Misty mountains
Yangshuo, China, 2008-08-14 12:00 by Martin
At first glimpse it was defiantly not love at first sight. We were dropped out in an unattractive, noisy, exhaust fumes filled alley type of place. But we were luckily a bit deceived as Yangshuo had more charming quarters as well. Don’t be fouled though; this placed is not a quite little town – it’s packed, and I mean packed, with Chinese tourists, all sporting umbrellas, which are used at all times, as either protection from the sun or rain. Our advice: buy one yourself as protection from being pocked by the Chinese umbrellas.
Seeing past the all encompassing hordes of Chinese is not hard outside the main streets, the surrounding countryside is really gorgeous! Slowly drifting on a bamboo raft along the rivers, the lush, forest coated limestone cliffs rose up everywhere around you; mystically shrouded in mist, making you feel that you truly are in another world. We took bikes into the surrounding areas, which was a great way to explore the Li River and the small villages that dot its banks. It was really hot though!
Another advice: watch your stuff closely on the local busses, there are some seriously skilled pickpockets around!