I must admit that China wasn’t my preferred choice when it comes to vacation. Being a “banana” (Chinese who can’t understand Mandarin) myself, it would be difficult in terms of communication – my first concern. But if I’m going with three friends where two of them are Chinese educated, then that’s a different story afterall.
Known as “Sweet Osmanthus”, Guilin got its name in 1940 and is located at the north-east of Guangxi region, China. It was a well-known tourist destination due to its unique scenery, thanks to the picturesque karst landscape but I have not heard about it until last year. Our plan was to visit Yangshuo, a typical backpackers small town located 2 hours (by bus) away from Guilin on first day, so as soon as we arrived at our hostel, we took bus to Yangshuo.
It was very hot and humid in Yangshuo, as it was still in summer. Our initial plan once we arrived here is to take the bamboo rafting along Yulong River, visit the Moon Hill and Lotus Cave but because the places are located quite a distance from each other, it would takes time to travel from one place to another. Furthermore, we wouldn’t want to risk the chance of missing the local folk musical, Impression Liu Sanjie by China’s famed director, Zhang Yimou (who directed Hero, Curse of The Golden Flower and Beijing’s Olympic opening and closing ceremonies), so we decided to cancel our sight-seeing plans and stay in the town instead. Tips: If you’re to explore the scenic places in Yangshuo, it would be better if you spend a night here.
*Top pic – traffic condition in China is scary; Bottom left – scene from the wet market; Bottom right – A curving karst hill with shophouses in foreground.
The guys were famished and hungry, so we decided to hunt for food (late lunch). Saw a shop with plenty of claypots at the front, and they decided to give it a try.
For your info, Yangshuo’s specialty is the Beer Fish, which is popular with tourists but we didn’t order that. Instead, the guys opted for Beer Duck (top right) which doesn’t have any beer taste to it and the meat were rather tough too; Pork with Yam (kao yuk) which was rather good; the stir-fried lotus root looked plain but good nonetheless (bottom left); and Brinjal with Minced Pork.
*Typical scenes you can see in Yangshuo – fruit that resembles peach, lotus pond, fruit market, the shopping area West Street, hot air balloon and KFC.
We then spent a few hours walking around the town, window shopping and taking pictures before we wandered into West Street, a popular street with plenty of small shops selling souvenirs like shirt, accessories, paintings, silk and potteries. It has its own charm which makes you feel like you’re in some typical old China town. And before the show, the guys took a break at KFC (cos there’s air conditioner!) but couldn’t resist the smell of fried chicken wafting thru the air, so they grabbed a KFC burger with chestnut cream.
Tickets to the show can be purchased at local travel agent at around 150 Yuan (RM80+/-). They will arrange transport for you to bring you in and out of the show area but it’s a rather troublesome and time consuming process. Buses, vans, cars, cabs, motorcycles, bicycles are all streaming towards the small courtyard of the entrance gate and we waited for about 30 minutes to get into the seating area. But the show worth all the waiting and hassles, really. It takes places on the river (the stage is the river itself!) with karst hills as the backdrop, complete with light show. The breathtaking show, by all means, is the most magical show I have ever watched so far.
*to be continued
hey.. so u balik from guilin already..noticed that many are going to guilin by themselves.. one day i want to go too..free and easy .. how many days did u spend there? next time i must more info from u before i go..where to stay and makan.. 🙂 do post more..
is the show on for the full year? or only specific time of the year? looks good la..
Claire,
We spent 4 days, 3 nights there. I personally think that 2 days are enough to cover Guilin city as there aren’t much thing to do there. But there are plenty of places to visit and sight-seeing in Yangshuo, so it would be good if you spend 2 days there instead of 1. I think the best time to go would be autumn.
SC,
The show is on every night all year round. You can find some video clips about the show on Youtube.
The Yangshou tourist ghetto is still around?! 15 years ago my wife and I took a local bus to Yangshou and hired a long boat to cruise the beautiful river with its beautiful scenery. My wife is a incurable Chinese poet. Can’t wait to view your pics.
Chin,
Touts are still aplenty there. We’re kinda regret that we didn’t cruise the river…
i would imagine the beer fish or whatever else meats they can serve them in, would be a little mild, given the fact that china’s beer taste like diluted alcohol.
and ever present on dining tables.
I love travel shots! More! :o)
Nice foods, nice places and lastly nice photos!
J2kfm,
Heh, so smart of you.
WMW,
Coming!
CK,
Hello there… thanks!
how was the KFC burger with chestnut cream? sounds like a yummy but odd combo…
Jun,
Well, I didn’t try that cos was very full from the dinner before that.
hehe…me going thru yr travel posts before yr next travel posts!