Blogs from Guilin, Guangxi, China, Asia - page 33

Pics from Guilin... read more

Sorry for the lack of entries recently......we just wanted to post a quick update to let you know we're still alive and then we'll post properly tommorrow. Well - things with Jen's eyes got worse unfortunately and her vision became really poor in both eyes....we were forced to go back to the hospital and this time got to see a lovely female professor. Things started badly when Jen couldn't read below the top letter on the vision board even with her glasses and then Dr Wei proceeded to terrify us by sucking in her breath and saying 'oh my god' when looking at Jen's eyes through the slit lamp - very comforting! Apparently Jen had now developed bad swelling of the cornea in both eyes which the doctor felt was due to a viral infection that ... read more

It's hills, that I'm talking about, hundreds of them. They are the inspiration for much of the waterpaintings, one see's in Chinese art and think it's an over-exeggeration. Not only that, Guilin has caves, which when lighted with colored lights, looks like a wonderland. In my opinion it's one of the most natural beautiful places in the world. Being close to the tropics, the atmosphere seems more relaxed than in the other parts of China. Walking around in the morning, I see many doing taichi, calisthenics and stretching along the waterfront. In a parklike setting, seen about 100 people ballroom dancing, at 8:00 in the morning, mind you. They were mostly middle-age, and dressed in office attire, so I assume they were getting their blood circulating before hitting the office. The big tour of course is ... read more

We got up at a very early hour - midday, and strolled in the heat to a lovely park. We had a makeshift picnic there (Chinese supermarkets don’t really cater for cucumber sandwiches and pork pies) and lounged around in our own sweat. It was approximately 1000% humidity. We stumbled across a zoo, randomly located inside the park. The animals were kept in appalling conditions (except for the giant panda who enjoyed the penthouse of cages). The first thing we saw was a tiger, kept in a 10 meter cage. You could get a photo taken with you sitting on it for 1 pound. When we left the cage was open. We walked away fast. We saw lots of monkeys and they were really clever, they were sticking their hands out of the cage to catch ... read more

Fri. 12th. After leaving most of our breakfast, we are taken to a mountain lake for a short boat trip around an island. It was pretty, but just like Royden Park on a larger scale. In the shop they sell large canisters of oxygen, and we are amazed at the amount of people using it. On the way back to Li Jiang, we make the obligatory stops at the tea houses, and Jade showrooms. Each time we hope the loos will be clean, but no joy. Admittedly some are better than others. Would you believe cattle stalls, with very low sides, and no door! After dinner (see previous comments) we walk to the old town and are again enthralled by it. It is even better and busier by night, with all the red lanterns lit, and ... read more