I am home from vacation and back to the grind! Vacation was lovely. It was so great to see a part of China. Although I have been here for almost two months, I have had very little time to see much of the country. It was great to see beyond my home in Jinji.
I am going to break down my holiday into a few posts, simply to stop you from being overwhelmed with pictures! I probably should be marking holiday homework right now...but what can you do? This is what I did in Guilin.
I wish this was our hotel...
We arrived on Saturday night, and got picked up by the tiniest, cutest little Chinese man named Mr. Liao. He spoke no English, and simply had a sign that said "B." He drove us to our hotel. Our truly truly disgusting hotel. I had been emailed a few days before saying that they had no room at the place we had originally booked, but they would rebook us at this hotel. Having not many other available options, I had no choice but to go with it. It was National Holiday week, meaning that every one in China was travelling. I am sure it is a scam, and they put every person who books into this junk hole. My floor was held up with newspaper, and the mold was crawling up the wall - but I survived! It was only for two nights, fortunately.
Vegetarians should avert your eyes for this dinner section. For a late dinner we ordered two frogs. We thought it would be an exciting way to start off our trip. You could choose your frogs out of the basket, and then they would cook them up. I have eaten frog already here in China, and I knew that I liked the taste. What I was unprepared for was the fact that they smack them on the ground to kill them. The ground right in front of you. The ground that millions of Chinese spit on every day. One of our choice frogs did not want to die - and so the woman smacked the poor little froggie repeatedly upon the filthy sidewalk. And then proceeded to chop it up - bones, skin, vertebrae and all. I convinced myself to eat a bite...but couldn't do anymore. All I could picture was the poor thing being pounded to a lonely death on the cold ground.
Frog!
We only spent one full day in Guilin, and we used it to walk around the city. We found a beautiful lake with a walking trail around it. Then we climbed up one of karsts in the middle of the city. The mountains in the area are limestone deposits, so they are very uniquely shaped. It was a gorgeous view from the top. We then toured a temple area - but it was not as exciting as the other mountain with no trails.
Guilin's version of the sea wall
Almost at the top
Our crew
Top of the city
Mountain view, with a baby pagoda on top!
After a quick dinner we went out in search of an elusive night market. Throughout our trip we travelled on converted motorbikes, made into pedi-cabs. They are the best way to get around a touristy city! However, our cabs kept taking us to the wrong places. We eventually gave up and went to get some french fries. But when we got to the french fry place, we realized that the market was right beside us! It was too early in the trip for me to commit to any souvenirs, but it is certainly fun to look.
Horrific picture...but accurate to show our cab rides
Looking up on a night walk in Guilin
Me and the city
This is a major attraction in Guilin, pagodas lit up like the Eiffel Tower
The next morning we headed off on a boat trip to Yangshuo, and waved goodbye to Guilin. It is a beautiful city and definitely worth a visit. However, it was ridiculously busy for the holiday. My only regret about the trip is that we were not able to visit the rice terraces from Guilin. The day we were there the trip was all booked up and we couldn't get on the bus. Apparently they are beautiful, and worth spending a day at. I am living in China though, and I am sure I will spot some rice terraces another time!
Words cannot express how much I wanted to buy this hat. I don't think it would travel well back to Canada, however.
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