...a month and a half ago.  I'm the worst at updating this site.  The problem is China and Google don't always get along, so oftentimes blogger.com is very, very  s  l  o  w.  And I have terrible patience for waiting for Internet sites to load, having grown up in the age of "life after dial-up."

Anyway, the People's Republic of China is kind enough to grant its citizens one national holiday per year.  It takes place in early October and is a lovely time to see 1,338,299,500 people trying to travel at the same time.  Living in a densely populated major city in China, we decided to explore a less populated (except during National Week, when somehow every city is equally populated) city in China.  We went to Yangshuo, the land of a zillion karst peaks after which the landscaping in Avatar was partially inspired.  We stayed in a hostel in Xingping, which is about 30 minutes outside of Yanghsuo.  You can catch a bus that goes from Xingping to Yangshuo everyday for about 7 kuai (just over $1).  I loved having the option of going to a more developed city or staying in Xingping for quiet, laid back adventures.  Our Xingping neighborhood bordered the Li River, several markets and small clothing tents, and a clubhouse with late night ping pong.

This is the dining area and brick oven of the hostel where we stayed in Xingping.  That brick oven created many delicious pizzas for us during the week.

more of the hostel

The stairs leading up to the sleeping quarters.  On the other side of that wall was a spiral staircase that was very cool, in theory.  Not so much in practice.

The stairs going up to a different section with more private rooms and private showers.  Adam and I stayed up there one night in the middle of our week (we had some booking issues).  We had a balcony that overlooked the neighborhood.

Here's my boyfriend and his eyebrow.  Karst peaks in the background.

Our neighborhood in Xingping

The bus we took from Xingping to Yanghsuo a few times during the week.  No more seats?  No worries, they'll throw in some stools and you can sit in the center aisle for the bumpy half hour ride over unpaved country roads.  Or, if you're like me, you can sit on a platform next to the driver about 3 feet from the windshield.  And when you get into town you will be moved to an aisle stool so the police don't stop you for illegally sitting your passengers on platforms next to the driver.

Bamboo?  Bamboo?  I heard this word so many times during National Week.  Bamboo rafting up the Li River is a huge tourist attraction in this town.

This man was our river rafter.  He stood on the back of our raft paddling us up the river.  That cigarette never left his mouth.

He even took us over a (two foot) waterfall!  And, on the other side of this dangerous escapade were tents where we could purchase a picture of us tackling said waterfall.  The picture tent after the first of three waterfalls sold photos for 50 kuai.  The second was only 30 (same quality).  If you think you would wait until the final waterfall where the price would drop even more, think again.  Once you reach your last option for proof of bamboo waterfalling, you will pay 80 kuai.  Very clever marketing scheme, indeed.

Karst peaks and daily bus trips.

Look at that!  Unbelievable!

taken from the Li River

taken by our bamboo rafter on the Li River

We met these lovely travelers at our hostel and they came with us on a day trip to Yanghsuo.  They also turned us into giants.  This is in front of a cave where there is a giant mud pool that we floated around in for a while before soaking in the natural hot springs inside of the cave.

Bike ride through the mountains

Hands down, the most delicious Chinese food I've had since arriving in China.  pork dumplings, garlic cucumbers, and fried chicken covered in real sweet and sour sauce and not a mix of ketchup and sour sauce like what they have in Shanghai.  Mmmmmm.

This is the entrance to the Impressions light show where 600+ people dressed in traditional tribal Chinese garb dance and perform on the Li River, all set to the most impressive light show I've ever seen.  After a brief introduction performance, the first act came on.  Their entrance was so dramatically beautiful that I was literally moved to tears.

So that was our trip to Yangshuo.  Toward the end of the week, we moved on to Guilin, where we stayed for two nights.  From there, we went to Ping'an, a village where they grow rice in terraces cut into the mountains.  Blog soon to come.

Happy travels, everyone!

Love,
Ali