Tourist overload!

When in Rome...! Hiding from the sun under an umbrella in true Chinese style
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Yangshuo

China defines yangshuo as a small sleepy backpackers paradise... and yet it still has 300,ooo inhabitants and the craziest traffic !! That's an idea of Chinese scale for you. But backpackers' paradise it is. You get them all over- the place that foreigners just get stuck in and then develop to offer western style food and treats. Such delights as apple crumble and pizza are on nearly every menu...but with Chinese ingredients it's better to stick to good Chinese food than bad European food! The main street is lined with one stall after another selling touristy rubbish aswell...but it's all so pretty! Very dangerous! So many sparkly headbands to capture my eye ;) . I'm a bit in two minds about this place..it is very cool and laidback and the scenery is gorgeous, you just have to try and remember that you're still in China and that there's more than the main road. (Aptly called West Road!) It is actually a fully functioning big town outside of that road and really cool. Located along the Lijiang river, in the most stunning scenery. It's a flat river plain and suddenly out of nowhere there are peaks rising out like fingers. And layers and layers of them. Hard to describe. Check out the pictures!! It's only developed into such a tourist destination in the last few years so there's a lot of change happening at the moment. And what's funny is that there are distinct groups of tourists. There's the alternative drop-outs that spend ages and ages here, rock climbing maybe doing some tour leading, then the French and Dutch sporty families, the older huge tour groups, and outnumbering them all by a lot are the Chinese tour groups! But then it is high season and everyone in China is on holiday at the moment. What's funny to see aswell is that during the day the Europeans take over the place but come 9 o'clock it's all Chinese. Suddenly the cafes all start blaring Chinese karaoke music and really bad early nineties Europop and the Chinese go hit the tiles! We might venture out and join them tonight! Singing in Chinese of course!! :)

I just about managed to squeeze into an XXL!!! Kept having to make fat signs at the woman to get me bigger ones

The amazing scenery around Yangshuo
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The Li River boat tour

We originally got here from Guilin by boat along the river. Very expensive but we thought it'd be worth doing, and it was really beautiful. Four hours along the river through amazing scenery. Also we met a Danish couple who were lovely so we had a good time with them. The funniest thing was the touts trying to sell things from their bamboo rafts! They'd be laden with Jade buddhas and other such atrocities and charge up to the boat at full speed, hang on and sell stuff through the window! Once again- MENTAL! Also entertaining was the group of Japanese tourists who for the duration of the trip did not stop buying things! They were permanently being plied with 'goodies' such a  the buddhas, food and bags and fans, I mean whatever you could possibly think of, they bought it!!

The most dedicated souvenir sellers!
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Outdoorsing around Yangshuo

This place is ideal for outdoorsing, so I was able to do what I love best- cycle and hike :) We got a local guide for the day on the first day to take us around because we didn't really trust our muppet sense of direction in the rice fields! And it was really good actually. Anna had perfect English- learnt only from the tourists! So only spoken, not written at all, clearly another very intelligent and driven lady! She took us around some great trails and then let us climb the Moon Hill. Didn't feel the need to do it herself! Quite an arduous climb! But so worth it. Still dripping with sweat of course though...and so my trousers were soaked and ripped at the first big step I took!!! Right at the crotch aswell! And it just got worse with every step...oh dear. The ever tactful Chinese had a good old laugh at me cycling home in them! And then trying to buy a replacement was also funny. The only size they seem to do here is tiny! For all those skinny little Chinese ladies. I just about managed to squeeze into an XXL!!! Kept having to make fat signs at the woman to get me bigger ones. Oh dear. Nothing like that to boost the confidence :)  That trip was more than enough outdoorsing for Jacq so I went off on my own today, just me and the treadly. Yay. Got up bright and early and hit the road at 8. It was really lovely. My compass did a good job of guiding me. And another helpful man who pulled up alongside me on his scooter and then proceeded to wait for me at every turning to show me which way to go! At one point I got a little river taxi across the river and just cycled through lots of villages and rice fields being ploughed by the farmers and their cows. It was teeming with activity because it's harvest season. The first harvest anyway, second one to come. Some of the equipment is so old it kills me to watch the poor people and their bent backs at work! And then they either pull all their produce along in cart or carry it slung over their shoulders in two big pans on either end of a stick, kind of like scales. I don't know how they do it! Especially the women. And into old age aswell! But apparently they welcome the tourism, which made me feel better about things. It means they have a second source of income and also things have gotten cheaper since there is better access. And there seems to be a whole network aswell, the guides take you to the bamboo rafts and to the spots where their family will be selling souvenirs or drinks...which is fair enough! So we got one of the bamboo rafts for a part of the bike ride aswell, which was fun. Just a few bamboo sticks tied together and on top two chairs and a sun umbrella. We even went down some 'rapids'! All good fun.