Yangshuo & Back to Guilin

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This morning we checked out of our hotel after the overnight stay and drove to a local village where we got to see first hand how the average farmer lives – the house was very basic, very open to the wind and would be very cold in winter. No modern amenities of any sort – our host, Mrs Pan, had been a widow for over 30 years, but had bought up her daughter alone. She is now bringing up her grandchild while her daughter works in the city. We bought some small souvenirs from her as a thank you for letting us into her house. Kitchen was off to the side and very basic, woks and pots over a fire on the ground, all open to the elements, every available space outside was given over to gardens for vegetables and herbs and spices. Her spare room was used to house a coffin – a Chinese custom is for the family to have this prepared for the oldest member of he household and this coffin was for her uncle who used to live in the house but has just recently moved out to live with his son who has just been able to afford to build a house.

After that we drove to a local rice paddy field where we got the chance to get close to the workers cutting the rice and putting the stalks through the thrasher and the tying the stalks up in bails. Looked like hard work. We drove back to the city of Guilin for lunch at a hotel in the middle of one of Guilin's lakes - had our first taste of toffee banana - must be a speciality of the region because we had it for dinner as well! After lunch we went to the South Sea Pearl Museum - what a wonderful place - some advice for future travellers, definitely save some of your spending money to put to good use here! Next stop was Flute Cave - a very large cave system set in this side of the mountain - 21 deg inside all year round - used in WW2 as shelter from the bombing and then rediscovered in 1957. There were solid stone paths and steps all the way through and quite a few interesting formations which you had to use your imagination to visualise. Our final stop was Diecai mountain (which means folded brocade) - 450 steps up the the top with sheer drops either side but spectacular 360 degree views - I remained safely in the middle and didn't look down but just out!!! After another lovely dinner we went to see the cormorant fishing - very blustery, had four layers on and was still cold as was most of the people on the boat and the poor cormorants only caught one fish so it was bit of a poor show - glad that we had seen it on a documentary before we came! Finally to bed exhausted after a much earned decent cup of tea and my final turkish delight (not sure how I am going to survive the last 6 days!)

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Photos

Mrs Pan's House
The Kitchen