We went to Yangshuo on Feb 9, joined in the gala of the traditional Lantern Festival (also called “Yuan Xiao Jie”) in Chinese lunar calendar today. It is also regarded as one of the two Chinese “St. Valentine’s Days”.
Family dinner, lanterns shows and having “Tang Yuan” (a kind of sweet dumplings) are three happy musts for the event.
Tonight in Yangshuo, lanterns shows were set up at various places near the mountains and rivers, we felt the romance with the Lotus Wishing Lanterns on the Li River, lovers light a wish-making lamp, putting their note of wishes in a lantern, lighted it up and let it go floating on the water.
Tables serving Yuan Xiao were setting up on the West Street. Yuan Xiao and Tang Yuan are balls of glutinous rice, sometimes rolled around a filling of sesame, peanuts, vegetable, or meat. Tang Yuan are often cooked in red-bean or other kinds of soup. The round shape symbolizes wholeness and unity.
Falling on the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar Year, the Lantern Festival takes place under a full moon, and marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities. The Lantern Festival dates back to shrouded legends of the Han Dynasty over 2000 years ago.
We loved Lian Lodge. A wonderful, charming, oasis in Longsheng Terrace. Book a room with a view of the rice terraces, the view is absolutely breathtaking. The hotel may be pricey in comparison to the other rooms in the village, but there is no comparison possible.
Lian Lodge is exquisite. Every room is beautifully and lovingly decorated with museum quality decor. You can sit on the deck for hours and take in the incredible view of the Longji Terraces. You can opt to eat all of your meals there as well. Wonderful staff, amazing location, charmingl hotel. Yes, it is expensive for China, but the only hotel with all the Western amenities, and to us, worth the money.
More informations of Longji Li An Lodge….
The rice terraces at Longji were lush and yellow-green as it was a matter of days or weeks before harvest. You cannot get the photo shots of the definition of each terrace, as the tall rice obscures each distinct level. However the scenery still was great, just not like the postcards which show each level.
We made our way onto a bus down to the small town of Yangdi, approximately 45kms from Guilin. When we were dropped off at the intersection, to where our next bus would take us the final few kilometers to the river, there were groups of local people mixed in with domestic tourists and some extremely loud and brash ladies, who were clearly touts for boat trips down the river. The fact that none of them really spoke much English didn’t putter them from their pitch.
Down by the river the husbands and associates of the female touts loaded passengers into bamboo boats and floated off down the river. The raft trips from here are for two to four people, going down the Li River to Xingping. Getting from there to Yangshuo was pretty straightforward, but returning all the way to Guilin was a tad trickier. The fact that it was Golden Week turned the prospect into an epic. So we weren’t in the market for a trip.
Then we got talking to an English speaking Chinese couple who were hoping to hire a raft to take them half way to Xingping before returning here, as they had arrived in their own car.
After they’d negotiated there price I enquired to the driver how much it would cost plus two (and a half). He of course quoted double (halves go free). But after some negotiating, we were able to tag along for little over the original price, so we offered to split the total cost with the couple and thus hopefully cement our lift home in their car when it came time to leave.
We stopped by at his village for a look around, set in some of the most spectacular riverside scenery you’re ever likely to see. Yet even here it was impossible to escape Golden Weeks chaos.
Most tourists who visit Guilin take ferry boat trips down the river to Yangshuo, from where they are bused back to Guilin. This late in the afternoon we’d assumed they’d all have passed on by as they leave Guilin in the morning. What we hadn’t anticipated was the boats returning back up the river empty; and there were hundreds of them, struggling along against the current, as we floated by.
Following the flotilla back up river was infinitely worse since we were only slightly faster, and for much of the journey, we were in a traffic jam of diesel belching ships. However, it was made infinitely more bearable by the sun’s light show silhouetting the beauty of the magnificent karst setting.
As the raft puttered into the wharf it was pitch black. We dropped a hint by asking the driver if there was any transport at this time to the main road, to which he replied we may be able to get a motorbike taxi. Fortunately our fellow passengers saw the folly and invited us to join them in their Volvo hire car with less than a thousand kms on the clock and gadgets I thought hadn’t even been conceived yet.
