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I took the fist plane I found to Guilin from Shangai, I could not wait to leave from the big humid city.
After a long metro to the airport I got to the plane. I believe that they did not have enough sits and they upgrade me to business. It was nice to read the local newspaper in English and enjoyed a big comfortable sit for almost 3 hours. It was interesting to see that there are many news about the investments of China in Latin-American, the strategic interest they have on infrastructure investments. On the other hand they talk about the big amount of soybeans arriving from Argentina. I did not know either, but the person that signs is a Chinese Latin-American expert based in Mexico. Then there were news about the situation of legal adoption in China and the flexibility to include some orphans that in the past were excluded to give them in adoption for foreign countries.<span> It seemed from this news that more Chinese babies will be arriving to US and Europe soon.
Guilin is hot and humid as well. But different than Shangai. It is a landscape that looks like Rio de Janeiro, with hundreds of
Morros and beautiful mountains surrounded by some rivers.
I arrived to the guesthouse and next to it I found a Spanish restaurant where I eat a good tortilla and then I had a nice foot massage.
During the night, around 4 pm I guess, Marcelo arrived from Fengshue city, with the excuse that his bus broken, but then he confessed that he stayed parting in that town and lost the bus. We were ready to go to small rice villages where you can witness the terraces where local work the land. <span> We went to two places. Pin yan and Dazan.<span> In the first one we hike a lot, going thru many-many tiny steps all around, we saw rats, snakes and strange animals in cages in front of restaurants ready to order. In the second one Marcelo left me to go to Guilin to ask for a Visa extension.<span> I like Pin'yan, but it is too touristic in comparison with Dazan. In Pin´yan Marcelo bought strange nuts and made me try one. I bitten it in a wrong way and a slice of my repair tooth broke. Marcelo gave me a lecture on odontology , but I did not pay much attention. I was felling the sharp and uncomfortable corner of the tooth that did not let me think in another think than putting a gum or a small playdoo there to cover the zone.
We agreed to meet again in Youghsho, our next city. It took me forever to find the hostel. Very recommended in my guide, not know really why.<span> Marcelo sent me a message saying that the visa takes a while and he was pissed off because he had to leave his passport for a week and he was not allowed to go out of the limit of the province. I assumed he would not arrive this day so I went to visit downtown, the shore of the river and research funny dental clinic next to the bus station. My dinner was light, with so much hot you barley want to eat anything. All wet I went to try bras, but still not luck here. Shoes and bras are things a tall big western cannot find here.<span> But I have a lot of fun trying their style of intimate clothing…
The hostel was far away the downtown in an area for car repairs, engines and lavatories suppliers, but the moon was amazing, big, in the perfect full moon stage, so the mountains where clear and dark bright.
Marcelo was in the dorm I took it. He was in a very bad mood. I told him about this amazing river in downtown where you can put your feet in the water while having dinner in a small plastic table. He has not eaten yet so we went again out.
It was around 9 pm, now more people had arrived to the shore of the river. The city of Yougshou is pretty alive during the night, full of young people and a lot of tourists. <span> Music and old people were dancing traditional Chinese music.
Next day we rented bikes and under a heavy sun we bike the whole day. We stopped in a mountain called Moon Mountain. A place where many climbers where going up using their ropes. We hike to the top, walking for an hour or more. I was completely wet. We met in the hill an amazing coke seller in her 70tis that spoke better English than any front desk hotel lady.
I was desperate to go to swim. I did not care about dengue, malaria, or anything that I could get in the river. I have just needed to be in the water.<span> We bike for many miles in the opposite direction of this mountain and we got to a nice rural area where we finally found a place to enter to the river. Not many locals enter to the water. They rent bamboo boats and with a kid toy they splash water between the boats while crossing each other.<span> Three Chinese tourist from other province where swimming there. <span> I approached them, and after I took a long survey, to be sure there will be no snakes in the water and regarding Marcelo was teasing me about all the illness and things I can get from sweet water in China.<span> I jumped to the water. It was amazing. I have not regrets for swimming there.<span> Even thought I have to admit that once in awhile I was shouting with scare because I was touching something, that might be some plants or garbage, (an the Chinese laugh loudly) but at that time my body really needs to be in the water before I melt no matter what.
We biked more and we have dinner in a small Dutch guesthouse in the way back to Younshou. After a whole day of exercise I was ready to fix my tooth. Marcelo accepted to join me and help me with the local dentist.<span> It was a fun experience, they realized that Marcelo knew about their field so they worked well, but they did not give us any discount. The fix was 30u$. Not bad <span>J, but the more interesting was the fun I had witnessing how shy the dentist become under the close look of Marcelo, and how uncomfortable he were each time Marcelo touch his dental instruments from the trail.
The following day we went to Xinping.<span> A town that Marcelo sais it sound the same as a famous actor in US. It took me a while to realized he was thinking of Sean Penn…ejeje…Xinping is the landscape of the 20Y bill. More nature and less crowded than Guiling or Youngshou but very touristic and humid as well. We took a bout for 2 hours to a far village in the north of the river. In the village we enter to the river again, with all the cloth on…next to us other tourist<span> join us first and then local sheep and cows.<span> One of the tourist accepted to give us a tide back to Younghshou, there were not way to return directly to Xinping. We needed to be there at 7pm because we had booked another small bout with a French couple to see the traditional Chinese fishing in the night. They use birds, cormorants, with a rope around their neck, so they cannot swallow the fish they catch.
Back in Guilin we wanted to go to the Avatar inspiration place, <span> Wulishoun mountains. Marcelo was already there but he wanted to go back to see them with sun. <span> It was very difficult to get a connection from Guilin. We could not find buses nor train. I spent almost 2 days going back and forth from the bus and train station dealing with the mafias of ticket that seemed to be sold out but if you pay more they can find you sits. Tired of the hot weather, tired of the word MEI OH MEI OH…which mean there is not, it is not possible, nooooooo, I have not… or something like that. I told Marcelo I was going to Kumming and Yunnan Province immediately. He could not leave the province yet so he decided to stay in Guilin and take a bus the following day. I bought a flight ticket to Kumming.
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