Yangshuo - Surreal Scenery, Boat Trips, and Chinese Disneyland

Apologies for the radio silence on my end. For some reason, it was impossible for me to access this site over the past few days. Perhaps the commies decided to completely restrict freedom of speech?

I have spent the past five days in Yangshuo. What was once a sleepy, backpacker village has been overcome by the ever expanding chinese tourist industry. Western Street (which locals love to describe as "beautiful and fun") is a mini Khoa San Road, with Neon Lights, cafes serving pizza and fajitas, and nightclubs blaring chinese versions of western pop. Regardless, Yangshuo still has quite a bit of charm once you get off the main street.

Built on the Li Jiang River and surrounded by surreal green Karst formations that tower over the town, Yangshuo reminds me of Vang Vieng in Laos. However, while Vang Vieng only has one large collection of cliffs that loom over the town, Yangshuo is in a forest of these limestone cliffs. As far as the eye can see, vague rounded shapes dominate the horizon. It is straight out of a chinese painting. In fact, most of us have already seen these landscapes in countless tourism posters for China, as well as a few Kung-fu movies.

When I went to Vang Vieng, I stayed in a brand new hotel that was right on the river and had balconies that overlooked the cliffs. Surprisingly, after a painful (and hot) search for 3 rooms (there were a number of us traveling together, including D-Rock, the Korean Cutie, and the Impeccably Dressed Indian), we ended up at a brand new hotel right on the river, with balconies that overlooked the cliffs. The view is sublime and I've spent many an afternoon enjoying a cold beer on my balcony.

We have spent our days exploring the surrounding countryside on bikes, climbing - or, scrambling - up precarious paths to get better views, and cruising on the river on a boat. I found the muslim Meat on a Stick Peddler and have been loyally giving him business every night. During the week, Yangshuo is relatively quiet, but today the CPTs have started arriving en masse. There was actually a traffic jam on the highway due to the sheer number of buses shuttling spitting, umbrella-toting people into town.





Two nights ago, we were cursed with the Worst Meal of My Trip. We carefully chose the restaurant based on the large number of dining locals and the tasty-looking dishes that they had on their tables. We perursed the menu and found a few appetizing dishes. Instead of a delicious meal, we received the following:

• Chicken Flavored Peanuts (there were maybe four tiny morsels of chicken in the plate, and to make matters worse, I'm allergic to peanuts)
• Uncooked Bamboo Shoots without Flavor
• A Large Pile of Tiny, Dirty Shrimp (unpeeled, unappetizing, and a real pain to eat).
• Cold Rice
• Cold Tea

Blech. Instead of making our way through that sludge, we went back to Ahmed, the Muslim Meat on a Stick Man, and cleaned him out.

Yesterday, we made the mistake of taking the hotel staff's recommendation and visiting the Minority Village of Shangri-La. Although my alarm bells started going off on seeing the glossy tourist brochure they presented us, we still bought "discounted" tickets for the "amazing ethnic experience." Ugh. I knew right away that I was in for some torture on arriving at a completely rebuilt village. There, we were ushered onto a boat that slowly glided past pavilions where snoozing, costumed actors would suddenly jump to life, and spring into rehearsed dances. At one point, bare chested, spear-wielding natives threated our boat with wails that sounded a lot like tibetan music. It was like going to Disneyland. To get out of that touristy kitch, we had to find our way through a maze of shops, stalls, and studios peddling overpriced souvenirs. Apparently, CPTs love it.

Today, after bidding adieu to the Korean Cutie, the Impeccably Dressed Indian and I rented bikes and made our way into the countryside. Although we got lost, and although it was ridiculously hot and humid, it was a far more enjoyable experience as we rolled through authentic ethnic villages where we were rewarded with genuine smiles, waves, and helpful directions.