We have just returned from a three day trip to Guilin in the South west of China, a seven-hour train journey away from Leiyang.

It was incredible! Guilin is a city nestled on the beautiful Li river and is a very popular tourist destination in China due to its natural beauty. There are beautiful mountain peaks everywhere you look, Matt and I were awestruck by the majesty of them. On our first day we rented out bikes and orienteered ourselves to the outskirts of the city to find the famous Reed Flute Cave. Huge stalagtites and stalagmites have been formed from minerals such as jade and are lit up by red, blue and yellow coloured lights within the cavern. We then climbed up the mountain side a bit more to get a better view of the city and were not disappointed! The following day we left Guilin by boat to visit its prettier neighbour Yangshuo. We travelled by bamboo raft down the Li river which was such a treat, Matt could not put down his camera! I tried some local battered fish on the river side and we continued on to the Yulong river. Here we saw a beautful 400 year old bridge, fed water buffalo, and saw cormorant fishing. That night we ventured into the centre of Yangshuo which was heaving with both Chinese and international tourists. On West Street, famed for its mix of western and local cuisine, there were hudreds of little stalls selling jade trinkets and I bought a bracelet with a horse on it as that is the Chinese year I am born in.

On our final full day, we went and had a full english breakfast which was sooooo welcome! Then we rented a tandem bicycle which was hilarious as we rode out into the country side and saw farmers in their rice paddies, and women leading their cattle to drink. We sang and laughed under the threatening sky as we cycled back to the town. That evening after a pizza and spaghetti dinner, we treated ourselves to see the world famous Impression Show of Sanjie Liu, look it up on google now, it was indescribable! A performance set outside on the Li river after nightfall with the mountain peaks in the background, 600 local people trained to sing and dance in their lit up costumes so it looks like they are walking on the water. It is directed by the man who directed the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony so you can imagine how spectacular it looked! Matt and I were blown away and felt really moved when it ended, I would highly recommend it to anyone who found themselves in this region of the world.

The next day we had to leave as we both had to be back for work. A traffic jam caused by stuuuupid chinese drivers made us 45 minutes late and we thought we had missed our train. We arrived at the train station sulkily resigned to the fact that we would have to re-book our train tickets and pay for a hostel for another night, something which we could not afford at all. But when we arrived, as luck would have it, our train had been delayed and pulled into the station just as we did. We were so elated and happy as we had booked the best seats (soft sleeper) and we settled in our beds, delighted with our good fortune, and watched the beautiful hills of Guilin chug away into the rain.

Now we are back at work in Leiyang, and have come to the end of our fifth week of teaching english. I feel that we have settled in very well here and made good friends already. The chinese teachers are so kind to us and we are regularly taken out to dinner by them. Matt and I have also joined the local gym and we are both getting chubby from eating all the delicious food! There are certain things that I really cant get my head around here in China, like why on earth does everyone hock up and spit fat gobs of phlegm, not just onto the floor outside but in school offices and classrooms too! The men are relentless smokers and all no smoking signs are ignored no matter where you are. The chinese speak SO LOUDLY on the phone, it is incredibly annoying especially when you are stuck in a taxi for an hour with a woman who has been cursed with the most loud and harsh voice you've ever heard. Matt day dreamed that he shot her(!). And it is customary to regularly see a toddler squating on the side of the road pissing and s***ting onto the pavement in their crotchless outfits. However, Matt and I have both noticed the expert parenting skills of the chinese people, they do not molly cuddle their children, but encourage some toddlers to practice walking wherever they can, where in a similar situation in England, the child would be in a pushchair. I cannot stress how hard-working people are here too, it is very admirable.

So after our buzz of visiting Guilin, we now have three and a half long months of working and trying to improve our chinese before we reach our month long holiday in mid january. Our desires to travel and see what China has to offer have been rekindled and we are motivated to save as much money as we can in order to visit many destinations as possible.

I am missing all my family and friends as ever, keep skyping, it is so great to catch up and talk with you! Lots of love xxxxxxx