Tour de Yangshuo

Our next destination was Yangshuo. It's a city of a whole 300,000 people, but to be honest it feels more like a small town of 10,000. It is surrounded by absolutely stunning limestone pinnacles known locally as 'karsts'. They gave the place a surreal feel.

We arrived to rain in the knowledge that only days previously the town had suffered its worst floods for more than 50 years. There was still some evidence of the floods, ie, the raging river with the tops of a few random bushes poking out, which by the time we left had reappeared as an island following a 2-3 metre drop in water level and complete now with grazing horses!!

It had a completely different feel to anywhere else in China partly because of its size but primarily because of its reputation as a magnet for Chinese and Western tourists. There was therefore plenty to keep us entertained. Our first activity involved (and you may not believe it of us!) a 20km cycle ride and a hike up 1251 steps to the peak of Moon Hill. A week later a certain young Welsh lady's bottom is still a bit tender!! We declined lunch after our descent which could have included snake, rat, dog and frog amongst others!

We had a fantastic trip to the Longji rice terraces which are 600 years old and clinging to the side of a mountain! We stopped off on the way up at a Miao village, the women are famous for having long hair (around 1.8m !!) as they are not allowed to cut after they turn 18. It was nice that we were in the minority again as Westerners but it continues to amaze us that the Chinese are so happy to be herded around.

Lunch at the village was also worth a mention, rice and chicken cooked in bamboo trunks, shame about the bones, feathers, feet etc. It was all worth it though for the view of the terraces.

We met some good people on the trip, and at Monkey Jane's roof top bar in Yangshuo with stunning views of the area. Four of us drunkenly decided that it would be fun to do a Chinese cooking course. Amazingly we all remembered to turn up at 4pm the next day at the Half Moon Bistro and we cooked dumplings, sweet and sour chicken, beef with ginger and garlic and Chinese veggies. Clearly we'll be inviting you all around for dinner when we get back (wherever back may be).