I so wish you could be here with us now, we are on the coach, listening to our ‘English speaking’ guide as we make our way from Guilin to catch a boat, bound for Yangshuo.
There is little difference in the English version of his commentary than his Chinese (the coach has both Chinese and Western people on so he is repeating everything) The only thing we can understand every now and again is “Chinese”, or something is “extra 120 yuan” or “food free” “want fish pay more”…..30 minutes go by. He is now holding up two bottles of perfume “from Sweet Osmanthus tree” Ooh his English is better now he is into his sales pitch! “Take for small gift”
He is now walking up the aisle spraying the perfume around the coach like a cat marking its territory. I’m sure he’s a lovely chap and I can’t speak Mandarin so…. and I’m sure we didn’t pay much extra to have an ‘English speaking’ guide. Glen said we must have quite a way to go before we get to the boat as he is now going around trying to sell the perfume to each person on the coach!
All the while the scenery is getting better. The magnificent Karsts tower up either side of us even though we are still in town. Guilin is built in-between a landscape of Karsts, it’s strange to see when you see it from above (we’ve climbed a Karst or two in the last few days)
We are now climbing up a steep road, mmmm I suppose we are on the right coach and that we are catching a boat! Surely we should be going down to a river not up! Oooh we are going back down a hill now so it’s probably OK. The coach is going downhill very slowly though I said to Glen that I hope the coach’s brakes are OK. Glen thinks it is going slowly so our guide can finish selling his perfume!
He is now back at the front of the coach telling us to “remember” remember what I have no idea! Lol!
The Chinese have been really friendly, but like I’ve said before, they push in a lot or push you along in a queue. Even the boats push in! During our journey along the river several boats sounded their horns and over took us.
The crew were pointing out Karsts that look like “mother and child grieving…“ etc ….. but no one mentioned the panda!
TOILET update. I used the toilets onboard and I noticed a sign “Close stool button on the wall”. Now I had no idea what a ‘close stool’ was but as I couldn’t see a stool of any kind I guess whatever and wherever the button was it worked! It did the the job. Chuckle.
We had a wonderful relaxing four and a half hour journey down the Li river, winding our way through the magnificent karsts. We saw water buffalo with their young, cooling off in the water and birds of pray soaring above. The weather was perfect and the company onboard likewise. We made friends with a young French couple Jeremy and Marion, a German gentleman called Wilfried and his wife Jean, originally from Singapore, who both now live in Malaysia. We also spoke to a couple from New Zealand Courtney.
After holding up a 20 yuan note at a point where the picture on the note was taken, we had our lunch and eventually arrived in Yangshuo.
We stepped from the calm of the boat to the madness of the locals, all eager to sell to their newly disembarking prey. We had to be mindful of the beggars who were lead in the middle of our path as we all streamed from the boats and climbed the stone steps. The walk along the quay was very busy. The path was lined with everything you never knew you wanted! The fruit looked fresh and tasty but you couldn’t smell it as most of the sellers were smoking! But the sun was out, it was 26 degrees, and we were excited.
The area is known for it’s stunning walks through the beautiful scenery and we couldn’t wait to explore.
Once we found our little hotel down a narrow maze of alleys, we dropped our backpacks off and walked around the area to get our bearings.
We can’t help but share with you the food on offer here.
I found myself having great respect for the people who go on that ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here‘ programme. I could not have eaten these dead cooked insects and grubs let alone eat them when they were alive!
In the evening we walked down West Street and it was mental! How can I describe it? It was like Eastville market on speed! We have taken videos and we will hopefully get them uploaded to our YouTube channel (I know! What are we like lol) ………note from Glen: we will also put any videos on instragram. We’ve already put one video on of the squeaky shoe toddler.
Anyway, to get a flavour of what it was like in West Street at night, play a different piece of music in each room in your house, turn the volume to high! Put twinkle lights and flashing lights everywhere, and hang coloured lanterns from the ceiling. Then imagine people selling things in the middle of your doorways as you walk around from one room to another. As well as the loud recorded music add a live band in each room and scantily dressed dancing girls at each window. Have someone rub a stick up and down those wooden frog things so you always have the feint sound of an impression of a snorting pig (well that’s what they sound like to me as apposed to a frog) then have random food stalls and people dressed in spaceman suits or a transformer suit in the spare corners. In the hall imagine there is guy, or two, hammering a piece of silver. Now invite a 100 friends over and try to squeeze through. I think I may have just dreamt this! Lol! But it’s true! There was much more going on too! it was mental but funny. I have discovered however, that I like techno music, or rave music or ….. actually I’m not sure what music is was but it had a wicked beat!!
“Can you tell what it is yet!?“ wink
As we sat eating our noodles later that night a young white women, with long auburn dreadlocks and vampire type makeup and (Fake) blood around her mouth, came in with a young guy on a lead! (He had a leather dog collar around his neck) I love different, and they were different.
