 Lynette and I in front of the Dragon's Backbone Terraces.25-Jan-2010 09:22, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.5, 4.1mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 80 |
Packs on backs, we’ve arrived in China with a slight chill in the air and lots of rain in our socks. Our destination for the next week is the tourist hotspot of Yangshuo, characterised by huge limestone peaks spearing out of the ground, followed by the Dragon’s Backbone Terrace – a crazy network of valleys and hills swamped in ‘silver ribbons’ of paddy fields. Our timing was terrible, the weather was grey and drizzly, but we didn’t care – we’d arrived in China! Did the rain ever stop? Were the Chinese as unfriendly as we’d been led to believe? Had we said goodbye to our last mosquito?
 Crossing through ‘Friendship Pass’ and into China! Easiest one yet!
Crossing through 'Friendship Pass' and into China! Easiest one yet!19-Jan-2010 06:59, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
Our $19 bus journey from Hanoi to Nanning was thankfully uneventful, and our fears on crossing the border completely unfounded. The overland entry was virtually empty, queues nonexistent, and the lack of any English assistance didn’t present any issues. Each immigration desk had a range of smiley faces for you to submit your satisfaction level, with a cheerful Xie Xie we pressed the big happy one, picked up our bags and wandered over to the (free) electric buggy which took us to our bus and continued to Nanning. On arrival at the LLL main station, we grabbed a couple of absolutely terrible street snacks (dense, sweet sponge with flecks of tuna and spinach dotted throughout – yum) along with some bucket sized local pot noodle and went to test our pronunciation. Passing the test we hopped on a 30RMB bus to Guilin (which was the one word we needed to say!), arriving around 6pm at our destination for the night.
 The view from our hostel window; grey but impressive!
The view from our hostel window; grey but impressive!23-Jan-2010 04:48, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 9.0, 28.0mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 100 |
Failing to find the Rough Guide recommended stop over, we were collared by a local and offered a huge hotel room with an enormous bed and unfortunately a fairly grim shower for 70RMB. Acceptable, but looks of terror flashed across our faces when a mosquito whined past our ears in the lift… we thought we’d seen the last of these hardy munching machines! Within minutes there was a knock on the door; the local’s English speaking husband performing our first experience of door-to-door tour touting, double glazing style. As we regarded his dubious offers of boat trips to Yangshuo with suspicion (he piled on 100RMB on his wife’s offer, before backing down when caught out) we quickly ejected him from the room and nailed some planks up to be sure. As it was our first night in China, we felt obliged to escape the comfort of our room and the promise of sleep to try out some local food… and beer. Our stomp took us down some worryingly dark streets, before the waft of a bbq led us to a great little cafe right back where we’d started – behind the bus station! There we drank the ridiculously weak LiQ beer (3.6%) and ate luverly squid kebabs for about 2RMB each, it was a good start!
 Splat in the middle of Yangshuo… looks oddly out of place no?
Splat in the middle of Yangshuo… looks oddly out of place no?22-Jan-2010 05:18, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 7.1, 50.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200 |
The next morning we hoisted packs on backs and set off back to the bus station (reasoning that the shitty weather would make the 15RMB bus would be a wiser investment than the 4hr 200RMB boat equivalent). Attempting breakfast on the go, we again opted for some street snacks and failed miserably. A fruit and nut bar turned out to be a solid lump of very plain fried rice, a spicy pancake had the flavour of a plastic bag and even the sweetcorn cob had been boiled until the corns tasted a little like glue. For some our track record might represent an incredibly successful diet plan, but we were getting a little concerned!
 Between Xingping and Yangshuo are many flooded paddy fields creating great reflections of the surrounding mountains.
Between Xingping and Yangshuo are many flooded paddy fields creating great reflections of the surrounding mountains.23-Jan-2010 10:14, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 9.0, 28.0mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 100 |
The bus journey to Yangshuo gave us a glimpse of why this area is so famed. Huge limestone karst peaks ripped out of the foggy horizon and steamed past us, while flooded paddy fields reflect the entire upside down scene right back at you. Stepping off the bus, we allowed ourselves to be high jacked by the owner of International Student Center Hostel, it ticked the boxes of Wi-Fi, big room and a hot shower so after some unintentional bargaining (we honestly just wanted to look around!) he went down to 60RMB a day which was just fine. The hard sell on tickets then started; after we turned him down he lost all interest and we didn’t end up doing any of the things proposed while we were there. This first thirty minutes where he has you cornered are evidently where he makes his money!
