A Taste of Guanxi Province

Once again, last weekend's themes were escaping the city and exploring China. Two hours by plane south of Shanghai, in Guanxi province, lies Yangshuo, known for its scenic rivers and dramatic "karst" mountains. Our adventure began with a 90 minute hair-raising late-night taxi ride from Guilin airport to Yangshuo, along narrow, winding, dimly-lit roads.

We awoke to find ourselves ideally situated on the Yulong river, with front row seats to the procession of bamboo boats carrying pairs of (mostly Chinese) tourists perched on bamboo chairs under brightly coloured umbrellas. We spent our first afternoon cycling alongside the river, a popular passtime in Yangshuo. As we wound our way through the quiet villages, Jerel enjoyed cheering me on in my feeble attempt to overtake a little old lady in a pink blouse on a one-gear clunker...she was quick! The following afternoon we intended to take a short countryside stroll, but thanks to a wrong turn, ended up on a several hour trek in the hot sun on a deserted road with nary a vendor in site (imagine that!).

That night, we attended Yangshuo's must-see show: "Impressions of Liu Sanjie", created by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The show is set literally ON the river, against a backdrop of mountains, and involves a cast of 600, and plenty of spectacular lights, music, singing and dancing. We had planned to wrap up our trip with a kayak outing, but something in our last dinner changed our plans for the worse...an inauspicious ending to an auspicious weekend.

For more photos of Yangshuo click here.

Hangzhou Getaway

After a solid month of urban living, Jerel and I were both feeling a strong desire to escape the relentless crowds, traffic, and lights of Shanghai. So, last weekend, we prescribed ourselves a getaway to the ancient city of Hangzhou, renowned for its natural beauty (and easily accessible by train). We stayed at a historical state guesthouse set on the famous West Lake, and featuring expansive, impeccable gardens as well as unique landmarks such as “the spot where Mao Zedong practiced English”. We found ourselves acutely aware and very appreciative of the fresh air and of the sounds and sights of nature – birds chirping, crickets singing, chipmunks scurrying…

We wiled away our time strolling around the lake, deliberately avoiding the bustling city that lurked a short distance away. One memorable episode from our stroll is our stop at a lakeside tea house where we enjoyed the local Longjing tea and some novel snacks. To our embarrassment, when the the bill arrived, we were a few dollars short. Eventually, after much ‘discussion’ with the non-English speaking staff, Jerel was sent off on one of their small, brakeless scooter to find the nearest ATM.

Westerners are even more of a rarity in Hangzhou than they are in Shanghai. Consequently, we noticed more than a few fellow lake-strollers inconspicuously snapping photos of us as we passed by, and once, when I was distracted, a young lady leapt at the chance to ask Jerel to pose with her for a photo!

For more photos from our visit to Hangzhou click here.