We found a shop selling tea made from the Sweet Osmanthus tree flowers, anyone could have a good old sniff… and they did!! ……We didn’t buy any!
They were sieving it in the shop. They like to do a bit of pounding or sieving etc outside of, or just inside of, the shops in China. Presumably they think it attracts people in to buy things. It doesn’t seem to though, it just makes people either take photos of them or go and ask if they can have a go while their friend takes a photo of them.
We’ve walked around a lot of parks in towns and seen lots of old people exercising. If they aren’t exercising they are playing cards or board games, singing or dancing!
We stood in one park and at one point we could see and HEAR three different groups of people singing, all with microphones, it was very loud. It’s what people seem to do here in China. They seem so happy.
By the way, it’s taken me three weeks to twig on but I think the covers on the Motorbikes are to keep the sun off, not just the rain. Umbrellas are also used to keep the sun off here, as they were in Malaysia.
Photos from our walk around the local market.
We asked the lady selling these black chickens why they were different (using the translation app) and she just laughed and said something that translated as “pretty”
We looked it up and this is what we found.
Silkie chickens are a highly prized breed of chicken that’s has beautiful silky white plumage, and startlingly black skin. They are frequently found in China, India, and Southeast Asia. … The chicken flesh itself is a dark bluish-gray or even black, and the bones are black as well.
More ‘fishermen”
After a few days we left Yangshuo centre and drove about 10-15 minutes away and stayed in a hotel in Chaolong village. It promised great views of the Karsts from our room and walks along the river only minutes away. We saw chickens, ducks and a cockerel as we walked around to the entrance. Our hearts sank! We knew what we were in for and we were right. 4am the next morning the cockerel decided it was time for everyone to wake up!! On a positive note it did remind us of all of the other amazing places we have stayed in Asia on our previous trips that had these natural alarm calls.
This picture of a ramshackle house is to remind us of how it seemed to be in the villages along the river. Every newly built house or potential hotel seemed to have a little stone built house similar to this. Either attached to it or right next to it. It was like they started with this then built the hotel or large family home but still had the old place. Glen wondered if it was something to do with planning rules.
We came here to walk along the rivers and amongst the Karsts. We were mostly alone but we said hello to every local we saw, especially the VERY old ladies sat in doorways. The just old-ish people were busy digging in their vegetable patches (fields!) we saw them carrying big buckets of water out to the plots of land too, on a yoke across their shoulders, quite incredible. I felt I wanted to offer to help them but I doubt I would have been strong enough!
There were lots of old people walking along bent over double, I guess that’s what happens when you spend your life bent down tending the crops.
We walked for miles along the river and also rode on bikes and a scooter to explore further.
The little lorries and other work vehicles were like those we have seen before. The engines exposed with dangerous belts which would take your arm off!
Tofu skin, yuba drying in the very dusty street near our hotel! It is made from soybeans. We have read that during the boiling of soy milk, a film or skin forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin.
We saw these graves all along our riverside walks in the hills and Saw others high up on the karsts. Such a long walk to get to them. Some were also in peoples from gardens. I felt those were like the equivalent of having a persons ashes on your mantelpiece.
This was the view from the terrace on top of our hotel, looking down. Everyone had a little small holding in their garden with either chickens a vegetable plot or both!
The view looking out over the houses.
The Sunrise from our hotel roof.
And finally the Sunset from our hotel roof.
Incredible views and so interesting. They have such a hard life xx
Another amazing insight in to a part of China we haven’t seen Mandy xx
Hi Mandy, very good blog, love Mum and Dad ❤️❤️❤️❤️Xxxxx
As always I am amazed at your photos and descriptions of what you see. I am with you Mandy…would NOT eat or touch most of the ??? or whatever they might be. lololo So nice that the locals are friendly and sometimes helpful. My head would go crazy with the West street noise and lights. Just toooooooooo much for me. The women work very hard there and in other countries and so it’s no surprise their bodies are broken, here too in Egypt. But you have to give it to China for having old people exercising, would do for other countries to do the same. The scenery is really beautiful and gives a rather peaceful feeling. Well, I will be looking forward to more of your adventure. Again, thanks for sharing. hugssssssssssss
Super pictures – and a great one of the panda in the landscape!
Your description of West Street was very vivid. I could feel the beat from here. Keep on rocking.
Alan
Incredible pictures! Mandy you look like a 60’s biker chick!😘
Wow so much to see and so different. While it is beautiful it is also a very hard life. We are so lucky living the way we do.
Hi Mandy and Glen, thank you for your new blog a very good one and we’ve both read it. love you both Mum Dad ❤️❤️Xxxx
Some stunning photos xxx