Saturday,
May 15, 2010
A LI RIVER, YANGSHUO, SHOPPING AND A
VISIT TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
Wow is about all we can say….the beauty
that surrounds Guilin is in fact as beautiful as all the art I
have ever seen depicting it. Although it has been raining here
and some areas are flooded the area we are in is still okay so
our Li River Cruise for today is still on, however the
Impression Liusanjie Show has been cancelled as the river is the
actual stage for this performance. This is disappointing but
certainly understandable under the circumstances.
We are feeling more and more rested and this morning we woke up
prior to our alarm at 5:30 am and readied ourselves for the day.
We went down for breakfast and today’s choices were a bit
different…dumplings, spring rolls, a different noodle, sausage
links, little pancakes, green beans and quite a few other things
that I was not familiar with. There is a guy that makes
omelets…”micro omelets” they are the most tiny and perfect
omelets ever and likely the size that we should eat, but in
comparison to a western omelet almost seem like a drop of egg.
The choices for contents are ham, mushroom, onions and tomatoes
and then when it is done you can sprinkle some parmesan cheese
on it…different, small but good. Also the orange juice is so
good and even the milk and oh…the banana bread is probably the
best I have ever had. They also have other breads and pastries
and then various granolas and cereals and things to put in
them…this is the western breakfast. We have not gone to the
Chinese breakfast.
We exchanged some money and requested the bell boy to our room
to transport our “elephants”…ummm luggage. Our guide and driver
arrived about 9:30 to pick us up; we had a short drive to the
boat launch for the Li River Cruise. As we approached the boat
launch area the scenery became more and more like a painting. We
entered the boat and were taken to the top “birds nest” where
about 15 people would get the royal treatment of an unrestricted
view and later a traditional Chinese lunch. The other families
were from interesting places…Bergen, Norway, London, England, LA
at our table…and the other table Mexico City and I believe
Canada. Very quickly everyone was on the deck with camera in
hand taking in the beauty that surrounded us. Unless you have
been there words can not even begin to describe all that
surrounded us…at every look another “art original” and the river
was active with the daily activities of the locals. Many people
were curious about why we were in China so many wanted to
discuss our adoption and it gave us a chance to talk about Emma
and the real reason for our trip to China. I
One little guy was on a bamboo raft and we thought our boat was
running over him, but he was a true entrepreneur, he hooked up
to our boat only to offer jade statues to the people on board…it
was quite scary watching him purposefully put himself in the way
of the boat so that he could hook on and then “peddle” his
wares. Later we had another little guy do the same with a
different collection. Below the cooks were preparing the meal
and you could smell the flavors in the air. Our boat apparently
was the fastest of all as we passed every boat we came upon. It
was funny many of the boats had local Chinese who were
sightseeing and they would take photos of us and wave to us and
yell “hello…hello” so exciting to see visitors from outside of
China.
It was time for lunch so we all took our places and passed the
food family style. For those who wanted they could have Chinese
beer and Mel said it was very smooth and good. I had my sprite
which I brought with me. There was plain white rice, bamboo
shoots, pork and broccoli dish, tofu which was really good, a
corn dish, fried chicken that looked like knuckles but was
absolutely delicious. Also there was a seaweed soup which I did
not try and a few other dishes and last a plate of oranges which
we also did not try, but they looked really good. We all agreed
the lunch was really wonderful and the family style way in which
we ate was also good for conversation.
It was not time to get back on deck and take in the rest of the
beauty surrounding us and before we knew it we were in Yangshuo…reminded
me of arriving in Mackinac Island by ferry. The only difference
all the locals were lined up on the pier peddling the goods they
had to sell and they were very persistent….almost like at the
Great Wall or when we were in Jamaica. The price of the goods
was about half by the time we were leaving the pier area. There
were things I would have maybe purchased but we did not want to
open our wallets in such a crowded area. There were wall to wall
shops in what is called West Street and we had told our guide of
a few things we really wanted to purchase for Emma and Ellie
Lu…a wedding ball, a hand crafted 100 children wall hanging, a
minority doll and a scroll with an ink drawing of the scenery.
