Yangshou - Backpackers Paradise

Asia » China
September 10th 2009

Published: September 11th 2009

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pinikir

I try to write my name

I think there is room for improvement

I've whined about the length of our trains on this trip but the one between Shanghai and Yangshou really takes the biscuit. It lasted 25 hours 30 mins . I have never been so glad to get off a train. Lucky us still had an hour and a half bus journey before we reached Yangshou.

I haven't taken many photographs of the town itself though I have plenty of the surrounding areas. From the minute I arrived there I was disappointed with the town itself. It is very western. Bars and clubs line the streets with tourists shops crammed in between. To get anything local you really had to wander the backstreets.

I'm not saying I didn't have a good time there because I certainly did! It was an action packed three days where I learned Tai Chi and Calligraphy attended the Yangshou Cooking School, went bamboo rafting, attended a light show and kayaked for 3 hours down the river!

Tai Chi and Calligraphy

I did these on the first morning. The Tai Chi is relaxing as everyone makes out! But watch out, I've learnt how these apply to fighting, I may have to try them out.

Tuk Tuk

A bit of a hair raising ride to the river with very little to grab onto

It really helped for the calligraphy, it takes a steady hand and easy mind to master it. The brush has to be held upright all the time and it really makes sweeping curves and straight lines difficult. But by the end I got a smile from the teacher for my efforts on 1-10, person, sky, big, wood, tree and forest. The greatest triumph was probably managing my name which means beauty and wisdom!

Bamboo Rafting

I had visions of trying to steer myself down the river on a raft with only a pole to aid me. It turned out to be nothing like that. The rafts are petrol propelled and there is a driver steering you. We did see the farmers using the more traditional rafts on the river as we went by. It was however still amazing going down the river with the hills on all sides. They are all of varying shapes and angles and just when you thought you were getting bored of them, water buffallo appeared in the water.

The Light Show

The light show was awesome. They lit three hills up and all the action took place on the river and on

Fit for a queen

My ride down the river was much safer!

the river banks. It was a great cultural display featuring something like over two hundred people. The fishermen on their small boats where incredible! They worked as a team in lines producing rivers of blood and something of a fight sequence. It is defintely worth the eighteen pounds that you need to pay to go.

Yangshou Cooking School

This was by far my favourite activity. We learnt how to prepare five dishes - beer fish, chicken cashew nut, pork in steamed vegetable, spinach with garlic and egg plant. The Chinese really love using garlic and the whole group has developed a love for it (we don't worry about garlic breath anymore) and I've learnt how to use it really effectively.

I laughed when we went in after a break to make the beer fish. There was a whole mug of beer sitting there and we put the whole lot in with the fish!

Kayaking

Thank goodness this was the last activity I did, my arms only stopped feeling sore two days later! We were sent out on to the river with narry an instruction on how to paddle and one man on his bamboo raft to keep

Making myself comfortable

The views were great from here

an eye on us and give the occassional tow. I worked out how to do it after a fashion but every few minutes that I paddled, I felt myself drifting to the left or to the right. It took some effort to straighten up after.

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