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Earlier in the year (25th Feb) Janet had been working in Taipei and I'd thought of buying a Taiwanese made stink-boat - so went there to spy out the land. As it turned out most of the boat-action was down in Kaoshiung, so that idea died a death.
Then we went off to Macau (13th March) - just for an afternoon - had lunch in the Bella Vista Hotel - great!!
Then came the big trip into China. Britta and I had seen a documentary on TV a year or so before - about the pointy mountains with a large river (the Lijiang (Li)) running through them somewhere in China - we'd written the name of the main town down... and there (in Hong Kong) were travel agents advertising trips to "Guilin" - just had to go!!
3 April, 1994
We got on a "Cantonese only" tour and set off from Kai Tak - 18 hour delay because of mist/fog around Guilin - but got into a fine hotel and started the tour.
First was some caves - and this is where we first started to realise how fortunate we were to be on the "Cantonese" tour..... because (Hong Kongers told us later) - most of the guide's descriptions were of the ilk.... "that formation there looks like a monkey" and "that stalagmite there is named Divine Heavenly Rapture because of its resemblance to...." - you get the idea... we didn't understand any of this - so switched off - and just looked....
One piccie of rock formations has a notice in English..... "Aurora
over the Lion Ridge", so even when we could understand - we didn't!!
Next up was Reed Flute Cave
where the locals mostly sold Reed Flutes for about $1.
Could have done lots of
walking here (if tour-time allowed) - see the white railings and pathways
climbing up the hills behind??
Also see how misty/humid it was - the next day we were due to start the Li River cruise - but fog was so dense the start time was delayed hours...
4 April, 1994
The trip starts from the dock south of Liberation Bridge in Guilin downtown area - we were there on time but just hung around until the mist lifted a bit and the boats could start down-river... The mist didn't lift enough for us to get a look at Elephant Trunk Hill....
Initially you couldn't see
anything except mist, then as that lifted... there wasn't much to see...
Until we started to get
near our half-way point - where we were to disembark and hike into a nearby
hotel/resort place... See - the pointy hills are starting...
Fisherman - using Cormorants
to catch fish - but they are unable to swallow (string round their throat) - and
the fish are regurgitated into the large baskets. The other amazing thing was
the rafts - just 6 or 8 long bamboo poles tied together - must be very
unstable...
Then we got to the "resort" - was quite a hike (about 1Km) from the ferry through rice/paddy fields - no roads!!
This is the resort area - I liked the Spring blooming trees in the
background.
This was the view from our room - cultivated fields and rice paddies
and in the near distance a village... got to go explore.....
Halfway to the village - that's the resort (white buildings) in
the background. Janet didn't like walking along the dykes, it was quite a drop
if you missed a step...
Is this crop rotation?? Or
has one paddy been harvested and the next one is about to be??
we got into the village and generally nosed
around - not much to see - but I was impressed by how long the village had
presumably been there - and how little impact it had had on the immediately
surrounding land - and yes I did buy those shorts (still have them!!). Also -
the hat... Inga will remember this - was bought on our first day on holiday in
Tenerife - and I wanted to change it because it was broken - and the salesman
wouldn't!! Bastard!!
Main Street!!
Lady doing her laundry, me -
enjoying watching hard work!!
down to the main Li River and then...
back to the room - with a
great view!!
5th April, 1994
Next morning - up - a quick photo of pointy-hills....
...and then hiking back to
the ferry - I can remember going through another village and seeing raw meat
just laid out on (could you call it??) the pavement - and asking the guide what
sort of meat it was - Dog!!
Back on-board the ferry...
we had something of an altercation.... the Ferry Captain/Major Domo
insisted I eat lunch. But I wasn't hungry - so I declined. I got the feeling
that:
 | This is China - you don't have individual requirements - you eat when we all eat; |
| Or, maybe - he just couldn't understand anybody refusing free food. |
Either way, he was quite adamant - but I was more than equally stubborn - you can see the unused rice bowl above!!
The river trip ended at Yangshuo - which had quite a hippy feel about it - and is about 90 Km south of Guilin.
We nosed around some exhibits....
the it was a bus ride back to Guilin and the hotel.
6th April, 1994
To a rock where an Emperor's sword has sliced its way through.....
View of Guilin town...
THE Emperor!!
Into a park to see.....
Camel Hill (I guess it does
look a bit like...??)
and then to this place.. on
the right (Janet in background - I just liked all the bikes)... some sort of
hospital. Most weird - we were shown into a "theatre" - told to sit... then 3
men in white coats (doctors??) came on stage - and explained (in Cantonese) what
was going to happen - they linked hands - then linked hands/arms with about 10
people from our tour group who ware sitting in the front row - and
then..............!! got hold of electric wires - and plugged themselves into
the mains!! Crazy!! They were all giggling and jumping - I have no idea what it
was all about - and we didn't buy anything!!