Plane or Train

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After finishing our last blog we emerged from the internet loft to find the sun had finally decided to make an appearance so we paid for another night to saddle up to explore the countryside by pedal power.

A little negotiating and we rode away only to get lost in town for half an hour. The directions in the lonely planet guide book were ropey to say the least so we ditched the book and followed our noses.

Maintaining a leisurely pace whilst taking in the scenery we reached moon hill in about an hour, we knew we had arrived by all the touts standing outside the entrance preying on anyone western. We ate at the cafe at the bottom of the hill, I tried the countryside dumplings and local rice wine which sounds a lot nicer than it tastes!

There were just over a thousand steps up to the top where we had the whole place to ourselves to marvel at the sights of dozens of limestone peaks as far of the eyes could see. On the way down we passed several people on their way to the top, one group had even paid one of the old ladies selling water at the bottom to carry their bag to the top, how rude and lazy!

We spent 6 days in Yangshuo, perhaps longer than needed so the next day we took the bus to Guilin. We found a minibus that was semi full however it did the usual annoying thing of driving around town for 20 minutes until every seat and standing aisle space was full before leaving making our journey a lot longer than anticipated.

Upon reaching Guilin we headed straight for the CAAC office to purchase some flights to Kunming. The flight was expensive, 990 Yuan each, however the train from Guilin to Kunming would have been 22 hours or more whereas the flight only an hour, not to mention the ease and comfort of flying in comparison to the train.

So with our flights booked we headed out to explore Guilin. The Seven Star Park was very pleasant; we strolled around the grounds and inside the quiet Qixia Temple. The various golden Budda's and other colourful statues were interesting to look at, the temples so far in china have been so busy that we haven't had much of a chance to take a good look at whats inside them.

After a spot of lunch we headed to Solitary Beauty Peak and after paying the whopping 50 Yuan each to get in we soon regretted it. The grounds were not that great and peak was full of Korean tourists making the steep ascent and descent quite a rude affair with plenty of giving way on our part and no thank you's in return. The views from the top were of the city which were ok but I would advise giving the whole attraction a miss as it was not worth the money.

The roads in Guilin were just as hectic as they were in Guangzhou, if not more so. Crossing the road to view the twin tower pagodas one evening took, well all evening. Just when you think there is a break in the traffic you see the bikes and motorcyles shadows in the headlights of the on-coming cars. It seems in china there is no need for light reflective clothing and lights for bicycles and mopeds which does tend to get on one's nerves. Neither of us are great fans of crossing the roads in the day let alone at night. Watching the locals, you have to just walk into the road and seemingly hope that the cars and bikes see you.

While we are moaning we have to mention the constant spitting, nose blowing and coughing that goes on. No thinks its attention seeking, I just think its gross. Simply going for a walk requires eyes on the ground at all times to avoid the phlem and lung butter on the floor. We have had a few moments of skidding and it makes you want to disinfect your trainers straight after. Seeing fully grown women nose blowing in the street is something else though.

Back to Guilin, we checked out of our hotel room and got the airport shuttle from the CAAC office to the airport. Once there we were faced with a lovely, calm airport, a welcome change to the manic bus and trains stations we had been used to.

The China Southern flight was very quick, we were both pleasantly surprised by the skills of the pilot who actually throttled off through the turbulence, unlike Air New Zealand pilots. We landed in Kunming about an hour later, ready for the last section of our china trip.

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Photos

Moon Hill
Limestone Peak With A Moon Shaped Hole In The Middle

Solitary Peak
Expensive And Not Very Solitary...

Token Bathroom Photo
The Worst Bathroom The Guilin!

Comments

[Michelle]

Nice bathroom!
It looks like you a quite a eventful tour in Guilin! That bathroom reminds me of some of the student bathroom's I've seen in Preston!! YUK!