We stopped off by our hotel and checked in and then took a tour
of the countryside with our guide in a golf cart. We visited a
local lady and were invited into her home; she was 78 years old
and lives alone. Her husband has passed and her only son has
moved away to city of Guangzhou with his wife. Her only income
was the bits she receives from opening her home to tourist. Our
guide said she mostly takes families to see this lady as her
need is so great and she was so prideful and had and beautiful
smile and was so gracious. She even had a room with her coffin
prepared so that she knew she would be taken care of when she
passed. She showed us the room and was very proud. When she was
younger to earn money she made and sold tofu. She showed us the
garden she planted and shared with us thru our guide a little
bit about her life. I was in utter awe of this lady, the floors
were dirt yet she had a TV in her living area, you could see the
cracks and holes where the outside air would come in and I
wondered how she would stay warm in winter. She had electricity,
but in each room a light hanging from the ceiling or an
extension cord for the TV. Everything was very neat and placed
just so and she had a picture of her deceased husband and also a
shrine of sorts to Buddha. With all that we have seen and done
this truly was and glimpse into the lives of the locals.
We continued thru the farm fields seeing the various crops of
the area, water buffalo, and all the makes the countryside come
alive. There was field after field of rice patties, orchards of
trees, pumpkins and herbs and many other crops. The land for the
crops is owned by the government and each family is given a plot
to work and grow, some of which they will use for their family
and the remainder to sell for an income. None of the farm land
is privately owned, so there is not huge farm that produces
large quantities for resell.
We did see a local rafting company where tourists can take a
raft down the river and the water was crystal clear. There was
rock climbing and also many bicycles for rent. Yangshuo is a
place that those who live in the city and desire the act ivies
of the outdoors come to visit for a weekend getaway.
A little about our golf cart tour…until we reached the
countryside we literally were on a road with transfer trucks and
cars and our open golf cart seemed a little unprotective in the
even of a collision, but our driver did not let anyone run over
us. You would have thought she was driving a tank she made sure
she arrived back to our hotel safely even if our hair was “on
end”.
Once back at our hotel it was still early, but with the fast
pace we have maintained we quickly were both taking a cat nap
and just stayed in and talked about our amazing journey so far
and all that is ahead of us. We again had dinner in our room…Mel
a burger and fries…me a club sandwich this one with no cucumber
but plenty of pickle. They brought us sweet and sour sauce for
ketchup, but the fries were so good we didn’t need anything. Mel
also had what was called cheesecake, but it was not sweet at all
and very airy…I took a bite and it was nice.
It turns out we are in the Green Lotus hotel and not the
Yangshuo Riverview. This hotel is a 5 star hotel in the middle
of a little village. The ceiling in the lobby is painted with
the various special views of the mountains and behind the front
desk a golden carving of the landscape of the area. Everyone is
very nice and welcoming. Our room has a king bed which is
actually 2 doubles put together so it is nearly 7 feet wide, big
enough for 4 people, we have a view of the harbor and a nice
sitting area. When we return I would stay here again. I don’t
think I have mentioned this before but in the hotel the electric
in the room is controlled by putting your room key in a slot,
then by the bed there are controls for all the lighting so you
don’t have to get out of bed to turn on or off anything. There
is even a “sos” button in the bathroom by the toilet and a phone
and some other controls.
Tomorrow we are off to Nanning to prepare for Emma Lynn’s
arrival and complete our adoption of her. We both feel so
fortunate to have had this time in her “homeland” to experience
the beauty of Guilin and make memories…each day has brought us
closer to her and has also allowed us to get a little peak into
the lives of the people of this area. Our drive is 5 hours one
way and will again take us thru some countryside as well as
highway travel, pray for safe travels and please keep Emma in
your prayers…. that her transition to us be one where she can
eventually trust us and begin to know us and know that we are
here to take her home forever. Thanks for your love and
support…only 40 hours to Emma….. |
River Serenity...on the way to Yangshuo
View on the 20 Yuan bill
View from the boat
Local girl in traditional clothing
View from our room
The Green Louts Hotel lobby
Visiting Local lady in her home
Eating area of her home
Rice patties
Water Buffalo
Tour Cart of Countryside
Yangshuo Countryside View |
