Yangshuo Aka Western backpacker heaven. Yangshuo is an outdoors enthusiasts dreamworld. It's located 40 km downstream from Guilin where the Yulong joins the Li River. Popular activities include bike riding, rock climbing, river hiking, rafting, cave exploring, and kayaking. Just outside of Yangshuo are countless farming villages all within a half-day's bike ride. The roads are not very well signed so it's pretty common for people to ask the local for directions. This place was awesome. 3 days just wasn't enough time to enjoy all that Yangshuo had to offer. I wish I could have stayed here longer. In fact, almost everyone I've talked to since has said Yangshuo was the highlight of their trip and that they too wish they could've stayed there longer! Simply put, it's amazing. The restaurants of Yangshuo feature Chinese and ... read more

The Li River far surpasses what you’ll see around Guilin. It boasts awesome backdrops of soaring limestone peaks and classic rural scenes of wallowing water buffalo, cormorant fisherman working the shallows, and farmers tending their crops. Arguably the most stunning section is the 24 km stretch between Yangdi and Xingping. Xingping’s landscape is featured on ¥20 banknotes. The feeling was surreal. I feel so blessed to be able to come and experience this remarkable place. A bus picked me up from the hostel in Guilin and 2 hours later delivered me to the Yangdi pier on the bank of the Li River. For ¥120 ($20) a bamboo raft took us downriver passing under sheer peaks that drop straight down into the water. It felt like the end of "Fellowship of the Ring" when Samwise and Frodo ... read more

GUANGZHOU(no photos, sorry!) I arrived in Guangzhou (gwong-joe) airport an hour past midnight. After 12 hours of flying time from SFO to Beijing, waiting 2hours at another gate in that airport, and then making a second, shorter hop of 4 hours from Beijing to Guangzhou, I think it’s safe to say that today was a LONG travel day. I make it through the customs checkpoint in Beijing hassle-free so walking off the plane in Guangzhou Baiyun airport was a cakewalk. My problems began w waiting at baggage claim. The room had emptied, the carousel stopped turning. My luggage did not make the transfer in Beijing. Boy, what a way to start a trip!! Baggage claim services filed a report and asked me in broken English to call them in the morning. With a worried look on ... read more