China Part 7: Guilin
Trip Start
May 07, 2008
1
27
90
Trip End
Jan 06, 2009
Guilin,
Guangxi Zhuang,
China
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Welcome to our China Trip part 7: Guilin.
Everyone told us: go to Guilin, it's beautiful, stunning etc etc. They weren't wrong. When we arrived, we were met by our guide, Eddie and Mr Wong the driver (who looked like a Chinese Tom Cruise in Top Gun with mirrored shades on!).
Guilin was absolutely stunning. A small quiet (compared to Shanghai) City surrounded by an array of small mountains that were smoky blue in the distance. Rice fields were everywhere. It was beautiful. You know the traditional Chinese landscape paintings of mountains and rivers? Guilin looks just like this. It is an absolutely flaming exquisite place of natural beauty and tranquillity.
Our first trip with Eddie was the largest and most impressive cave in Guilin: Flute Reed Cave - 240 metres long. So called because of the reeds that grow at the entrance which make flutes and pipes. Apparently. This was a small cave with stunning stalagmites and stalagtites. Oh, and a laser light show in the main 'arena' by the artificial lake! We also saw some tortoiseses that were about 100 years old. They were definitely real because I saw them blink. Twice. And just to add some humiliation to their old age, the Chinese adorned their shells with banknotes because tortoiseses were lucky in China!
We went to Seven Star Park, which was beautiful. With locals playing cards under shading bamboo trees and children running and playing peek-a-boo behind lifesize Pokemon sculptures. It was the size of Hyde Park but with small waterfalls, lakes, picnic areas and a zoo.
Really real cave!!
The zoo made my teeth curl. The panda enclosure was ok, they had space to sleep, eat & fart and the bird sanctary was ok - there was a parrot who repeated 'Ni-how' (hello in Chinese) to you but our efforts to try and make him repeat Bum failed miserably. Then we got to the bear. Cage. Yes, you heard me correctly. One solitary cage approx 12x12 sq. foot with a very depressed brown bear in... pacing. Not happy at all. This was the most vile & despicable thing I had ever seen. I thought this sort of behaviour went out in the 60's. I was sickened with China & I stormed off, leaving David & the tour guide to it. I am also going to post a Tripadvisor comment in the china section imploring tourists to not go anywhere near this park to finance the cruelty of this poor poor little creature. I can't really say I was that surprised though as the Chinese eat anything with a pulse so the poor bear will probably end up in a stew at some point. Sigh!We went to Fubo Mt. which is a hill set amidst a stunning park facing the river. We walked right to the top of the hill, involving several thousand steps and several pit stops for me while I panted like a rabid dog & got the colour down in my face before I could resume the ascent!! At the top it was an absolutely stunning view over Guilin..the smoky 'termite mound' mountains and the long winding river. We also got targeted at the top by a local man who cuts your profile into folded paper. An interesting concept. Until you see the result of his handiwork.
This is quite a short blog as we were only in Guilin for 3 days. We walked around the local shops for a while, ate in local restaurants and we sat in a packed coffee house while I cheered raucously at the English losing in the Olympic diving while the Chinese gave me odd looks. I shouldn't have cheered. Our scores for diving were humiliating!
The end of our Guilin trip led to our cruise down the Lijiang river to Yangsho. This place was even more beautiful than Guilin if this was at all possible.
Lois & David xx
Comments
What a read!
Hello you two,
I have been so busy lately that I haven't had five mins to read any of your blogs so I have just caught up and read them all in the last two days!
I agree with Dean - you should put all this together as a book when you get back. It's so good to read and has a very colourul and unique style. The places are defintely brought to life. I found a website where you can publish your own books on demand so you could even do it yourselves. The photos would add it as well.
You sound like you're enjoying it all, even the bits you don't like. I have to say its put me off India for life but China sounds superb. Especially nice to get a postive view of it after all the insidious anti-china propganda over here!
All the best and speak soon.
Scott and Rachel