Dragon Backbone Rice Terraces

We joined an official tour group to make the two hour trip North to see the infamous rice terraces. A decision which with the benefit of hindsight we would perhaps not have made. The guide added nothing to the trip and it was not until we got away from the beaten tourist track to the viewpoints that we could really appreciate this amazing place. Pingan itself was mostly a building site with dozens of guesthouses going up. A common sight across even the most hard to reach tourist destinations,  compelling evidence that the rapidly growing Chinese middle class is causing a tourist boom. 

As the group headed back to Guilin we left them, as we had always planned to stay the night, and walked through the rice terraces to the next village. We saw few other tourists as we took in the stunning views and the village was much more authentic than Pingan. Back in our hostel we enjoyed the peace and quiet and breath taking views from our 5 pound a night room. We took some amazing photos but unfortunately no longer have them.