Guilin, Yangshou, and the Pearl River
Days 3-5 Yangshuo
We arrive in Guilin
in the early morning and transfer by public bus to the small countryside town
of Yangshuo (1.5 hrs). The region
around Yangshuo is probably the most well-known scenic attraction in all of China
as the Li River winds its way around thousands of limestone karst mountains and
pictureque riverside villages and markets. Each karst is impressively named, in
true Chinese tradition!
On Day 4 we take a full-day bike ride through the
surrounding countryside with a local guide to gain an insight into rural
Chinese life and have a scrumptious lunch in a local restaurant. It is also a
wonderful area for exploring individually, as every turn in the road brings you
to another picture-postcard location - this is why Yangshuo is a firm favourite
with Intrepid travellers.
Li River
Next on the
itinerary was probably the most well-known scenic attraction in China: the Li River valley. We stayed in the
charming town of Yangshou, and had three days to explore this spectacular area.
The Li River winds its way around thousands of limestone karst mountains, each impressively named, in true Chinese tradition! On the first day there, we took a boat down the Li River, then bicycled back to Yanghou through the surrounding countryside and small villages. Then the next day I hired a local motorcycle taxi (where I sat in the side car!) for more touring of the countryside and nearby villages like Fuli ($10 for the whole day!)
One evening, a couple of us paid a cormorant fisher a few extra dollars to take us with him on his nightly fishing trip. It was amazing to watch. The cormorants have ropes around their necks so that when they see a fish and dive in the water to get it, they can't swallow the big fish, just the little ones. After grabbing a fish, the bird will hop back on the boat and as it struggles to swallow the fish (with the rope constraining its neck too much to do so), the fisherman grabs the fish out of it's mouth and puts it in a bucket. I was feeling a bit sorry for the birds until I realized that they do end up swallowing a fair amount of small fish, and the fisherman did treat the birds quite well. Wow...what an experience!
This area certainly lives up to its reputation, and definitely should be included on any China trip itinerary!
The Li River winds its way around thousands of limestone karst mountains, each impressively named, in true Chinese tradition! On the first day there, we took a boat down the Li River, then bicycled back to Yanghou through the surrounding countryside and small villages. Then the next day I hired a local motorcycle taxi (where I sat in the side car!) for more touring of the countryside and nearby villages like Fuli ($10 for the whole day!)
One evening, a couple of us paid a cormorant fisher a few extra dollars to take us with him on his nightly fishing trip. It was amazing to watch. The cormorants have ropes around their necks so that when they see a fish and dive in the water to get it, they can't swallow the big fish, just the little ones. After grabbing a fish, the bird will hop back on the boat and as it struggles to swallow the fish (with the rope constraining its neck too much to do so), the fisherman grabs the fish out of it's mouth and puts it in a bucket. I was feeling a bit sorry for the birds until I realized that they do end up swallowing a fair amount of small fish, and the fisherman did treat the birds quite well. Wow...what an experience!
This area certainly lives up to its reputation, and definitely should be included on any China trip itinerary!