Yangshuo

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Because it was pitch dark out when we arrived to Yangshuo we didn't see the karst mountains in and around the city. We were really surprised when we woke up to see these gigantic masses everywhere. It happened to be raining today so we went and had a leisurely breakfast and saw a sign for a cooking class at Cloud 9 on our way back to the hotel. We stopped in and signed up since we didn't want to be outside in the rain touring. For around $17 each we had an afternoon class where we walked to the farmers market and picked up supplies to make the meals that the group had chosen. This was an experience in itself. There were all sorts of things for sale including dog, cat, chicken, rabbit, frogs, snails and lots of vegetables. Once back at the restaurant/cooking school we learned to chop, stir fry and make dumplings. We had to learn how to measure by the spatula or shake of a bottle. We had so much fun and once the food was done we got to eat what we made. After the class we went to West street which is lined with vendors selling all sorts of stuff. We were exhausted and tried to go to bed early but the continuous karaoki in the restaurant next to our hotel kept us awake until 2 AM. We should have brought ear plugs or gotten up and joined in the singing.

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