After the car’s GPS had safely delivered us the 6 or so kilometers down the single road to the junction we all exited the vehicle in an attempt to find us a ride back to Guilin as, tragically, our friends had a hotel in Yangshuo. Fifteen minutes we stood at the side of the road futilely attempting to flag down a passing bus. This may not sound like a long time and admittedly it isn’t but during it we were passed by easily a hundred coaches and a dozen buses, all obviously delivering those ship passengers from the flotilla, seen out on the river, back to Guilin.
But we got one, we said our goodbyes, squeezed into the aisle, located a few inches of spare butt space, and got em home. Tomorrow was our turn to sample the delights of Yangshuo.
More articles of trips on Li River…
This Li River Cruise is a “must” see! Leaving the dock, about 15 boats (doubledeck) meandering slowly in the shallow channels and seeing the wonders of nature transform before you eyes is “magnifico!” Along this narrow passageway you can see mountains with different names and characters that tell a simple story. You need at least a guide or a brochure that explains these scenery. Lunch is cooked aboard the boat and it is a buffet that is tasty and good for what you pay.
Li River Cruise
I fortunately met a nice German male and his two young Chinese assistants and we had a great time! I have made friends with them and now we email each other.
I am a solo traveler who travels well but at times lack of communication is a slight problem (no speaky Chinese)…..I found my trip delightful and meeting many nice, hardworking, and honest Chinese people. Also nice Aussies, Canadians, Dutch, Polish, French……..everyone was so nice because we came to enjoy a delightful adventure..Try it!
More blog articles of trekking and biking on the Li River…
The location of Yangshuo Regency Holiday Hotel is perfect for attractions and shopping. The hotel is on a T-junction and the car and bus horns might allow you only about 5 hours sleep a night.
Standard twin room was clean but with very hard beds and one wafer thin pillow per bed. No refrigerator and TV with Chinese channels only, Aircon appeared to go off at night (after 2 am).
Hotel has no elevator and staff very limited in English speaking skills. The western breakfast was poor and the Asian breakfast was at extra cost as far as we could understand.
More informations of Yangshuo Regency Holiday Hotel…
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wow! The zoo in Nanning is nothing like zoos in the US. And, I don’t mean to sound like the Nanning zoo has one up on us- cuz… they don’t! It is beautiful as far as the landscape goes. It’s very green, big beautiful palm trees, lots of flowers, etc… But, the rest of the zoo looks very run down.
Before I tell you about our experience there, you should know that the heat today was oppressive. We were all drenched in sweat. Emme was getting a heat rash. So, I was in no mood to take pictures.
The first performance started and I was waiting for that Candid Camera Crew to pop out. I thought, “These people can’t be serious.” It was the cheesiest thing I had ever seen. There were Russian performers and this lady was trying to dance all fancy, kinda like the gymnasts do, only without all the flipping. And, she kept moving her hands to make us think we should look at something only there was nothing to look at. Once she almost fell. The performance area was a ring and the red stuff the were dancing on was like a sheet. So, it’d get all bunched up in areas. Poor lady. She was all dressed up, dancing this horrible dance and about broke her neck for an audience of maybe 50. Then, they had cats running along these stilt looking things. Stilts with small plates on the top. It started low and would get high and then get low again and the cat would run along the length and then back again. Then, she takes this other poor cat and he starts walking down these parallel bars (like the male gymnasts) with his arms. CATS!! Common household cats…. AT THE ZOO!! Aren’t we supposed to see things elephants standing on a beach ball or men sticking their heads in the mouths of lions. We are watching cats. One more time…. cats.
So, then I look over and see what I think is a person in a bear costume. Again, I thought how ridiculous… as if that’s going to be funny. So, the bear comes walking- like a human- over to the ring. It was then that I realized- THAT’S A REAL BEAR! It was no question a male bear and because it was a real bear trying to walk like a human, he looked like a fairy. Fairy bear. The bear did some pretty impressive tricks (see pictures). Then, the monkeys came out to join him and they all started riding bikes. Real bikes! Not bikes with training wheels. We were dying laughing- a bear and 3 monkeys riding bikes.
