Even the Sweet and Sour Chicken tastes like Uncle Ben's

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From one extreme to the other we are now well and truely back on the backpackers trail. Yangshuo is a travellers mecca - more like a Thai island than what you would expect from China. The town is geared up to accomodate the travellers every whim to the point where even Chinese food has been altered for a 'Western pallete" which to my mind does it a disservice.

It is understandable why Yangshuo has become a magnet, the charms are quite clear; with the kaste scenery, Li River, bamboo rafts sailing past the fisherman and their coromorates. The area also has an abundance of caves with funny names, where you can swim in underground rivers surrounded by rock strata that sparkle like millions of diamonds.

Given we have now been on the road for almost 2 months, Tom and I decided to put our relationship to the test by hiring a tandem bike - not only do they look ridiculous they are incredibly uncomfortable. I also found out that I am not skilled in the tandem steering department and crashed into trees, people and stationary cars before we decided it was safer that Tom drove. Once we eventually got going you can loose yourself in the countryside and not notice how long you have been until you begin to feel the ache in your knees.

We have paid the obligatory visit to the famous dragons backbone, where we walked for hours among the rice paddies and met Miao women who never cut their hair. I was a little startled when one woman undid her hair, reaching down to her calves and demanded that I hold her tresses so that she could tie them back up again. Holding a strangers hair (which was very heavy) felt like a definate invasion of privacy.

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Photos

Give me my fish
cormorate fishing is a little little like bulemia in that a rope is tied around the birds neck. When it catches a fish it tries to swallow it but gets stuck at the rope. The fisherman then makes the bird regurgitate the fish - doesnt that sound appertising!