Guilin/Yangshuo - 9/23

The trio was fortunate enough to go on a completely wonderful, indescribable trip to Guilin and Yangshuo, China. A group of 16 people, yes 16, decided to set off to Guilin in mainland China. Somehow, even though I think it has been proven impossible, we traveled with 16 people the entire time and did every activity together and I could not have asked for a better trip!

Team Hong Kong!

We spent 13 hours on a sleeper train (like Harry Potter) with 2 full cabins to ourselves on the way to the mainland. We went to bed in our little cubby beds and we woke up in Yangshuo, China in no time! Our first expedition was through the countryside and small towns to the famous Rice Terraces.

Rice Terraces

During this time, the rice plants were still green, but eventually they turn a beautiful golden yellow.  We hiked up to several different viewing points in the mist and bought a few handmade scarves along the way. The total hike was about five hours with great views of beautiful scenery.   

The next morning the hostel helped us organize another bus to take us to where we could get bamboo rafts down Li River to Yangshuo.  We figured if we had to get there anyways we should take the prettiest route.  Again it was kind of misty/rainy, but the rafting was great.  It was interesting because the "bamboo" rafts were actually made of PVC pipe. Who knew. The whole river is surrounded by the cliff-like mountains that represent Guilin and the mist just added to the serenity of the journey.  

On the rafting trip

After the rafting, we were herded into half open minibuses where of course our bus got stuck in the mud. The ride was pretty intense with a bit of sliding, riding close to the edge of a cliff, and almost getting stuck a few more times. After a near death experience in the mini bus, we made it to the town of Yangshuo.

Rafting to Yangshuo

For dinner we tried Beer Fish, a local specialty. Afterward everyone enjoyed meeting other travelers in the hostel and even a bit of karaoke.

Group at dinner

Our next adventure in Yangshuo was biking where all 16 people rented bikes (some tandem) and went biking through the less occupied streets of the city.  The ride was a bit difficult considering no one abides by any type of rule, the middle line means nothing, and 3 cars could be side by side on a one lane road.  The biking trip was just a little warm up to prepare us for our next extreme sport of “drifting”. Although it may sound calm, we were all fully protected with helmets and pads before pursuing this next mission.

Sights along the way

After everyone was in their rafts, we started the journey off with a 13 meter drop. This is when we realized the rafting trip was serious! We rafted for about 2 hours, screaming, yelling, and laughing the entire time. It was a great opportunity to see some of the forest and wildlife while rafting through quite crisp waters.

Drifting

Rock climbing was our final outdoor adventure of the Guilin/Yangshuo trip. There were 4 guides/4 ropes so there were different difficulty levels for everyone to try. People really impressed themselves, which was great. By the end, we were worn out and our shoes were covered in 2 inches of mud. It was time to headed back to Hong Kong and at the station we stopped for some good street food including watermelon, corn on the cob, crepe type wrap, and spicy pork skewers. The train ride back was another 13 hours, but again it went by relatively quickly.  We all sat in the restaurant together and talked until it was time for bed. Again we went to sleep and woke up to horribly loud Chinese music in a new city! Back to the hot and sunny Hong Kong!