New Town......New Scenery July 25, 2013

After our bike ride yesterday morning we were picked up by our guide and driver and were driven to Guilin, where we will stay for two days trying to unwind.

Guilin is a "small" city of just 4 million people and is known as one of the most beautiful cities in China.  I haven't seen that as of yet, but we just started to explore yesterday afternoon.  Fred is fighting a cold so we called it quits early.

Our hotel is across the street from a lake.....sitting on the balcony people watching is on my to-do list.

Getting Lost July 25, 2013

What started out as a twenty minute leisurely bike ride this morning at 7:00 ended up being a two hour endurance test (mental endurance, not physical).  Plus, we didn't take any water for the "short" ride and it was already 26C with high humidity in the early morning.

Yup....we got lost!

We saw what we had set out to see and on the way home decided to ride through the villages behind our hotel.  The biggest mistake we made was assuming that each village would be unique in appearance.  How wrong we were!

When you are riding down some narrow lane in village number one, it looks just like a narrow lane in village number two.  The dogs are the same, the chickens look like they are laying the same eggs and the houses are all similar in appearance.

The lanes twist and turn repeatedly and before long we didn't have a clue as to which direction we came from nor which direction we should go in.

Yesterday we had the name of the hotel written in Chinese and Fred just happen to have that precious sheet of paper in his pocket.  Even so, we had to ask five or six different people which way to go [most couldn't read the note].  We never did get a specific location, just the general direction of the hotel.

We did get to see some awesome sights while on this latest adventure.  That, and sore butts!  Old Chinese bike seats just don't cut it.

How Important Are We? July 25, 2013

We thought we were really special when we arrived at our Yangshuo hotel and our names were up in the bright lights!  Maybe just a little special?

Cast Your Vote July 24, 2013

Cast your vote for the best looking fisherperson!  I would think that a certain someone should get votes just for entering.

Day of Rafting July 24, 2013

Another tough day at the office.  In other words, a day of rafting on the Li River!  We spent three hours on the water checking out the life on one of the major rivers of China.

The raft was only capable of holding four people plus the pilot.  It was small and noisy and in one hour I was ready to turn back.  

Good thing we didn't, as eventually we made it to the Yangtze River, giving me the chance to say I have been on three of the four longest rivers in the world.   

I may have to stretch that a bit as we weren't exactly on the river, just the joining of the Li and the Yangtze.  I should earn points for admitting that!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting rid of our Yuan on some gifts and souvenirs.  I don't know why as the zipper on my backpack has already started to rip....maybe a good thing.  New carry on in the future? 

View From Our Rooms July 23, 2013

We are in a small village hotel located just outside Yangshuo and can see the most incredible karst formations from our window.

Our hotel is off the beaten path....so far off that last evening as we were waiting for a ride to town three water buffalo strolled by on their way home from the fields.

It's not a great picture as I was still in the room and didn't see them until the last minute. 

Long Days July 20, 2013

It seems as if the days aren't long enough....we start early in the morning and don't get settled into our rooms until after supper.  

Today we drove 2.5 hours to see the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the largest gorges in the world.  It was well worth the drive, especially since we had a new travelling companion - our driver's seven year old daughter joined us today.  

The Yangtze River created the gorge and at one of the narrowest points in the rock the Yangtze was showing its stuff....the rapids were strong and fierce.

When we returned to Lijiang Jim was in fine form, sampling the local cuisine.  The grasshoppers didn't appeal to anyone else but him.  I wonder why!

The best statement of the day came from Jim when he said, "the legs keep getting caught in my teeth".....yikes!