 Outside in the streets of Yangshuo a bitter wind and cold drizzle make it a rather unappealing place to wander!
Outside in the streets of Yangshuo a bitter wind and cold drizzle make it a rather unappealing place to wander!22-Jan-2010 05:11, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 7.1, 50.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100 |
Yangshuo is a beautiful little town; but it’s not exactly traditional China. The streets have plenty of boutique stores, hundreds of identical cafes (Backstreet Cafe became our favourite due to its immense 30RMB breakfast and a big dish of roasting coals awaiting us every time we entered), and lots of tourist trinkets to buy. But this isn’t why you visit; the promise of spending days cycling through the jaw dropping country side with the sun on your back and the wind whistling through your hair would be a wonderful few days in any country. Unfortunately for us, the reality was cold, wet (the worst kind), unrelenting rain and a persistently gray fog obscuring our views of the allegedly stunning surroundings. Still, we met James, who travelled with us for the next week or so and for some reason agreed with us that going for a day of cycling rain in this cauldron of utter crap weather would be a really good idea.
Our Day Cycling in Yangshuo and the No. 1 REAL Water Cave
 Rain or no rain, we’re not going to waste our first few days in China!
Rain or no rain, we're not going to waste our first few days in China!22-Jan-2010 05:10, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 400 |
A short break in the constant drizzle convinced the three of us to seize the day and rent out some cycles; unsurprisingly the recommended Rough Guide option of Bike Asia was hideously expensive (80RMB), while at the start of Xi Jie (street) a tour shop rented us three Giant hybrids for 20RMB each, much more reasonable and included very necessary mud guards. With the ideal destination of the famed Moon Hill, and the waypoints of two roundabouts in mind, we set off into a newly born wall of rain assured of a probably crap day out… 
Before long our suspicious were confirmed; the second roundabout must have actually been a slip road as we’d cycled 10km uphill in the wrong direction (even being confirmed it was the right way by some locals who blatently didn’t have a clue what we were whittering about) – thankfully it was mostly downhill back and before long we were whizzing along, with only the sound of chattering teeth to keep us company.
 Lynette’s face unfortunately froze like this after cycling through the bitter wind in the wrong direction.
Lynette's face unfortunately froze like this after cycling through the bitter wind in the wrong direction.22-Jan-2010 07:46, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 200 |
Our complaining fingers unable to cope and threatening to just drop off, we took a pit stop at a cafe on a bridge to warm up where they plied us with tea and piled more hot coals into a dish underneath the table. As the steam rose up from our drying clothes, it required a combined will of steel to motivate us back out into the lashing rain and even when we managed it none of us were convinced it was really a good idea. We arrived at Moon Hill, which the ticket office advised us not to climb as it was too wet, and turned back despondent. But then we saw big signs for the famed REAL No.1 Water Cave. Surely this was the perfect attraction; oblivious to weather and inclusive of hot springs. Lynette was unconvinced and showing signs of the onset of flu so vanished into the distance while James and I bartered them down from 200RMB each to 120RMB for the mud pools and hot springs. In for a penny, in for a pound. What followed was so incredibly bad it was thankfully hilarious.
 The Water Cave in Yangshuo is a big fat cold no no. But still quite random to see a full IT setup in the middle of a cave.
The Water Cave in Yangshuo is a big fat cold no no. But still quite random to see a full IT setup in the middle of a cave.22-Jan-2010 10:15, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600 |
An included thirty minute bus ride bumped us all the way to the cave’s entrance, and a brief spot of Limbo dancing aboard a boat granted us access through a tiny split between water and rock into the cave itself. Apparently there were around 130 points of interest on our mini tour through the limestone gloom, our guide seemed to forget the rest once he’d reached five. Gingerly stepping on walkways suspended over flooded waters that threatened to crumble into the speeding water at any moment he pointed out stalactites and mites with impressive descriptions like ‘naked lady flying through sky’ and ‘butterfly wings’. Unimpressed, we soldiered on. Just before reaching our first stop, the mud pools, the water had risen so high it had actually broken a section of bridge and flowed fast over the last remaining planks. Motioning with the torch our guide pointed ahead for us to proceed; staying safe and comfortable on the section with stable handrails.
