Yangshuo is the place that we see on pictures with the hills that are very steep, green and poking up out of a very flat river valley. The countryside shows up on the chinese $20 bill. It is even more beautiful than you can imagine from the pictures. There are thousands of these formations extending as far as the eye can see. We are staying in an exquisitely decorated hotel right at the entrance of the tourist and nightlife district. On this day we went on a bike ride to a mini-cooking school in the countryside. They had woks, burners, and tables in two medium-size rooms, all set up to let students cook some local food. We made five dishes then ate them afterwards. Everyone's favorite was beerfish. We ate while looking out over the Yangshuo countryside. Idyllic.
After lunch, many of us rode further on up the valley for a further tour of the landscape. The road we were on got smaller and smaller as we progressed. We passed two graveyards and several settlements of maybe 10 houses each. At some points we were riding on 1 foot wide dirt paths that served as walls separating two rice fields. It was strenuous, and we weren't sure we were going in the right direction. At one point my front tire went flat. I was just getting used to the idea that I would be lost in the countryside with a bike with a flat tire, when we came across the sought-for bridge, and at that crossroads we found kiosks serving drinks, and one kiosk with a bike repair kit. The handyman charged me 10 times the going price for tire repair, but I think he well understood I would be happy to pay the extra $1.25.
After the bikeride we took a mini-bus a short distance to the home of some of the original settlers of this area, for dinner cooked in their style. They came at us with plate after plate of local specialty. We were overwhelmed.
We finished off the night by going to a nightclub to celebrate Hing's birthday. Our guide Mark scared up a cake, and we pretty much owned the upper room for the evening. We played a 7-hand round of liar's dice where those who had played the game the most were out the quickest and those who were in at the end were those who have faces that can only tell the truth.
The next morning we started out with another bike ride and rode to one of the more interesting limestone hills in the area, one that has an arch in it, which was right across from the village where we had dinner the previous evening. We hiked up to the arch, matched step for step by some of the women from the village who would fan people as they walked up the hill, and then at the top offer them a drink from the cooler they carried up. I could barely make it up the hill once, and these women might do the hike several times a day, carrying drinks for others. Its very hard work, but one of them mentioned that it beat farming.
In the afternoon most of the group went to the exact location where the landscape of the $20 bill is, but I stayed in town with Rob and family and got a tour of the local part of Yangshuo, the non-touristy part. They showed me the top noodle and dumpling store, and also helped me with my shopping bargaining technique.
After lunch, many of us rode further on up the valley for a further tour of the landscape. The road we were on got smaller and smaller as we progressed. We passed two graveyards and several settlements of maybe 10 houses each. At some points we were riding on 1 foot wide dirt paths that served as walls separating two rice fields. It was strenuous, and we weren't sure we were going in the right direction. At one point my front tire went flat. I was just getting used to the idea that I would be lost in the countryside with a bike with a flat tire, when we came across the sought-for bridge, and at that crossroads we found kiosks serving drinks, and one kiosk with a bike repair kit. The handyman charged me 10 times the going price for tire repair, but I think he well understood I would be happy to pay the extra $1.25.
After the bikeride we took a mini-bus a short distance to the home of some of the original settlers of this area, for dinner cooked in their style. They came at us with plate after plate of local specialty. We were overwhelmed.
We finished off the night by going to a nightclub to celebrate Hing's birthday. Our guide Mark scared up a cake, and we pretty much owned the upper room for the evening. We played a 7-hand round of liar's dice where those who had played the game the most were out the quickest and those who were in at the end were those who have faces that can only tell the truth.
The next morning we started out with another bike ride and rode to one of the more interesting limestone hills in the area, one that has an arch in it, which was right across from the village where we had dinner the previous evening. We hiked up to the arch, matched step for step by some of the women from the village who would fan people as they walked up the hill, and then at the top offer them a drink from the cooler they carried up. I could barely make it up the hill once, and these women might do the hike several times a day, carrying drinks for others. Its very hard work, but one of them mentioned that it beat farming.
In the afternoon most of the group went to the exact location where the landscape of the $20 bill is, but I stayed in town with Rob and family and got a tour of the local part of Yangshuo, the non-touristy part. They showed me the top noodle and dumpling store, and also helped me with my shopping bargaining technique.
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