Peddlars on thier bamboo rafts approach the boats as we go by.
The mountains in Guilin are the same beautiful mountains on their 20 yuan bill.Checked out of the hotel at 8 am in order to get on the bus and drive to the Li River. At 9, we were all aboard and off on a 5 hour cruise to Yangshou. The trip was complete with breathtaking views, and a buffet lunch on board. As we passed by some villages, peddlers on bamboo boats would come up to our boat selling their goods. We saw several water buffalo, villagers washing clothes in the river and people working in the fields.
Many of the mountains were pointed out to us, as they depicted various shapes. Yearning Wife, Apple Mountain (an easy one), Nine Horses, etc. were a few that we all enjoyed trying to discern as we traveled along.
The cruise lasted until about 2:30 and we stopped in Yangshou where we enjoyed shopping in the market until 4. Ben and Michael haggled and bought a sweatshirt and leather belt for a great price. Laura and Lianne had their names written on a grain of rice and put into a necklace. Lianne also showed interest in a special coin at one market stall, and asked for the price (150 yuan). Once that was done, the vendor wouldn't leave us alone. We said ‘no thanks’ in our poor Mandarin, but she followed us all over the market until we gave her 30 yuan for the coin! That’s one way to reduce the price although by the end, Lianne wasn’t sure she even liked the coin all that much :-)
We got on golf carts at the market to take us to our bus, then to the airport for our flight to Chengdu. The driver was insistent that no children sit on the outside, and we quickly found out why. They drove through the town, honking and weaving in and out of traffic at speeds we didn't know a golf cart could travel! We were glad the ride was only 5 minutes!
Many of the mountains were pointed out to us, as they depicted various shapes. Yearning Wife, Apple Mountain (an easy one), Nine Horses, etc. were a few that we all enjoyed trying to discern as we traveled along.
The cruise lasted until about 2:30 and we stopped in Yangshou where we enjoyed shopping in the market until 4. Ben and Michael haggled and bought a sweatshirt and leather belt for a great price. Laura and Lianne had their names written on a grain of rice and put into a necklace. Lianne also showed interest in a special coin at one market stall, and asked for the price (150 yuan). Once that was done, the vendor wouldn't leave us alone. We said ‘no thanks’ in our poor Mandarin, but she followed us all over the market until we gave her 30 yuan for the coin! That’s one way to reduce the price although by the end, Lianne wasn’t sure she even liked the coin all that much :-)
We got on golf carts at the market to take us to our bus, then to the airport for our flight to Chengdu. The driver was insistent that no children sit on the outside, and we quickly found out why. They drove through the town, honking and weaving in and out of traffic at speeds we didn't know a golf cart could travel! We were glad the ride was only 5 minutes!
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