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After 24 hours on a train our arrival in the scenic town of Yangshuo was certainly welcome. The drive into town was our first experience of the limestone karsts that are prevalent in various parts of SE Asia. Karsts rise vertically from the ground and are often covered in trees, they are dramatic mini-mountains that form in clusters and make for stunning scenery.
Yangshuo's situation nestled between the Li river and the mountains make it a popular tourist destination, with loads of activities on offer and with bars lining the streets it has a really fun laid back atmosphere.
Our first evening was spent in a bar where Claire's meal was accompanied by her favourite cocktail, the "red-headed slut", cue much giggling.
The next morning Claire had her first (and only) Tai Chi lesson, which involved much standing on one leg and waving of arms while being watched by curious and highly amused locals. In the evening we were hugely entertained by a massive light show directed by Zhang Yimou, who directed the Olympic opening ceremony as well as House of Flying Daggers and Hero. The lights illuminate 12 giant karsts set behind a bend in the Li river, 600 local people perform interpretations of local folk songs and legends on the river itself. We were both astounded by the show, certainly more impressed than the locals who were strangely averse to applause, as soon as the show ended they just got up and left without any acknowledgement!
On the third day, despite sleeping through our alarm we managed to get up early enough to join the rest of the group on a moped journey through the countryside to some local caves. Even though the mopeds had a top speed of about 30km/h, (in fact Claire's only did about 20km/h), the drive was fantastic, we both felt like we were on Top Gear Vietnam, racing through spectacular scenery. After a few minutes of walking through the caves with the guide pointing out rock formations that were supposed to resemble dragons, elephants, turtles etc (he had a vivid imagination) we came to one of the main attractions, the mud pool. After a quick shower we jumped in and had fun wallowing in the gloopy mud, thick enough to keep your body afloat if you laid back. Inevitably a mud fight ensued, but obviously we were too mature to get involved! :-p
In the evening, after a long shower, we moved out of Yangshuo to the nearby village of Chaolong. Initially, everyone was unsure about leaving Yangshuo as we'd all had a great time there, but when we arrived at the Outside Inn we were extremely pleased to find a very peaceful rural guesthouse where we could relax and do very little for the next few days except swim in the adjacent river and take part in a fantastic cooking class.
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