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.