9th August 2009
YANGSHUO: THANK GOD FOR SMALL MERCIES
Yesterday: up for 7am and on to the boat for our trip down the Li River: Guilin to Yangshuo. The wooden boat was two story and elegantly carved in to a traditional Chinese dragon. We sat on the top deck to catch some rays and made friends with an American boy who had just finished his placement year in Shanghai.
For lunch we were given the usual fare: rice, cauliflower, scrambled egg, potatoes, green beans with cat food and cut up deep-fried chicken bones. Our table consisted of 6 people: Me, Lizzie, a Japanese guy, the American boy and a Sri Lankan couple, one of whom was a journalist. They were just an enthused over the culinary delights and agreed that Chinese food in general is not overly appetising but they were a nice and interesting lot.
The view along the river was picturesque, typifying traditional paintings and scrolls of Chinese landscapes. The HSBC adverts of cormorant fishing were filmed there. The river wove between sheer sided peaks – some are over 900 foot – weathered into intriguing shapes… and these were named accordingly.
Our very camp guide pointed out the most famous peaks, whose names were bestowed by poets through the decades. Basically, if the Chinese think a hill resembles anything, with even the most tenuous likeness, it will be named after it. Hence the imaginatively named Penholder Peak, Lion ascending Five Finger Hill and Waiting for Husbands Return. Names have been invented for every single one of the 100’s of peaks along the river.
We arrived at Yangshuo Quay around 1.30pm, it was a hub of activity. Boats, hawkers, fishermen with cormorants on poles, trying to make eye contact with you so you would take their photo (for a fee, of course). It was baking hot. We trekked through to the opposite end of the tourist trap that is West Street, bearing our mighty backpacks. Our gay tour guide had arranged for the owner of our chosen hostel to come and collect us, which saved us any hassle. At The Culture House and marched up the winding staircase to the 4th floor still heaving our massive backpacks.
We were given a light, fresh, triple room. Big beds each, crisp sheets, terrific air con. This is great – we thought, recklessly. 15 minutes later, the door opened. Another girl was brought in to take the third bed. We had paid £14GBP for the room and it didn’t even have a private bathroom.
The hostel was 1.2km out of town and £14 for a non private room is basically a rip off. If you are a solo traveller The Culture House is great, as food is included and everyone sits down to eat together, making it easier to socialise. Dinner at 7pm sharp, sitting down at the table with everyone. Nice, but that’s not for us. Through nods and sign language, we planned to go in to the town to discuss the situation. Our hostel was a good distance away from the core of the town, so we hitched a ride on the back of some guy’s mini trailer for 70p.
We decided to stay one night at The Culture House and then move hostels the next day, to somewhere in the hub of town. We had a mooch down West Street and the surrounding lanes, revelling in what we call ‘market madness’ – which mostly consists of buying tat we don’t need. We made friends with Christine, a local girl working in a handbag shop, who had excellent English and tried to sell us bags at astronomical prices.
After dinner and a couple of great milkshakes, a local girl called Suzie came and sat with us and asked if we would spend some time with her, to improve her English. She was tiny, about 4ft 10″! We chatted and showed her all of our pictures from our travels in China – famous places which she had not been fortunate enough to travel to.
Suzie recommended a new hostel for us Bamboo House Inn & Café and personally escorted us to check in (probably on commision). It is £10GBP per night and has its own bathroom WITH A BATH and a DVD player. Luxury for China.
Yangshuo is about 50 miles south of Guilin and has been a main feature on the backpacker trail for a long time. It has the most westerners we have seen anywhere else in China, but it is just what we needed. It still manages to retain small town charm, despite the tourists, probably due to its little winding streets and the riverside location. The range of decent food and activities available is great and not just sightseeing. We have 5 days here to partake in some white water rafting, caving (which I would love to do but Lizzie is afraid of confined spaces), hot air ballooning, bike riding through the countryside, cormorant fishing and watching ‘The Impression of Sanje Lui’ a show performed on the river. Exciting!
danilovescats - travels 