The final act was the 3 Chinese men running on those wheels. I about had to take a nerve pill when it was over. At the end of their performance, two of the guys were running on the outside of the wheels with black bags over their heads. Then, they took the bags off and one guy stayed on. He kept jumping when the wheel would get to the top and EVERY time he looked like he was going to fall. I hated it!
So, you can tell we had a very entertaining morning! Really, it may not be the USA but it is great memories!
Read more stories of Emme at: http://milesandmilestomylei.blogspot.com/
Location, location, location. The Paradesa Yangshuo Resort has a great location, right at the end of all the shopping, which is basically all there is to do in Yangshuo which seems like it was built especially for tourists. If you’re looking for a quiet getway though, look somewhere else. For those tourists looking for convenience, this is the perfect place to stay after your day on the Li River Cruise.
The rooms are quaint and a little musky and the beds are hard (which is too be expected in China), but the hotel grounds are beautiful and breakfast is good. And like I said, the location can’t be beat. This is probably you’re best option in town. More details of Paradesa Yangshuo Resort
Also, while you’re in town DON’T MISS the town’s nightly “Impressions” show, which is not what it sounds like. Its a beautiful outdoor show with 600 performers (mostly local townspeople) highlighting the scenery and local culture. It was created by legendary Chinese director Yimou Zhang who is directed the movie Hero and is also doing the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.
More informations of Impression Sanjie Liu…
I have already put this in as something you have to do if you want to have the freedom to see the beautiful countryside and see it “up front and personal”. There is something about feeling the bumpy road, tasting the dust, breathing in the air and stopping and taking in the magnificent countryside when you want to that you can’t do if you are in a bus!!
There are a number of bicycle rental places in Yangshuo. Prices vary from 10 Yuan to 20 Yuan with a deposit that you collect when you return the bike-we used the one just outside the Paradise Hotel for 10 Yuan but then we did have a local guide who negotiated for us!!
Bike Ride to Moon Hill
The hottest bike ride with a local tour guide around some of the area close to Yangshuo is: 1 hour to Moon Hill. While the ride itself was not as interesting/amazing as the day before, certain happenings made it a day to remember in its own right. The creme de la creme of the ride was a natural rock formation on the top of a hill, the local people named it Moon Hill.
Lunch at the local family
Anyway after that excursion we were off to the local guides house for a delicious lunch prepared by his wife. The guide lived in a town of what I would imagine would be a couple of thousand people about 10-15 kilimeters from the town of Yangshuo. We had a really interesting conversation with him about life in China. One of the things that struck me the most from the conversation was his revelation that his parents had never been to Yangshuo and he himself had only been there for the first time when he was 21. This is a family that lived literally 10-15kms away.
I took a sleeper train from Guangzhou to Guilin, then a bus transfer from Guilin to Yangshuo. Train from Guangzhou departed 7pm everyday, 14 hours, Y201 for upper hard sleeper and Y220 for lower hard sleeper. I arrived Guangzhou in the afternoon, was lucky to get a same day ticket.
Guangzhou / Guilin
| Code |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
Duration |
| K38/K35 |
Guilin |
18:28 |
Guangzhou |
06:22 |
13h33 |
| T40/T37 |
Guilin |
21:48 |
Guangzhou |
08:38 |
12h45 |
| K36/K37 |
Guangzhou |
17:46 |
Guilin |
06:51 |
13h33 |
| T38/T39 |
Guangzhou |
19:36 |
Guilin |
06:42 |
12h45 |
After taking a cruise on Li River, we would like to see more rice paddies around Yangshuo. Biking was a little bit difficult for us, in a cold windy afternoon. We found some cute small “golf cars” in front of the Rengency Holiday Hotel.
These are supposed to be an “environmental friendly” government initiative. You will see these around Yangshuo town mainly at the top of West Street. The driver will ask you whether you want to book them for the day.
These “cars” can be hired for half a day to the whole day for travel to various sites outside Yangshuo Town and are an alternative to cycling the countryside.
Cost 100 Yuan each for the day. This would obviously depend on how many people were travelling together. The cars seat about 6 people depending on the size of people.
