Although in Kong Kong only a few months my wanderlust took me on a trip to southern China. I had signed up for an AWA Asian tour to Guilin, Yangshuo and Longsheng. My knowledge of that part of China was scant with only the terms beautiful and gorgeous in my vocabulary of the area.
Last Thursday I experienced the much praised Airport Express for the first time. It begins in Central where you can check your luggage, get your boarding pass and board a train that takes you directly to the airport. The cost is right, $100HK (about $12US), and the convenience is remarkable. This is definitely the way to go.
I was with several other ladies who I had met only briefly at our pre-departure meeting a few weeks prior. And I had not even met my roommate yet! How strange to travel with strangers, but my thirst for seeing China far outweighed my nervousness about being with others I did not know for 4 days. We were running rather late and did the walk/run to the gate. There I met Meike my Belgian roommate who was equally beautiful and sweet. I immediately began to relax.
Our hour flight took us straight to Guilin. As we approached the landing strip I was amazed how dark it was. Even the runway lights seemed dim. What a surprise I would have after we landed!
Passport control was easy and quick and we were promptly met by our guide Peter. The 24 of us walked out of the terminal into a riot of color. Fake palm trees, complete with coconuts, lined the front of the car-park each glowing a different color. We chuckled amongst ourselves as no one quite expected this greeting. The forty minute drive to our hotel proved equally absurd. The buildings were outlined with colored LED lights, some pulsing or strobing, which gave the appearance of a mini-Las Vegas. This was not the quaint Chinese town that I had anticipated.
What I did not know is that Guilin is a pre-fecture level city (below a province and above a county) in the province of Guangxi. The city itself has over 500,000 people. The total geographic area of Guilin covers over 28,000 sq. kilometers or 10,000 miles.
After we checked into our rooms a few of the more adventurous ladies took off for the Night Market. I’m always amazed how markets are abuzz with activity and commerce late into the night in China. We strolled along the streets and stalls getting acquainted with each other and the city of Guilin.
Friday morning we awoke early for a quick breakfast and then into the bus for a incredibly full day that we were all greatly anticipating. Our first stop was a boat ride on the very famous Li River. Even if you have never heard of it you have no doubt seen paintings of the scenery. The most famous view is on the 20 Yuan bill.
We boarded our boat and were immediately offered tea as we prepared for our 3 hour journey down the river. It wasn’t long before most of us were on the upper deck taking photographs and marveling at the karst mountains. Karst mountains are jagged peaks sticking out of the earth that seem rather other-worldly particularly when covered in mist and fog as they were that day. For Star Wars fans you might remember them from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Li River was also called one of the 10 Water Wonders of the World by National Geographic. What a reputation!
Yes, it did live up to my expectations. I was expecting to be “wowed” and I was. The natural landscape alone is exquisite, but watching life on the river was fascinating: women washing clothes, men fishing from bamboo rafts, water buffalo grazing and even a young couple getting married the bride stunning her long white dress. I stood for hours, sometimes in the mist, absorbing the feel and recording the sights in my camera and my mind.
Eventually we were called below for a Chinese lunch before disembarking onto a small dinghy with tiny wooden chairs (the kind we had in kindergarten) for a ride to the shore of Xingping. A short walk through town gave us time to take photos of the villagers with their stores selling batiks, embroidered shoes and wooden carvings. We encountered a funeral taking place that was both magical and solemn.
At the end of our walk were the bikes that would take us on the next part of our journey. As I had strongly suspected the bright green bikes with baskets in the back for our day-packs were “no speeds”. I wasn’t worried since we were only cycling 20 kilometers. We headed out of town and I quickly hurried to the front of the group. I wanted to be able to ask Peter about the sights we were passing. The orchards of persimmons and oranges, the rice paddies with water buffalo and the tombs still with decorations after the recent Ching Ming Festival (Grave Sweeping Festival) made for many questions. The most incredible part of the ride was smelling the orange blossoms. The sweet fragrance enveloped us as we rode down the dusty road with buses of locals buzzing past sometimes precariously close. We rode past villagers leading oxen and carrying fruits and vegetables. We rode through pot holes that were so big you couldn’t get around them. I longed for my bike shorts sitting in my dresser drawer in Webster Groves.
We arrived in Fuli and walked around the town known for its fan making. The various stages of which were evident as the process was seen drying right outside the doors of the many small shops and homes. I couldn’t stop taking photos of the red, green, yellow and white fan layers. I encountered a woman finishing a fan and was able to photograph her with her permission. She seemed rather pleased with the attention and I loved watching her.
We finally boarded our bus to our next night’s lodging in Yangshou. I was pleasantly surprised as we arrived at a beautiful resort nestled along the Lijiang River. After a quick shower to wash away the layer of sweat and dust we headed into town for dinner and to see the cultural show “Impression Liu Sanjie”. The show takes place outdoors, literally on the river, with the Snow Lion Hill as the backdrop. Over 500 singers and dancers in ethnic costumes perform this show about love. Many of the performers are gliding across the water on rafts while carrying torches. Of course we had no idea what was being sung, but the music and scenery was stunningly beautiful. The show was choreographed by Zhang Yimo the same artist who choreographed the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics. This was equally impressive especially since we were sitting on rattan chairs with 3,000 other people in the mist (sometimes heavy) watching color and light dance across the river and karst mountains.
We shed the plastic rain ponchos that were handed out as we entered the show and boarded our bus back to the lodge for a much needed night’s sleep. I was not sure if I could sleep after the overload of sights, sounds and smells of the day, but I do believe I had read only one page of my book before I was sound asleep.
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