 A scan in of our rather scary dip in the mud pool… yes, I know, not a high point…  )
A scan in of our rather scary dip in the mud pool… yes, I know, not a high point… |
On the other side we found an odd setup; in the middle of the dark, dank caves was basically an office. A couple of computers, printer and laminator was guaranteed to make sure we never, ever forgot the experience. Stripped to underwear, James and I carefully stepped into frighteningly cold six inch deep mud, with an even icier layer of water on top. The photographer eagerly told us to sit down, roll around and generally cover ourselves in the freezing ooze while he took photos. Yes, more than a little wrong in retrospect. Photo shoot over, he pointed to a hose pipe where we could shower the mud off; his reply to the question of ‘Is it hot?’ was a slanderous ‘A little bit’. The glacial spray turned the experience into benny hill hilarity, where James and I took turns sprinting in and out of the water screaming like girls and prancing on tip toes. A particularly demeaning moment that we’d paid about the entry for Alton Towers to experience!
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The Water Cave in Yangshuo is a big fat cold no no. But still quite random to see a full IT setup in the middle of a cave.
The Water Cave in Yangshuo is a big fat cold no no. But still quite random to see a full IT setup in the middle of a cave.22-Jan-2010 10:15, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600 |
Final stop was the hot springs, which were actually a present from heaven. Several pools cascading over a gentle limestone waterfall, starting at nearly boiling and each progressively cooler – finding your perfect temperature was a pleasure. Unfortunately, the cycle home in pitch black with no lights and oncoming Chinese traffic certainly wasn’t… on arrival finding Lynette all curled up in a wonderfully warm room looked like she’d had a much better time! The REAL No.1 Water Cave, so crap it was a warped kind of good.
Wandering around Xingping
 A local tending over his water buffalo.
A local tending over his water buffalo.23-Jan-2010 08:15, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 30.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100 |
The other notable experience was a 5RMB bus to Xingping, a local village straddling the Li River, a far more traditional Chinese village (compared to Yangshuo) and a great place to wander around camera in hand. While Lynette continued to battle her illness at the hostel, James and I wandered around the streets, and hiked around the local area. Luckily it seemed the clouds had wrung out their supply of rain and could only muster a light sprinkling every now and again so it was a great day with some interesting photos!
Hiking the Dragon’s Backbone Terrace
 In spring every contour is flooded becoming ‘ribbons of silver’ laced across the Dragon’s back.
In spring every contour is flooded becoming 'ribbons of silver' laced across the Dragon's back.25-Jan-2010 06:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 13.0, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200 |
Not far from Guilin lies the Dragon’s Backbone Terraces, a shining example of extreme paddy field terracing that uses every square inch of the 66 square kilometres they cover. Following every contour of the hills and valleys that populate the area the effect is dramatic and changes every season; snow in winter, silver ribbons of irrigated water in spring, blooming green crops in summer and gold ripened millet in Autumn. We took a 22RMB bus to Guilin, and a 15RMB bus to Longsheng, where we’d missed the last bus to Dazhai and decided to stay (read: mugged into) at Riverside Hotel, where the proprietor urged us to meet her daughter Hanna at Dazhai and she would take us to her hostel there the next day. An 8RMB bus took us there first thing, via a local food pit stop for awesome 3RMB breakfast noodles, and finally we met Hanna at Dazhai bus stop. An unexpected hour’s hike took us all the way up to Tiantouzhai, and finally we were off on our four hour hike around the area.
 Climbing the steps in deserted Dazhai, wondering which of these shacks is our bed for the night.
