Blogs from Guilin, Guangxi, China, Asia - page 8

Geo: 24.7709, 110.487Two things about the Chinese we forgot to mention yesterday:Handbags - when a couple get together the relationship is sealed when she lets him carry her handbag. At first we thought it was the odd one or two hen pecked men carrying the girlfriend or wife's bag but further research has shown it is a general custom. There is a lot of sense in this, the handbag probably contains the purse so possession of the handbag imposes some sort of control over spending. The men are not of course allowed to carry her mobile phone, this can only be removed with surgery and a great deal of counselling.PA's - In both Beijing and Xian there were street musicians with amps, guitars and even drum kits performing to large groups of people. In Tongli there ... read more

Geo: 25.2581, 110.271Imagine dear reader, you have decided on a grand launch, you book a venue in the best street in China, The Bund Shanghai, and one of the most iconic buildings in that street (number 18). You invite all the movers and shakers and just to make sure they are looked after have 20 or so heavies outside the door, all wearing DJ's and hidden microphones, and dolly girls inside the door to welcome the lovely people. The blue carpet is rolled out (it matches the buildings lighting), the press photographers are there, everything is ready.An elderly couple arrive. He is wearing his travel suit which looked good when he bought it but that was at least 15 years ago and anyhow it is covered with an anorak. She has a smart shirt and leggings ... read more

We sleep well. A light breakfast at the hotel, and we have a free morning. We wander around the village, make some purchases, and stop for coffee at a shop. (Digression: The coffee in China is remarkably inconsistent. Sometimes it is hot and strong–occasionally overly strong, and sometimes it is lukewarm and weak. It is mercifully good this morning.) The village is a remarkable construction, built essentially on sheer cliffs, most buildings perched precariously on brick or bamboo foundations, linked by an interconnecting web of pathways carved out of or constructed from pieces of bare rock. Wheeled vehicles would be useless, so sure-footed horses and donkeys move materials around. Chickens run free and the crowing of roosters is constant. A few dogs and cats can be seen. There are pigs in cramped pens, destined to appear ... read more

Day 4 - Hike up to Moon Hill We did manage a bit of a lay in this morning 8.10! Whilst waiting my turn for the shower, I woke myself up with a nice cuppa. We went off for breakfast in Monkey Jaynes, my omlette was nice, but not everyone's meals came in time. We had to leave before theirs came as we needed to set off for Moon Hill at 9.30. The first part of the home was to pick up our bikes. We had an 8km bike ride to get there. Moon Hill was just as I expected it to be! I was thinking about Nadia and Vietnam, all the way up. There were 8 if in the group, and Sally, the guide. It was a hard, uphill hike. There are 900 steps. It ... read more

On the bus journey away from Guilin we’d been lucky enough to catch the express bus which was advertised as being a direct bus. In reality it only stopped half a dozen times to drop people off at points along the route as they negotiated with the driver. For the return journey we headed to the collection point only to see the bus on its way down the street already. Not sure what to do or when the next one was due we had a look about the bus station and found a slightly smaller bus that was advertising itself as the bus to Guilin. We managed to figure out they were charging the same fare so we jumped aboard after storing our bags under the bus. A short while after the bus set off we ... read more