Guilin

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So after a very slow trip across Shanghai, we sprinted into Pudong Airport and made our flight by approximately 30 seconds, still it meant we got seated in "the naughty seats" at the back of the plane so had 3 seats each, oh and got served the refreshments first!!

We arrived in Guilin , took the airport bus which dropped everyone outside a hotel (probably owned by the bus contractors), then we waited for a taxi, in rush hour, not being able to speak the language and sticking out like sore thumbs at a manicurists.
We settled for avery dodgy motorised rickshaw after an hour of waiting and being turned down by half the taxis in Guilin as they coudnt understand the adress which we had Mercure in Shanghai write for us.

Anyway, we were here.A few snacks at the food stalls in the evening then an early night.

This morning we awoke, wow, Guilin is a really nice town!!!

We walked along Fur (or Fir??)Lake and along the Lijiang river, stopped for coffee then walked some more, very pleasant.


This afternoon we hired a taxi for half a day, cost us a whole 10 euros with unlimited kms!!

We headed off to the Yaoshan mountain to get the best view of Guilin possible , so we were told!!

Anyway, i didnt tell Ji before we arrived but you have to get to the top via cable car, she realised, punched me in the arm, rolled her eyes and agreed to get on, its not cheap by chinese rates but should be well worth it!!

Took about 20 mins to get to the top, few shaky moments but not so bad.

Anyway as we reached the higher levels we realised the view was mostly hidden, by the grey smog/cloud that seems to hang over most of China!

Still we could just make out the shadows of the karst peaks around and im sure that on a clear day the view would be one of the best in the world.

Tonight we are sat in Bobs Cafe on the bank of the Lijiang river eating bacon and tomato sandwiches and drinking cocktails, yes we have cracked, its been 2 weeks, but noodles every day , whether fried, steamed in buns or in soup have got to us!

Tomorrow mini bus to Yangshou then do as little as possible for a week!!!

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Comments

[Auntie Jen]

Sounds lovely!
Guilin sounds really good- worth another trip to China although don't think we will be pushing our luck as we only had smoggy stuff early one morning.The view in the photo shows you how amazing it must be.Caved in and having English food in a cafe I see. Must admit enjoyed the Chinese food for other meals and although interesting to try it wasn't too impressed with the noodles and dumplings etc for breakfast - definitely an aquired taste as was their version of porridge.

[Cary Cosette]

Inquiry
How much was spent for your trip? I'm a bit concerned with the transportation form the airport to the hotel. Is there any airport bus service there that is also a car hire service? Is this advisable?

[MarkJina]

Cost
The airport bus was just 20 yuan each to the city, the rickshaw then took us the last 2 km for another 20 for the 2 of us plus luggage.We were staying right in the city centre though just a 2 minute walk to Central Square, there are some better options transport wise near the bus and railway station.We always prefer the town centres though. We did speak to someone who got a metered taxi for 120 yuan from the airport to city centre. If you stay in an english speaking hostel or hotel in Guilin they can probably sort transportation out for you in advance .