One of the documentaries that I watched was a BBC series called Wild China. Being a nature girl at heart, the images that were cast upon my computer screen were very pleasing to the eye. Vast open landscapes, clean, clear waters & roaming forest animals allowed me to realize that there was more to China than the steel, concrete and polluted haze that we often hear about on the news.
One place that captivated me the most was an area in Guangxi province called, Yangshuo. I knew from the DVD that this place was unlike any I had ever laid eyes on or set foot in. Its vast karst peaks were draped in green bamboo and hardwood forests. Its valleys were flooded with wildlife that lived along the rivers that meandered through its valleys. The local people who live there seemed to work with the land as their ancestors had for over 1,000 years. I had to go see this place.
This last week I finally got to go.
Our trip took us to first to Guilin, which we flew to from Guangzhou, on a 50min airplane ride.
Even though Yangshuo is very close to where we are, the roads and public transportation make what should be about a 4-hour drive into 8 hours... much of which is sitting in traffic on Chinese highways and freeways. We elected to fly.
Once we got to Guilin, we had to make our way to the city center to find the public bus station.
Mind you this “small town” is a village of 1.3 million people. Here, we had to use our limited Chinese language skills and our very good charades skills to get 2 tickets for the 12:10pm bus to Yangshuo. After about 10min of animated talking to a few different people, we had our tickets and just had to wait for our bus. (Side note: If you are planning on traveling in China, go
to the bathroom BEFORE you get to a bus station. Squatter toilets, no doors, no toilet paper, no flushing …I think you get the picture).
Once on the bus I was able to start to see the beautiful landscape that I was in. I could hardly wait to start biking and climbing. We got dropped off on West Street in Yangshuo (named for all the westerners you see on it) and hailed a taxi to our guesthouse that was 5k out of town. Nikolai and I again used our almost nonexistent Chinese language and bartering skills to get a good price on a taxi (since out there they do not have meters) and made our way towards Half Moon Village.
Once at our final destination we stepped out of the car and set foot into the beautiful pomelo grove that was in front of the guesthouse. It seemed almost instantly the sweat that was on my skin ceased pooling as the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. “Welcome” said a warm voice with the familiar staccato sound of a Chinese accent, “You must be Nikolai and Jennifer.” We were given fresh fruit, which we ate ravenously, and then led to our room in the renovated barn in the back of the house. It was quiet. It was cool. It was perfect.
Over the next five days we spent our time hiking, biking, swimming and rafting through the Yangshuo countryside. We spent almost every evening on the rooftop deck of our guesthouse overlooking the lush green valleys and hills that
surrounded the little village. We indulged on authentic Italian and Chinese cuisine and had our first taste of good wine in months. (Side note #2: The Chinese are just starting to figure out what wine is. Most of it here is pretty lousy.)
One night, as Nikolai and I sat on the rooftop deck sipping Argentinean wine and eating Chinese ravioli (jiaozi or dumplings). I looked around and realized what an absolutely beautiful place I was in. I
guess China really is more than steel, concrete and pollution. It is beautiful.
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