Yangshuo

morningsun hotel hallway
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went to Yangshuo for the 1st time over the long weekend, much better than the experience in Guilin years ago (we went years ago during Feb, it was really cold then, this time around the weather could not have been better!).   Stayed at a place called Morningsun Hotel which was off Cheng Zhong street that intersects West Street (Xie Jie), convenient location, quiet & very helpful +gracious staff at only 20USD a night. 

my original choice was the Paradesa hotel (next door to Morningsun) at USD160 a night but they never got back to my multiple emails...no big deal coz when I saw the actual place, am glad that I didn't stay there. 

wonderful escape 1 hour flight from HK- Yangshuo China

morningsun hotel where I stayed
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Unlike the Morningsun that is quite charming (architecturally pleasing), the Paradesa has a better view but no charm

The best part of the 3 days there for me was floating down a bamboo raft down the Yulong river (jade dragon river or meet dragon river) which was very peaceful and beautiful.  the boatman is the hotel receptionist's husband and a great singer!  Even though this was the golden week holiday in China, at 7:30 a.m. the river was very serene and we flowed through beautiful karst scenery, and just rural scenery with the villagers going about their daily lives. Unlike the Li River which is filled with motor boats, Yulong River has only bamboo rafts, some of which are mini floating restaurants &/ or convenience stores

Yulong River
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West street itself was a bit of a disappointment (nothing that special especially compared to similar types of streets in other parts of China), ie the restaurants that cater to tourist, Mei You cafe was a huge disappointment and had horrific service- and I tried that place twice... the 1st time they would not let me sit outdoor in the sun but let others do the same because I was "Chinese" and not a westerner!, the 2nd time they told me not to order certain types of food coz they were very busy - when they had only 4 tables of customers.)

fisherman & his Cormorant
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any anger I had disappeared after a nice 2 hour massage for US$10 and better food elsewhere (global cafe)... and also very good local noodles at the stalls at 40 cents US a bowl

went to see the Zhang YiMou Impression Liu Sanjie light show; it was absolutely amazing.  600 locals fishermen/farmers are the star attractions here, they even had cattle as part of the show!  (I know people from HK that come all the way out to Yangshuo just for the show!)

on the 2nd day, took a 4 hour trip to LongJi Rice Terraces, it was also worth it, the women there have super long hair which are styled based on their marriage or parenting status, the scenery was beautiful and the day at the village, a very serene one

ethnic costumes at Longgi Rice Terraces
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bike ride the last day to the picturesque Fuli village reminded me of the bike ride in Tahiti, but unfortunately even 6:30 in the morning = lots of loud honking traffic, once in Fuli though, found my way past old stone houses /cobbled lanes into the local farms and enjoyed a few quiet moments wandering the fields surrounded by karst peaks, had  a perfect bowl of noodles for 20 cents USD, then biked back to Yangshuo (it felt like an hour bike ride but was probably only 30 min, biking through the traffic tunnel was a bit scary coz I really was not sure if any of the trucks/buses would see me)

Longgi Rice Terraces
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for a lazy person like me, a weekend where I got to bike, raft and hike, it was a perfect outing!