Journeying Gypsy

Day 2 When I woke up it was around 0700h. I found out the train was slightly delayed, so I'd arrive in Guilin at around 1100h, making it a 22 hour train ride. Since I've slept for about 17 hours, I felt extremely rested, ready for the new day. I made myself a cup of instant coffee (sadly, without any milk) and sat by the window to watch the passing scenery, nomming my 7/11 muffins. I think, for the first time in my life, I saw rice paddies up close. I was finally able to see straw hats in action. Straw hat figures, ankle deep in water, caring for the fragile rice plants; straw hat figures working the fields, accompanied by water buffaloes; and then just straw hats sticking out above tall grass. I doubt Chinese ... read more

When the feelings of being like Sisyphus finally lifted and changed into the feeling of being like Titan instead, everything finally started to fall into place. The initial summer plan was: Shanghai – Yunnan Province (1 week) – Vietnam (2 weeks) – Japan (Tokyo and Fuji Rock, 1 week) – Shanghai. Since I’ve had to abandon Japan, and my Yunnan plan was already complete, I thought, why not start from there and see what else I could fit into my itinerary. Before I realised it, I managed to include Guanxi Province. And well, I was hyped about Vietnam all along, so I began bulldozing through Lonely Planet’s “Southeast Asia on a Shoestring”. Those 2 weeks I mentioned before would not do Vietnam any justice, at all! The new plan became: Shanghai – Guangxi Province (~6 days) ... read more