Lions and Dragons and Elephants

Our second day in Guilin took us to the Li River cruise, one of Guilin's most famous attractions.  From possibly the most immaculate dock lobby I've ever seen, we passed through a turnstile to the docks, presenting tickets to the attendant.  Our guide Chanel handed over the tickets for our entire group all at once, and since one local Chinese tourist slipped into our group, I, at the end of the line, was stopped by the attendant who was convinced I was a local Chinese tourist trying to join the foreigners' tour group.

Apparently it was our boat's maiden voyage, and our departure from the docks was accompanied by fireworks and fanfare.  Our initial glide down the Li River proved to be one of the most peaceful periods of the trip as our boat weaved through the waters, with majestic green mountains rising on either side.  Ultimately, the tranquility could not last forever, as a touring group of Canadian high schoolers filed out of the cabins and joined us on the decks.

lobby

The nine horses of Painted Hill were one of the major landmarks along the Li River Cruise, and legend has it that Bill Clinton claimed he could spot 18 horses imprinted on the mountain.

Nine horses

The Li River also appears on the back of the 20 yuan bill, as seen below.

After a few hours, we finally arrived in Yangshuo, a sleepy little town replete with cafes, canals, and cormorants.  It was here, after splitting off from the tour group and effectively untethering from the umbilical cord that was our group of foreigners, that I finally re-experienced the indelible feeling of utterly immersing oneself in a foreign land.  There's nothing quite like being surrounded by strange and new sights and sounds with nothing familiar or recognizable to retreat back to in order to remind one of the wonder the world can hold.

This experience was short-lived, however, as I found myself walking alongside a row of fast food chains filled with foreigners chatting about their afternoon plans.

From Yangshuo, we headed back to Guilin, where we were set loose to find our own dinner.  Trying to avoid succumbing to the familiar KFC in downtown Guilin, our family perused the street vendors' stalls and finally decided on the spicy fried chicken booth which seemed to be popular with the local college students.

Even though the fried chicken was delicious, especially when topped off with McDonalds soft serves, we came to later regret consuming the poultry on a stick after every member of the family came down with food poisoning.

The next morning we stopped at the Reed Flute Cave, full of natural rock formations and artificial fluorescent lighting.  At various points in the cave, our guide Chanel would entreat us to see the mother lion and her cub or caterpillar or old man watching his grandson- all of which were, of course, actually rock formations and required the eyes of one who has been trained in the art of cloud watching.  The lights certainly made for some very impressive displays, and there was even a light show with laser beams, flashing lights, and music in one large clearing in the cave.

After leaving the cave, we boarded the bus and made our way back to the Guilin airport, ready to move on to the long-awaited metropolis of Shanghai, but unaware of the surprise to be had en route.

The Deep South of China

Quote of the Day:
Recent Harvard grad my sister and I met in Shanghai:  Xian... that place was a hellhole.

While Xian may not have been quite as bad as our acquaintance made it out to be, our trip certainly took a turn for the better once we made it out to Guilin, a city in Southwestern Guangxi Province.  For one, temperatures in Guilin hovered around a pleasant 70°.  Guilin also boasted a thriving downtown area with arcades, malls, and food vendors, teeming with college students.  For the first time, it seemed, our hotel was located not in a historic or working class neighborhood, but in the midst of a more vibrant, modern scene.

The name "Guilin" （桂林）translates to "Osmanthus forest," an acknowledgment of the many osmanthus flowers lining Guilin's streets.  Our main reason for visiting Guilin, however, was not for the flora, but rather to hike the Dragon's Terrace Rice Fields in Longsheng, roughly two hours away from the Osmanthus forest.

On our way to the rice fields, we explored the mountainside city full of cafes and hostels, many of which prominently advertised their free wireless Internet.  PVC pipes wrapped in hollowed out bamboo tubes criss-crossed along the path, and locals went about their business washing clothes in the river and playing first person shooters on their computers.  Several local men offered a sedan chair service to carry tourists up the mountain in style, and several other locals strapped tourists' suitcases on their backs, carrying them down the mountain to make a living wage.

Apparently the locals had an interesting courtship ritual- if a guy liked a girl, he would step on her foot and if a girl liked a guy, she would slap his behind.  Luckily, there was a severe lack of butt-slapping in our tour group.

  Chinese depictions of Chinese people were so... non-stereotypical and non-racist

Unfortunately there were no dragons in the rice fields- the name "Dragon's backbone" actually comes from the rice field terraces along the hill which resemble a dragon's spine... and from the fact that Chinese culture dictates that if anything can be associated with a dragon it shall.

To refuel after the rice field hike, we had a lunch of Chinese food and French fries at the hotel on the hill before our third home tour.

 

In contrast to the hutong dwelling in Beijing and the cave home in Xian, the local residence in Longsheng was elevated high above the ground, allowing farm animals to reside in the space beneath the house.  Aside from an attic, nearly all of the rooms of the home were simply subdivisions of one large main room.  In the hallway was a shrine to the owner's ancestors, and in the kitchen, a roasted pig's head and grilled rats hung from the ceiling.  I was quite thankful for the French fry lunch. 

After our descent from the dragon's backbone and Longsheng, we stopped at a restaurant in Guilin where Hilary Clinton had taken part in a tea ceremony many years ago.  This restaurant had become famous for cooking every dish in tea, as well as for presenting food in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

  

Green tea jook

The servers presented dish after dish of tea-infused dishes and we ate and ate into the night, amidst the playing of the zither behind us and the raucous laughter of the Cantonese speaking table beside us.