River Li Boat-trip

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So we did take the boat trip. But we paid the extra and went with the hostel, for peace of mind.

The jetty was about 1 hour 40 mins minibus drive from the hostel (stopping now and then to pick up Chinese passengers, who, for a fiver, could be dropped off en route) and we clambered off, stiff and complaining about mid-morning in a small farming village by the river.

The famous bamboo boat was mostly made from metal and hard-wood planks, from what I could see, but there were token efforts at bamboo, which harkened back to the traditional fishing boats they were supposed to be. Having seen the traditional boats (and bamboo boat is a description, not a name), I was rather grateful for these more sturdy affairs.

We got on board - 6 to a boat, plus luggage for those who were staying at our destination - and sailed down the River Li to Yangshou.

Sounds simple, and the journey was. It was, however, also breathtakingly stunning. The river is surrounded by the most gorgeous karsts, all covered in greenery and each giving more amazing views than the next.

Words can't do it justice, so see the photos - although they also fall short. Needless to say, it was a great experience and made the trip down to the South well worth it.

Yangshou is a small town, again quite touristy, but not as bad as Guilin, which makes a good base from which to take day trips into the mountains or surrounding small villages to explore and hike. The town itself has little to offer, but once we had arrived and eaten lunch there wasn't a lot of time left to us.

Myself and another girl from the dorm took the bus back to Guilin, whilst the other 2 stayed in Yangshou. Great day, great fun.

In the evening, the two of us went out and, quite by accident, met another foreigner as she was exiting a noodle place we were trying to order at - unsuccessfully, since the menu was entirely in Mandarin. Fortunately, she spoke perfect Mandarin and recommended - and ordered - a traditional Guilin noodle dish for us, which was delicious. We headed home via a bakery and sampled the delicacies - all nice, but crumbly (and very sweet, as are most things in China).

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Photos

River Li
A cave, just under the water line.