Another early start. We jumped in the car with Chrystal and our driver and headed for Longsheng Autonomous County to see the terraced rice paddies. After four hours we arrived. The drive was scenic and we got to see a good bit of rural life in China by watching the road side. Oranges and grapefruit were in season and abundantly available in roadside stands. We purchased oranges for 3¥ in a many places. They were scrumptious.
We arrived at Longsheng Autonomous County around 11:30. Crystal bought our tickets and then our driver expertly transported us up a narrow winding road to reach the start of our hike to see the terraced rice paddies of Longji. Its like one giant flea market all the way to the top of the mountain. About thirty minutes into the hike we stopped for a yummy lunch. We sat on the deck and the sun graced us with her presence. We laughed, ate, took pictures and generally enjoyed the moment. Once we were stuffed, we struck off for the top of the mountain.
The local people come from two minorities; Zhuang and Yao people. Their facial features are significantly different from Chinese and they are much shorter people. At one time I am sure the were nothing but hand made items on the gauntlet of merchants, today, not so much. The food was authentic and clearly made there. The smoked ducks were something to see! Other than that, it seems that everything is mass produced in China and sent to where they think tourists will buy. The saddest type of merchandise from my perspective was the selling of Indian scarfs as if they were local. That said, the silver was excellent quality and hand made there on the mountain.
We came down off the mountain around 3 pm prepared for the long ride back to Guilin and the airport. We asked to stop off at a pearl store and Crystal delivered.
After that back to the airport, a quick meal of tomato and egg soup, wiener schnitzel, fried rice. The incoming flight to Beijing arrived late, but somehow we managed to take off on time. We landed on a Beijing 3 hours later and taxied for literally 30 minutes!! We exited onto the Tarmac where busses transported us to baggage claim. The only good news is that the luggage came quickly.
We were exhausted and wanted the three hours of sleep we thought we were getting...not to be. The only negative experience we had in China happened on this night. Our hotel was quite close, but because we got in so late there was no shuttle. No problem we thought...grab a cab and be at the hotel 10 minutes later. We told the taxi minders where we wanted to go. The first cabbie refused. So they sent us to a mini van. The fare should be about 18 RMB or about $3. The minivan driver wanted 400¥!! No way! We jumped out and went back to the taxi minder.
She sent us to another cab. The cabbie proceeded to have a temper tantrum. He used every excuse he could find to try to get out of taking us to the hotel. Finally after about 10 minutes of the tirade, we jumped in the cab. He proceeded to drive about 15 mph, trying to drive the fare up. We finally arrived at the hotel around 1 AM. Oh well...our room was waiting and we knew the beds were very comfy because we had stayed at this hotel on the way in.
We got our keys and headed to the 9th floor. We open the door to a suite and the bedroom is on he 2nd floor! All we wanted was to sleep for what was now 2 hours...so dreamland. The alarm went off at 3 AM. Yikes! To the airport with a flawless departure.
Ahhhh. We will miss China, the food, the people, and the magnificent scenery. John is now a chopstick pro and even a connoisseur. He's not into the wooden sticks, only the good ones!
Enjoy!
Cheri & John
We arrived in Guilin around lunchtime. Chrystal, our new guide, met us as we exited the baggage claim area. She quickly got us seated in the airport restaurant so we could grab a quick bite before we headed out to the bamboo raft ride. The lunch was delicious. The soup was a very tasty egg tomato. The main course consisted of a schnitzel like chicken, veggies, and rice. It was pretty funny that we we supposedly in an Irish Pub that looked like anything but! We were having a Chinese lunch and out came something that looked and tasted like wiener schnitzel ... The irony was not lost on us.
After re-fueling, we headed out to the bamboo rafting experience. Touristy to be sure! Unfortunately the weather was iffy and the sun disappeared behind the rain clouds. So. We rode our raft for a while and then asked the guide to return, on the way back, they send you over a small cliff and the water splashed all around us. On a hot day it would have been fun.
We got to the hotel with a hour to spare before the Impressions show so we chilled with a G&T before we had the next spectacular experience! The Impression show is choreographed to music and is much like Cirque du Sole. John had ordered up the best seats for us. They were spectacular! They use the mountains as a part of the scenery and in the process light them up. Never saw anything like that before! We both took lots of pictures and videos. On the way out we saw they we selling the DVD plus 2 CDs for $10 so we bought it!
After the show we were both exhausted and quickly hit the hay in the worlds largest bed! It's way bigger than a king. We guessed it must be called and Emperor...who knows where they got the sheets from!
Enjoy!
Cheri & John
We got in around 11:30AM, sorted out our gear and headed out to see the landscape before the big show. As promised, it appeared that our room was the place to be!!
So we stepped out into the fray, crossing the street for the first time by ourselves....whew....the traffic rules are very different in China! You must have eyes in the back of your head and on all sides to be truly safe. We made it across and into a park that led to a bridge over the canal where the fireworks will be tonight.
We hoofed up and down the canal looking for a place for lunch. We finally chose one right on the canal. there were many people there, so we figured the food was good. We got inside, got seated and again missed having a guide!! The menu was all in Chinese and the waitress only spoke Chinese. So after some miming, she decided to order for us. It was delicious! Fresh caught fish, fried and then BBQ some veggies and a dish with fresh river shrimp and a green veggie and mushrooms. Yummy. We tried to order beers, but got wine that tasted like a port. Oh well. It was a blast.
After lunch we headed back into the park and finally found where Chinese people shop! It's underground! There was a giant mall under the street packed with merchandise and people. After that exploration, we headed back to the park in time to see the military parading, security arriving and the festivities starting. We headed back to the hotel. they shoed everyone out of the area so they could do their thing.
We stopped down into the lobby to enjoy a beer and then Cheri decided to have massage number 2. An interesting experience. The massager used nearly her whole body to work out my Yellow Mountain muscles. At the end, I went to the lobby to put my shoes on, and literally the whole massage team was there to greet me. How bizarre!
I returned to the room and was telling John about my experiences. The phone rang. It was the assistant manager. She had the press in the lobby and they wanted to come up to our room and talk with us about the fireworks! Wow! Celebrities. Who knew!
So up came the press with the assistant manager. They asked questions about us and why we were in Hangzhou and how we found out about the fireworks. They also asked if they could come up at 8 to see the fireworks with us. We of course said yes!
So....now we await the big moment. 25 minutes to go.....
INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, WOW!! Hands down the most amazing fireworks show we've ever seen. 40 minutes of non stop action. It was like a grand finale almost every minute! As promised, the media returned to take pictures of us taking pictures! Can't wait to see tomorrow's paper.
Enjoy!
Cheri & John
