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This blog details June 5-8th in the Guilin province of china in the countryside village if Yangshuo.
Previously on the last blog where we left off myself and the fellow travellers stocked up out supplies for the overnight train from Shenzhen to Guilin. As we boarded the train we were divided Ito bunk bed of 3 levels which were 6 beds per room in each carriage. The train was a 14 hour journey consisting of my fellow gapies playing Pokemon and the American couple reading a book from their iPad. Whilst the was social time and beers together mostly we were occupied in out own ways. I found myself reading two lonely planet guides on china and Thailand to make for time and chatting with the other travellers mostly and learning to speak Chinese. Overall the journey provided stunning scenery and the longest(at the time) train journey ever taken.
After some ease in sleep we arrive early in the morning to Guilin at 8 am and left the airport swiftly for a bus to take us to Yangshuo after a 2 hour ride. Again this was my first grasp at the stunning Cornett of the chine countryside seeing the green mountains and Chinese farmers harvesting lotus an rice along the way.
We made it to Yangshuo at midday at the explorer hotel which was situated conveniently outside western street. A popular market area if town for tourists I buy and explore.
Charlie our Chinese guide arranged us to meet at the lobby after an hour of showering and relaxing to go out for lunch before activities. I was in a room with Davey( one of the gapies) who was also my too the in china and we got on very well and talks over intellectual topics and our travels bonded us.
I should say now most of the food in china is spicy as the Chinese prefer it and I have endured the Spicy Chinese dishes even up to now as I write after leaving Yangshuo. We were introduced to the local beer as the rice noodle dish which was very spicy and tasty and Charlie briefed us on the next 3 days and several fact about china ranging from the abolishment of the one child policy to the quick inflation rates f the Chinese yen and a special deal from holland airlines from Amsterdam to chenduo in china and about the Chinese censorship control over cinemas( a fascinating topic for myself) and how china is such an stable economy partly of grounds of possessing the most powerful mafia and triads in the world.
Following the lunch myself, the American couple( larry and Daniel), the two swedes( Sara an Elizabeth) the German lawyer(Annette) and the nhs physician( Lisa) where driven to our a utility of a bamboo raft cruise across the river li whilst the traveling trio( Davey, alexia and will) explored Yangshuo as due to having travel through 4 other countries before and another 2 after china they limited their activities due to costs.
The bamboo raft cruise offered more stunning scenery and an insight into the local poor villages on matters of funerals and the customs of a local village. This insight was in the way when we stopped nearby a village near the river and Charlie showed us around before taking us back up the river to the bus to take us back to Yangshuo.
The rest of the day involved myself searching gifts or family in Yangshuo( which was a success) before Charlie took us all out for a local Chinese meal of multiple dishes and introduced us to more spicy Chinese food and customs. Theses times together as a group were very fun and full of great conversations about the day and questions ranging from china to the rest of the trip's route.
The hotel had wifi and Charlie had access to a proxey(that I can't give away) to bypass the Chinese censors to view facebook and YouTube which most Chinese people use, he passed it voluntarily to the group but out of pride and settings. Challenge I turned it down on grounds of taking a complete break from communication outside china( except the occasional critical email) and land survive without the need to be informed of social lives through an online newspaper to enjoy my travels( also Internet in china varies and is limited at times).
The next morning the whole group set out at 9 for a bike ride across the countryside to a mud bath located at a cave that also hosted hot spring baths. However Charlie unfortunately on grounds of diharea ( and mildly speculated drinking last night from the group) had to back out before we left the town and was replaced by a friend called rowly who worked at the explorer hotel. She took us around for 2 hours trough the best parts of the countryside as we stopped at a small ace and muskeg and te travellers jumped Ito te nearby river for a nice chilled swin again eat the mild current after an intense morning or cycling in the heat and sweating. This was a refreshing activity. We then had much together further on at a cafe outsider moon hill( a large mountain with a round hole the shape of a moon at about 800 steps high from ground floor) this was the first and this only tie. So far were I indulged myself in western food in the form of a burger to avoid repeating the same dishes to much and enjoyed the tasty local beer. However such revelations surprised me as the existence of snake wine when previously the concept of drinking snake blood was a fictional creation in a Danny Boyle film that was filmed in Thailand( the beach).
