Guilin

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We had an early start for our cruise up the Li River. This involved about 20 odd boats all travelling up the river at the same time (although the views were well worth it and you didn't even notice the other boats after a while). It is currently dry season and there has been very little rain. This meant that the river was quite low in many places- it would have been amazing to see the river in full flight. Everywhere you looked there was an amazing view. There was no bad spot to stand on the boat - the only downside was that it was still quite foggy and the viewing wasn't absolutely perfect. We struggled to see what the chinese had named some of the hills - the nine horses??? I could only see one! It was a longer trip because of the low tide but I can recommend this cruise to anyone in the area.

Our destination - Yangshuo. What a beautiful place and well worth a visit. It wasn't all hustle and bustle like the other big cities - it reminded me of a town in the alps - mountains all around and quaint little houses and buildings - the only thing missing was the snow. We had a chance to wander through the local markets before dinner - then came the surprisingly must do of this tour (it was an optional extra). We went to see 'Illusions' - an outdoor show performed on water and directed by the guy who directed the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. This show has been running since 2002, with sometimes 2 shows a night (with only a 3 week break every year), with 600 performers and peforming to 3000 people each show. What a visual feast of traditional chinese costumes and tribes, all set to some amazing music. All set with a backdrop of illumination mountains all around. Words can't really describe what we saw and even though we didn't understand a word of what they were saying it was still amazing. The town of Yangshuo is beautiful at night with all of the surrounding hills illuminated - my photo's had no chance of doing it justice.

Tomorrow we have a short drive back to Guilin

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