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Published: March 17th 2012
My last stop before Hong Kong on my all too short tour of China was Yangshuo. I really did love the town and surrounding countryside, but there were a few things I could have done without and one awful situation that occurred while I was leaving the city (the ugly).
The Good I think Yangshuo has to be my favourite stop in China. There really is nowhere in the world like Guilin provence (unless you believe Avatar is not just a movie). When you first see the triangle-shaped mountains, you can't help but blink your eyes to ensure they are really there. They look that surreal. I never got sick of looking at them, and would have happily spent much more time exploring the region and going to lesser visited spots had time permitted.
The best part of Yangshuo is not Yangshuo, but leaving the city to explore the countryside. On the afternoon we arrived, we all headed out to take a bamboo cruise. The girls even had flower crowns - there were at least ten little old ladies selling them wherever you go and it is hard to resist. I wasn't the one that broke
and bought the crowns, but I was 15 seconds away from it when one was plopped on my head. The bamboo cruise was the perfect way to start the visit. It was a great way to see the scenery, and really was just fun.
Now I must say, I am very proud of myself. Only a couple of blog entries ago I swore I would never ride a bike (on a historical wall) again. I honestly did not think I would get on another bike until much later in my trip. But I surprised myself and rented a bicycle to ride in the Yangshuo countryside. Admittedly, I did explore other possibilities before agreeing to the bike including motorcycle rental. But in the end, the bike won out for financial reasons, and I'm really glad it did. While I was very cautious at first, a few kilometres into the ride I started to really enjoy myself and it really was the best way to see the countryside. While I won't be riding a bike on a historical wall anytime soon (this I will stand firm on), I will more than willingly ride again when there is not a wall involved.
I actually also took a cooking class while in Yangshuo. It was really, really fun. We started by going to a local market to buy ingredients (I opted out of the meat section for obvious reasons, and my friends said I made the right choice as they watched a dog get slaughtered), and then learned how to cook three dishes. Now, I actually know my way around a kitchen quite well, so it wasn’t too challenging for me other than learning how to chop with a totally unnecessary butcher’s knife. What I enjoyed more was watching my friends who had no cooking experience trying to cook (and chop with a butcher’s knife). I ended up with three great vegetarian dishes, and was a little smug when the people I was cooking with declared my dishes yummier than their meat dishes. I also finally have a good recipe for spicy green beans, something I have been searching for for a long time. I would highly recommend the class (at Cloud 9 Restaurant), it was a really fun experience and worth the cost.
The Bad Yangshuo actually reminds me about a town in the French Alpes that
I spent a summer studying French in during undergrad – Annecy. Both cities have canals, beautiful scenery, lots of little restaurants and bars, and rely heavily on tourism. Now this is obviously not bad. What is bad is the tourism trade and the constant harassment you experience when walking down the street by sellers. It gets old fast, and is worse than what I have experienced anywhere else. I realize that they are just trying to earn a living, but I still can’t stand it. The other problem with Yangshuo is that with heavy tourism comes more expensive food. No 8 yuan meals for me on this part of my trip, and with Hong Kong prices around the corner I had been really hoping to save some money while there. I would still recommend Yangshuo, just be prepared for more expensive eats and constant harassment to buy things.
The Ugly To leave Yangshuo, we took a public coach bus to the Guilin train station where we were catching an overnight train to Hong Kong. Being the good little traveller I am, all my valuables were on me, most in my purse, my laptop in
my small knapsack. I put my knapsack directly above my head on the coach, with my purse in my lap. There wasn’t enough space between the seats for much more. From right above my head, my laptop and some backup cash in the knapsack were stolen. They also got my camera case, but my camera was in my purse (not sure why, but thank god it was), so at least there was some poetic justice.
Clearly, I was very upset. Not about the physical laptop (a cheap notebook that I have easily replaced in HK for a few hundred dollars, although that hurt it was necessary as all my travel plans are in digital form), but about the loss of all the work I have done in sorting and editing photos (I still have my raw files, another small miracle). As well, the potential violation of my personal data has me on edge. I have had to change every single password I have, and I am still on edge about what information they have at their fingertips.
I think what is the worst is that the theft occurred in my last 24 hours in China. Now, whenever I’m
asked about the country, that is what I think of. I know I’ll get over it (I’m even trying to joke about it already), but it still has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I just hope I’m able to separate it from the country I spent two and a half months exploring. Because I had so much fun, and for now all I can think about is that someone is trying to sell my little netbook (with a French-English keyboard – HAHA) somewhere in the country, not about all the fun that I had.
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Yet another beautiful place!!!!!
I see what you mean about the hills- what a lovely place. I know you are enjoying Hong Kong now & look forward to seeing your next posting!