By after luck and midday I was severely sunburnt in my face and arms but atleast I was ''colourful about it''. The location of the cave for the mid bath and hot spring was described to be the only place in china that had a mud baths nd hotspring together and was a very funny experience walking through a multi coloured lit cave and swimming/ floating around in mud with the group for pictures. The ever princes was a try cold one but surreal and fun. After showering off the last of the mud we enjoyed a good half an hour in the hot spring bath together and chilling out. The bike ride sure was worth it!
Once our time in the self coined cave of wonders was finished we rode back to Yangshuo to a recovered Charlie and then all went out together after showers for a meal as a group without Charlie to socialise and explore the night scene in Yangshuo. The night came to an end with a simple drinks session at a London tavern styled pub and openly discussed events that had occurred back in the UK and USA while we were away,( Boston, April jones, thatcher, fergies' retirement) and went through topics such as politics opinions and others( as you so after a few drinks)
The next day had us on a market tour of Yangshuo where sights of snakes, and other animals and food was being made an sold and vegetables where we learnt about the market style I china and the foods. This was followed up with cooking lesson from the Yangshuo cooking school were we were taught to make Five Chinese dishes such as beer fish, spicy eggplant in garlic, choke and vegetables in soya sauce and mince beefed mushrooms and in a plant. Boy were we impressed with or learning after all the cooking and eating of out dishes. Watch out Jamie, Gordon and Ainsley!
Following this truly amazing experience in Chinese cooking we wet to out free noon activities in kayaking or rock climbing. Having been a canoeist for my hold DOE experditions the thought of witnessing stunning scenery at a relaxed pace won me over for kayaking with most of the group included. Whilst will and alex went rock climbing an davey having so alone time. We kayaked for an hour and a half across the li river further on from the route Some of us took on the bamboo raft trip previously.
After this relaxful and chilled out activity ire as our last night in ya ship so myself, Charlie, will, alex and Davey played some drinking games in the hotel before going out for drinks at the clubs together and we had a great time and I can say clubbing in china was quite a surprise( especially if one is in the countryside of Yangshuo) after the first club Charlie went back to the hotel due to our early checkout at 8 am and it being past 11 am. However myself and the others went to one more club he recommended. Due to unfinished packing and not wanting to jinx things with the schedule I left early after a bit to finish packing at the hotel but I didn't miss much on the basis of how they left half an hour after i did for sleep and after having a. Ripp off of 40 yen for drinks as I had time to stock up on food and water for myself.
The next morning after we checkout, returned our room keys and left explorer hotel to take a public bus back to Guilin to the station. Again an almost 2 hour bus journey and in rain but myself and the gapies talked about films and subjects such as books ad theatre and our travels again and linked in experiences in thailand and Cambodia. Upon making it to gueilin we were treated to Chinese dumplings containing mince bee an onion in chinese style( a very cheap and filling meal) and ten we boarded anither overnight train for the next leg of our journey, a 21 hour train journey to Chongqing to reach the Yangtze river for a 2 day 17.000 CYN cruise trip Here ends my blog as I write onboard the train.
So far my time in china in the food and culture and scenery has been breathtaking and in the last 3 days I've I'd an amazing time in Yangshuo and defiantly recommend it as a visit for a few days as i miss it myself as it opened my eyes to a side of china i didn't think existed in its image of the most stable economic country in civilisation and industries.
It even hosted a spectacular light show down by the director of the opening 2008 Beijing Olympic ceremony( due to the inaccurate info from STS on the event and inflation( went from 180 to 230 CYN) and the lack of numbers I opted out for time with the group) for those who may have cold feet I can reassure you that there is also acres to western food with a McDonald's and a KFC for evidence in the town.
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