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Published: June 11th 2007
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Yangshuo1
I love this Lets make it official: For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to see these moutain formations in southern China, ride through little villages on a bike, and eat some crazy Chinese food. I can now say I (and Randy) have done these things. I don't have my camera card on me or I would put up all the amazing pictures we took. I still can't believe we have done all this. Today we met up with a local girl who spoke very good english and went on a bike ride through all the little villages.
It was just unbelievable. We rode to many famous things around Yangshuo: Like 'The Big Banya Tree;' an incredible 1400 year old tree, that the local people planted and have looked after ever since. We rode to the base of 'The Moon Hill;' a moutain formation that is very comparable to southern Utah's natural arches (except this was covered in vegatation of all kinds). We then procceded to climb the moutain on foot while our guide stayed at the cafe' at the bottom.
All the time we were hiking, two women (one 40 years old, the other maybe 50), stayed
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Getting shown around the villages on bikes with us the whole time trying to sell us water and postcards. It was a strenuous hike ever for us. I can't beleive how well the 40 years old kept up with us. We did eventually get away from her, but only for a moment, because will we were taking pictures she came hiking up the hill asking if we wanted water yet. We said no, and began to hike again. After a minute we came to what we thought was the highest we could go, and stopped to bask in the golory of this most beautiful region. Soon after, while we were catching our breath, both women came hiking up offering us water for 10 Yuan (it is three at the bottom) we said no, laughing while they fanned us with their wooden fans.
We soon asked if this was the top, and they pointed us to a small, unkept, what-some-people-might-call-a-off-the-track-stretch-of-dirt-that-is-distiguishably-different-than-the-forest-around-it, path. Eitherway it was crazy and looked very dangerous, so, of-course, we went full-boar up the trail. It was very hard, lots of sharp jagged rocked covered the path, and our progress was slow. We stopped for a brief moment so I could take of my shirt
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I like old things, and I like trees; this is a 1400 year old tree! Too bad it was 20-50 years in prison if I tried to hug it... so I would look hot a sweety once we reached the top so we could get some great pic's.
It really turned out very nice. We got to the top soon enough and began to bask in the glory. It was amazing. I really am so happy how it turned out; couldn't ask for more. We got some really great pictures, and Randy being the spiteful kid that he is, had to get higher than me, so he climbed a telephone pole of sorts, that was pretty much falling out of its whole in the ground that it had been put in what looked like maybe around the Ming Dynasty. It was very dangerous and his mom should yell at him for such foolery. I can't wait to put the picture up so she, and everyone else, can see how crazy he is... Anyway, we are still both alive and no one has gotton hurt.
After we hiked back down, with the women nippin' at our heels the whole way, we had quite the splended little luch at the cafe. It was served family style, with fried stuffed eggplant, pinnaple chicken, and some vegies with a small bowl
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Another great panorama I got ontop of Moon Hill of rice that every meal in China seems to come with. It was great and Randy and I were quite content (as the picture will show). After a few good pic's of the enourmous moutain we had climbed we were off again on our one-speed bikes (they had more gears but they didn't work), back to the city.
After paying the guide 200 Yuan ( maybe 20 some dollars for the whole day inculding food, bike rental, and entrance fees) we took some much needed, ice-cold showers (we would have taken hot showers, but water wouldn't come out when we would turn the hot water knob). We are now just chillin' the rest of the day, getting ready to head off to the next great place for another great adventure. I think we will be going to Xi'an, near to where the Terrocata Army is. But we don't really know. We wanted to see Three-Gorges Damn (the highly controversial damn, due to be completed 2009, it is estimated to relocate over 2 million people, and cover hundred of miles of beautiful terrain), but it really isn't high on our priority list, so if it happens to be convient, we
Ming Dynasty Telephone Pole
Mothers everywhere let out a tear... wil do it, otherwise it's off to Xi'an or even Bejing.
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