Hi everyone, I have escaped the city and made it out into rural China. I'm in a town called Yangshuo, in the province of Guangxi. I'm not exactly sure where I am to be truthful, even Google maps is in Chinese so I could be anywhere but let's just say I'm somewhere in the south of China surrounded by awesome scenery - karst limestone pinnacles, rivers and valleys - it really is spectacular!

I last left you all amid the chaos of Guangzhou (that place really was weird!) and caught the sleeper train that night north to Guilin. As expected, it was a real experience. The description in my guidebook of Guangzhou station was spot on - I was greeted by sheer hell! The large square outside the station resembled a shanty town - thousands of people were covering every inch of it with people weaving in and out shrieking on loudspeakers. I freaked out at the sight and had no clue what on Earth I was doing. I wandered for ages and sizzled in the sun before finding long queues which I decided to join - they were queues to enter the station where the sight was even worse - aaahh! I could barely move amid the scrum of people, the departure boards was in Chinese and I couldn't see anyone remotely official to wave my ticket at. After lots of directions I eventually found Waiting Room 3 (a mini shanty town) where I inched myself nearer what I thought was the opening to the platform - bad move! All of a sudden someone shouted something over a speaker and everyone got up and ran - it was a stampede and I was the giraffe in the middle of it - I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! I followed the crowds who seemed to go in all directions but struck lucky with my choice of platform and eventually found the right train, carriage and cabin - phew!

I had decided to travel 'soft sleeper' - the posh option and it was surprisingly nice. A tiny cabin with two comfy bunk beds, a mini table with lace tablecloth and a flower and even paper slippers to use. The washrooms weren't the horror story I had psyched myself up for either, ok it stunk and you had to take great care not to 'slip' as the train moved (!), but they were pretty good as Chinese toilets go. My inmates were a respectable bunch too (apparently only rich Chinese travel soft sleeper). We shared some nutty sweets, lychees and some other jelly-type fruits. I watched the commotion of the platform before we zoomed off, passing enormous housing estates, tower blocks, then into rice fields, lakes, run-down towns and mountains, all amid a setting sun that with the smog, created a fascinating pink sky - it was an oddly beautiful sight. It was a weird sensation sleeping on a train, the noise, shuddering and sharp braking, and eery to be locked in a tiny cabin. I was relieved to get off the following morning, we pulled into Guilin around 7 to be greeted with a mass of touts, I weaved my way through, tackled the crazy roads (Google says that they drive on the right in China - I couldn't work it out from looking) and found the hostel - relief!

I spent a day wandering the wide, dusty roads of Guilin. Crossing the road is a nightmare but I have become better at just going for it now, if you don't just step out and dodge the traffic you get nowhere! Aside from the hectic traffic, Guilin is a nice place, touristy but set amongst limestone peaks and on the west bank of the Li River. I walked around the pleasant Shan Lake, past a dancing class and men playing cards, and then over the river to Seven Star Park - it was a beautiful place, named from its seven peaks that supposedly resemble the Ursa Major consellation. I hoofed it up a peak and sat at a pagodo with a magnificent view of the city. I was all alone too, the first solitude I have found since being in Asia. Afterwards I explored caves, along the river, waterfalls, winding trails around the peaks, temples, monuments, flower gardens and saw some wild monkeys. Back in the chaotic city I even managed to send a small parcel home - my first and last in China - it took about an hour in the post office and for some reason I had to put two different addresses on it - huh?!

I arrived in Yangshuo on Wednesday afternoon after a mammoth trip involving two buses, one cart and a bamboo raft - am I crazy?! The bamboo raft was great, it floated even with 6 people on, and were sailed down the Li River for about 2 hours past some breath-taking scenery. I saw water buffalo swimming along, goats, chickens, loads of ducks and small villages along the banks. It wasn't the most comfy of seats but far better than the cart that followed - 9 people balanced with packs on a tiny cart and then a bus where I perched on a stool down the aisle and slid all over the floor - aahhh, it was awful but pretty funny! I was almost dead by the time I reached Yangshuo but got out and about exploring yesterday. It is a lovely, laid-back town, again set amid gorgeous limestone pinnacles and vast rice fields. The town itself is quite touristy but behind the main streets there is a maze of buzzing Chinese shops and markets, with women selling fruit and hats out of wooden buckets, open-air grills cooking up all sorts of tasty stuff (well it smelt good anyway) and families sitting around small tables on the street eating dinner. I joined three others from the hostel yesterday morning and spent the day out on a bike, first braving the scary main streets, dodging buses, motorbikes, tractors piled high with wood and manure (keep your distance!), and cattle which wander all over the road, and then out into the countryside. We took tracks through the rice and lotus fields, past farmers with conical hats, small villages, crossed the Yulong River on another bamboo raft (this one was a hairy balancing act with four bikes included!), around the peaks - it was brilliant! We hiked it up a peak too for some awesome views before joining the noisy traffic back into town - what a place to go cycling, and such a difference to the quiet tracks of New Zealand!

I have booked a cooking class for this afternoon which I'm quite excited about, and will leave Yangshuo tomorrow morning. I have decided to take a long detour back to Guilin, via a town called Ping An where I am hoping to see the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces. I'm not looking forward to the ride (let's hope I have a seat!) and am a bit worried about the weather - there is a typhoon warning so I'll decide for sure in the morning. Also, I will have to brave local buses to get back, I have to be back by Sunday night as I have booked a flight from Guilin to Shanghai on Monday - wish me luck!

Grace xx