July 22, 2014

GUILIN – LI RIVER – YANGSHUO

Even a rustic mountain retreat has wi-fi now. As I write this I’m sitting under an umbrella on the banks of the Li River. I’d say that in the shade, it’s in the 90’s with thick humidity. It’s so beautiful here that I can’t stand to be inside writing. There is a photo included in this post that includes mountains, river, bamboo forests and people floating by on bamboo rafts with rainbow colored umbrellas. That’s the view I’m enjoying as I write this post. I write a paragraph and then dab the sweat from my forehead…repeat. Some of the kids floating by on the bamboo rafts have squirt guns…and although I’m too far away, they try to hit the bald foreigner with their water guns.

Li River Mountain Retreat

Dawn and I were really looking forward to this part of the trip as we have not visited Guangxi province before. We left early this morning to cruise the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo. It was a 4 hour trip on a double-decker boat with about 100 riders. The scenery was everything we hoped it would be. Once again, the crowds were intense and there were at least 30 boats of similar size, all in a row, chugging up the Li River to Yangshuo. Guilin and Yangshou are to the Chinese what Yellowstone and Yosemite are to us. The town of Yangshou is a bustling tourist destination, complete with many western style pubs. It’s a strange dichotomy of handmade Chinese minority culture crafts and western style restaurants. All of it is surrounded by mountains, the sort of mountains that are included on the national currency. There’s a photo included with a 20 yuan bill, held in front of the exact scene included on the bill.

We are staying about 25 minutes outside of town in the countryside at an amazing mountain retreat. Our room overlooks the river and the mountains and is the most beautiful place we’ve stayed in China. That’s why I couldn’t bear to write from our room or the retreat lobby, I needed to be outside in this during our short stay here.

Dawn and Xixi are resting and cleaning up, as they are headed to a show tonight with a few of the other girls from the group. It’s directed by the same person that created/directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics…so I’m sure it promised to be over-the-top and a lot of fun. Jing and I are going to rest here.  

Although we miss all of our new friends, we are enjoying our time with this smaller group. The four girls now roll as one identity and do their best to distance themselves from the parents. We never get tired of their interaction and laughter. A four-hour scenic trip, while trapped on a boat, isn’t the most fun for 9 to 17 year olds. But they kept each other company playing games and telling stories. They are all aware that tomorrow we leave in separate directions and are trying to make the most of their time together.  

More to come tomorrow.