Climbing the steps in deserted Dazhai, wondering which of these shacks is our bed for the night.25-Jan-2010 03:05, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 11.0, 28.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 400 |
Unfortunately, when we were there the crops had been harvested and any snow either hadn’t arrived or had been and gone – but the views were still stunning and we’d been lucky as the previous day’s mist had prevented you seeing the hand in front of your face! Thankfully the relatively clear skies allowed us to see the farming marvel of the terraces, apparently in the 1960’s Mao declared the area model for national agriculture and the state paid for farmers far and wide to travel to Dazhai and see just how hard they worked and the results they achieved. Ultimately, a huge amount of effort was proved unnecessary (hills moved etc) but it allowed the area to boom.
 Our first sight; the funeral of a 95yr old man who had died the day before.
Our first sight; the funeral of a 95yr old man who had died the day before.25-Jan-2010 03:41, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 5.0, 80.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 400 |
The hike itself was great fun, with path’s suddenly disappearing and us going for a ramble through forests or performing a bit of terrace jumping to hit the next way point. Seeing the Yao locals in traditional garb when evidently there were no other tourists around was great, and the comedic value of being led home by a fluffy white mongrel Lynette named Fido was hilarious. On arrival back at the hostel, we were treated to warm Rice wine and ginger, and met a Canadian French couple where we whiled away the hours playing Yhazee. A great day! Thankfully the morning hike back down to Dazhai to catch a bus back to Longsheng and on to Guilin wasn’t too problematic.
 Everybody in China works incredibly hard, no excuse for us panting on a one day hike!
Everybody in China works incredibly hard, no excuse for us panting on a one day hike!25-Jan-2010 09:48, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 400 |
Finally we caught our first train on to Chengdu, a 26hr marathon where we discovered the gymnastic discomfort of having an upper sleeper bunk and about six inches of head room. Nevertheless we were happy; it had been a great start to China. The people were friendly, the food a marked improvement on Vietnam, and everything felt satisfyingly off the beaten track with the associated unexpected experiences that make travelling worthwhile. Onwards!
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Crossing through 'Friendship Pass' and into China! Easiest one yet!19-Jan-2010 06:59, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
The view from our hostel window; grey but impressive!23-Jan-2010 04:48, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 9.0, 28.0mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 100 |
Splat in the middle of Yangshuo… looks oddly out of place no?22-Jan-2010 05:18, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 7.1, 50.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200 |
Still, for midnight munchies a McDonalds does rather well!20-Jan-2010 18:06, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.3, 4.1mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100 |
Lynette holed up in our )pretty good) room attempting to get over her cold… instead she spreads it around!21-Jan-2010 10:09, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.3, 4.1mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 125 |
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Outside in the streets of Yangshuo a bitter wind and cold drizzle make it a rather unappealing place to wander!22-Jan-2010 05:11, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 7.1, 50.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100 |
A cat warms up with us inside our favourite chill outspot in Yangshuo, Backstreet Cafe.22-Jan-2010 04:19, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400 |
Rain or no rain, we're not going to waste our first few days in China!22-Jan-2010 05:10, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 400 |
Lynette's face unfortunately froze like this after cycling through the bitter wind in the wrong direction.22-Jan-2010 07:46, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 200 |
Our new travelling companion in China, James, also warming up on a pitstop.22-Jan-2010 07:47, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 200 |
James warming up with the locals before the delights of the 'REAL Water Cave'.22-Jan-2010 08:58, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 400 |
James warming up with the locals before the delights of the 'REAL Water Cave'.22-Jan-2010 08:58, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 400 |
The Water Cave in Yangshuo is a big fat cold no no. But still quite random to see a full IT setup in the middle of a cave.22-Jan-2010 10:15, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600 |
After the atrocious mud pool, the steamy delights of the hot springs. With another opportunity to have your photo taken!22-Jan-2010 09:50, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 1.8, 50.0mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600 |
The aftermath of a wedding in Xingping.23-Jan-2010 07:13, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 100 |
A forgotten collection of fruit left out to dry.23-Jan-2010 07:15, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 35.0mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 100 |
A man grinding in his tiny workshop in the streets of Xingping.23-Jan-2010 07:23, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 50.0mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 200 |
Looking out along the Li river at the limestone peaks that dominate the area.23-Jan-2010 07:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100 |
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