One of the prettiest places I visited in China is Guilin. This beautiful city is situated on the west bank of the Li river and its name means “Forrest of Sweet Osmanthus” due to the large number of these fragrant trees growing all over the City.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
Before we explored Guilin we set off for a 4 hour Cruise on the Li River. Unfortunately heavy rain clouds somewhat spoiled our view, but we could still see the magnificent scenery.
Life on board was fun with people joining us from all over the world. Food was supplied and we had a delicious fish lunch.
On the way we saw all kind of “strange” things. Cormorand fishermen followed us part of the way and showed off the skill of their trained fishing birds.
Merchants on their little boats ‘stalked’ us all the way eager to make a sale.
The end of our journey was the quaint town of Yangshuo.
By the time the boat docked it had started to rain which somehow dampened our spirits. We started to explore the town, but soon were soaked to the skin and we returned to the Hotel for a change of clothing.
We only had one night in Yangshuo so time was scarces; we had to board the bus for our trip to the famous “Assembling Dragon Cave”. This is a limestone cave and the formation of stalagmites and stalactites are something to behold. I was not too keen on the coloured lights, but then, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The highlight of this day came at night when we saw the “Liu Sanjie” Show which was absolutely amazing.
More than 600 artists kept us enthralled for 90 minutes. This light show was performed on the Li River and it was simply wonderful. Luckily the rain stopped for the duration of the show.
The next morning on our way back to Guilin we visited a working farm in the area. The farmer was a real character and kept us entertained for an hour showing us how to work his farm implements.
We arrived safely back in Guilin and were now able to see a bit more of town. The best view is had from a small hill called “Folded Brocade”. We had to climb 430 steps but the view from above over the town and river was worth the pain.
Whilst in China we encountered a few very funny signposts. This is one of them.
More of my visit to China next week.
Before we explored Guilin we set off for a 4 hour Cruise on the Li River. Unfortunately heavy rain clouds somewhat spoiled our view, but we could still see the magnificent scenery.
By the time the boat docked it had started to rain which somehow dampened our spirits. We started to explore the town, but soon were soaked to the skin and we returned to the Hotel for a change of clothing.
We only had one night in Yangshuo so time was scarces; we had to board the bus for our trip to the famous “Assembling Dragon Cave”. This is a limestone cave and the formation of stalagmites and stalactites are something to behold. I was not too keen on the coloured lights, but then, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
More than 600 artists kept us enthralled for 90 minutes. This light show was performed on the Li River and it was simply wonderful. Luckily the rain stopped for the duration of the show.
More of my visit to China next week.
Lovely post and the photos are gorgeous as usual.
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