had more -- it's a place one could easily spend weeks (or months!). Unfortunately, we bought our train tickets onward in advance, so we have to leave today. Alas! We'll miss this place for sure. But the west beckons (and it supposedly warmer, so that's certainly appealing!)....
