Bike ride to Halfmoon hill and interesting food!
Trip Start
Jul 08, 2007
1
5
31
Trip End
Sep 13, 2007
Yangshuo,
China
Thursday, July 12, 2007
This day started early- downstairs at 8 to start our half day cycling. We went to one of the many cycling stands that are areound the main area down the highstreet. The bike stand had a choice of bikes - mountain or road bikes. I chose the mountain bike. And mum to make you feel better we did wear helmets so you have no need to worry, or maybe not... the car and moped drivers are crazy!! We started the cycle by going along the main road which was scarry as the moped drivers had no idea which side of the road they were ment to be on, they were goin both ways on both sides of the road and some were even goin accross the road in the middle of the trafic!! With the cars horns blazing and them swerving in all directions!! Then at long last we turned off onto a more secluded lane. I loved that road!! so quiet and there were no cars and not as mant mopeds to contend with, just other tourists on bicycles!! and even better was the scenery, truly spectacular!!
The weather was as it had been so far; hot and humid and here we were doing excercise in the blazing sun. It wasn't so bad when we were moving as the wind dried te sweat and made it bearable but as soon as we stopped the heat got so intence- crazy!!
We cycled around the countryside for about 3-4 hours before we got to our destination - Half Moon Hill. Which is a hill that as the name suggests has a hole the shape of a half moon near the top. Ang guess what we did next... yep you got it... we climbed to the very top of the hill!!
Just before we arrived at the hill a cycle gang of local ladies joined our cyclecade. They were on bikes and had a sturophome box around one of their shoulders, what was in there we learned at the top. When we started to climb we found out why they joined us. Each one of them paired off with one of us and as we climbed they fanned us and them because it was hot work going up that hill!! When we asked why they did this George told us that they each made one trip up the mountain a day and sold drinks to us at the top which was how we said thank you to them for fanning us. And when we got to the top i did buy a water off them for 10, the same water you could get in town for 2 but the fanning was great and i had fun trying to talk to them!!
The main trail stopped under the moon part but there was a side trail that let ontop of the mountain that i climbed. The view was spectaculare!!! Once a rest we started the climb back down the mountain and by the end all of us had shaky leggs. To stop the shaking put one leg on something and the shaking will stop but the other leg will start shaking worse!! so its a trade off!!
We then got back on the bikes and cycled to where we were going to have our one and only included lunch. The resturant didnt have and aircnditioning but they did point 3 fans at the table which was great!! felt buch better then, and when the food came out and kept coming out i felt great!! There was a wide selection of dishes and i finally got the hang of eating with chopsticks - rice is no problem. The way to eat the final rice is to scoop the rice into your mouth, it doenst matter how much mess is made because the tablecloth was some plastice that they just pick up and throw out after you leave!! Messy!!!
After waiting a bit for lunch to settle we had a 40 min cycle back to the hotel, the scenery again was amazing. Limestone casks asw far as the eye can see. We had a free afternoon so i did some more exploring, shopping and went to the internet.
We had arranged to meet at the hotel at 7.20 for 4 of us to go and see the light and singing show. (im sorry, i cant remember the name but will put it in when i find out!!) It was a spectacular show and i would reccomend it to anyone. It was done on the woulds biggest ampheatheater. It was the best 170 i had spent yet!! pitty the whole greoup didnt go.
When we got back to the hotel the rest of the group was there and we all walked to the local food market. We had asked George to take us to a place where we could try some of the other interesting foodstuphs that was on offer. And he did that great. The food market had lots of trolleys in it with the food they were offering on the top and we could just go and chose what we wanted to eat! The tables were behind the trolleys. On the trolleys they had rat that looked like it was roadkill, dog, pigs nose and so on. For our internsting food we had snails, they were delicious tasted really good. much better than what the frence serve!! Pigs penis, which was interesting, some of it was verry chewy but the other bits were good!! Cray fish ehich proved a challenge to get into. All of these came with veggies and rice.
Once dinner was finished, some of the others didnt like the penis or the snails so they didnt have to eat it. thats the wonderful thing about haveing so many dishes, if you didnt like it you didnt have to eat it!!
We then went around the market im the local area looking at all of the curiou. I restrained myself and didnt buy anything!! When i got back to the hotel i had to pack my bag as we had to check out early tomorrow morning!! Night
