Wednesday Vacation Blogging: Yangshuo
We flew from Chengdu, in Szechuan Province, south to Guilin, and then drove to the small resort town of Yangshuo (small by Chinese standards -- the population there is about 400,000) for a few days on our three-week visit to China in 2004. It's all about the Li River and the incredible mountains in the area there. At one time, Yangshuo was visited almost exclusively by Chinese tourists, but in the last few years it has become increasingly popular with Westerners. Reflecting this change, the restaurants there offer a variety of international cuisine, from pizza to burritos to strudel to udon. Fortunately, there are no McDonald's or KFCs there -- yet. There is quite a bit of nightlife, though, with pubs and coffee houses open late and filled with young tourists. But the real attraction is the water and the scenery.
These stark limestone peaks rise up out of the ground to majestic heights everywhere you look.
Roly-poly fish heads are just one of the many delicacies to be found on West Street, the main drag of the town.
The view from across the street from our hotel, looking south.
From the same spot, looking north.
Passing an impromptu lumberyard on our way to a boat tour of the Li River.
These are the officially sanctioned tour boats for Westerners. We had to walk across the bows of these boats to get to our much smaller, private -- and illegal -- craft. When the local authorities came sailing by, we had to duck down inside the cabin and hide, lest the owners of the boat get in trouble for giving an unsanctioned tour.
Like I said, it's all about the river and the mountains. I must have taken two or three dozen pictures just like this one.
Sam was our tour guide and the man who made all our arrangements, from hotel and bicycle rental to show tickets to picking us up and dropping us off at the airport. He totally rocked. That's Mrs. Generik bundled up behind him.
Wandering down West Street. We probably bought two-thirds of all the souvenirs we brought home there.
One reason Western tourists like Yangshuo so much is all the outdoor activities that are available (there's also rafting, spelunking, fishing and much more). I know when I think of "names I can trust in climbing," Spider Man is the one that comes to mind first.
There is a huge outdoor theater on the river, just a few miles and on the other side of the river from our hotel. The night we arrived, they were premiering a show directed by Yimou Zhang (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) called Sister Liu, and based on a very famous Chinese movie from the early '60s (which, in turn, is based on a centuries-old story that most Chinese people are familiar with. It featured songs, elaborate floating sets and a cast of hundreds. The lighting alone was worth the price of admission.
The next day we bicycled about 5 miles or so to another local waterway, the Jade Dragon River.
Having already eaten breakfast, we passed on sampling any of the local cuisine.
Water buffalo crossing.
The crew there took our bikes and put them on the backs of these bamboo rafts, then took us for a very pleasant trip down river.
My brother, Otis, the Hoodoo of Chengdu, wasn't content being sailed. He wanted to participate. Me, I just sat back and let the crew do the work.
Just one of the sights along the Jade Dragon River.
Mrs. G, clad in what looks like a modified burka, purchases a garland from some of the local merchants along the way. We also bought some fresh oranges.
We rode past farmland and lots of rice paddies on the way back to town.
Water buffalo on a bike in the mist.
That night, we took another trip on the Li River to watch a cormorant fisherman at work.
The fisherman keeps a flock of cormorants that he raises, and when he goes fishing, he ties a string around their necks to prevent them from swallowing the fish. As he poles his way up the river, the birds dive and catch the fish; the fisherman then lifts them up onto the raft and dumps the fish from the birds' throats into a basket at the back of his raft.
Hey, Happy Boy, look at the camera.
The Hoodoo of Chengdu gazes wistfully over West Street.
From Yangshuo, we traveled on to Guangzhou, and then to Hong Kong. Of all the places we saw in China, though, Yangshuo is probably the one that we'd most like to return to someday.
These stark limestone peaks rise up out of the ground to majestic heights everywhere you look.Roly-poly fish heads are just one of the many delicacies to be found on West Street, the main drag of the town.The view from across the street from our hotel, looking south.From the same spot, looking north.Passing an impromptu lumberyard on our way to a boat tour of the Li River.These are the officially sanctioned tour boats for Westerners. We had to walk across the bows of these boats to get to our much smaller, private -- and illegal -- craft. When the local authorities came sailing by, we had to duck down inside the cabin and hide, lest the owners of the boat get in trouble for giving an unsanctioned tour.Like I said, it's all about the river and the mountains. I must have taken two or three dozen pictures just like this one.Sam was our tour guide and the man who made all our arrangements, from hotel and bicycle rental to show tickets to picking us up and dropping us off at the airport. He totally rocked. That's Mrs. Generik bundled up behind him.Wandering down West Street. We probably bought two-thirds of all the souvenirs we brought home there.One reason Western tourists like Yangshuo so much is all the outdoor activities that are available (there's also rafting, spelunking, fishing and much more). I know when I think of "names I can trust in climbing," Spider Man is the one that comes to mind first.There is a huge outdoor theater on the river, just a few miles and on the other side of the river from our hotel. The night we arrived, they were premiering a show directed by Yimou Zhang (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) called Sister Liu, and based on a very famous Chinese movie from the early '60s (which, in turn, is based on a centuries-old story that most Chinese people are familiar with. It featured songs, elaborate floating sets and a cast of hundreds. The lighting alone was worth the price of admission.The next day we bicycled about 5 miles or so to another local waterway, the Jade Dragon River.Having already eaten breakfast, we passed on sampling any of the local cuisine.Water buffalo crossing.The crew there took our bikes and put them on the backs of these bamboo rafts, then took us for a very pleasant trip down river.My brother, Otis, the Hoodoo of Chengdu, wasn't content being sailed. He wanted to participate. Me, I just sat back and let the crew do the work.Just one of the sights along the Jade Dragon River.Mrs. G, clad in what looks like a modified burka, purchases a garland from some of the local merchants along the way. We also bought some fresh oranges.We rode past farmland and lots of rice paddies on the way back to town.Water buffalo That night, we took another trip on the Li River to watch a cormorant fisherman at work.The fisherman keeps a flock of cormorants that he raises, and when he goes fishing, he ties a string around their necks to prevent them from swallowing the fish. As he poles his way up the river, the birds dive and catch the fish; the fisherman then lifts them up onto the raft and dumps the fish from the birds' throats into a basket at the back of his raft.Hey, Happy Boy, look at the camera.The Hoodoo of Chengdu gazes wistfully over West Street.From Yangshuo, we traveled on to Guangzhou, and then to Hong Kong. Of all the places we saw in China, though, Yangshuo is probably the one that we'd most like to return to someday.
posted by Generik at 7:10 AM
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