Yangshuo: Day Two

Despite being scheduled to arrive in Guilin at 6am we pulled into the station at 7am. It was somewhat annoying as the staff on the train kept waking us up telling us "20 minutes" about every 30 minutes starting at 5am. While getting ready to leave we realized that the cabin next to ours was occupied by three French exchange students from CUHK: Nolwenn, Marie, and Adrien. We had known that there was a possibility of running into them in Yangshuo but we had no idea they were in the cabin next to us. So all seven of us decided to sick together. When we left the station the first thing we had on the agenda was to figure out where the docks were so we could catch a boat to Yangshuo. That was solved rather quickly since there were people just outside of the station wanting to sell us tickets. Mandy was able to negotiated the price as she spoke Mandarin. After they refused to accept our price we left, and about 2 minutes later they came back and agreed to the price. They took us to this makeshift box office set up inside the lobby of a hotel where we paid and got our tickets. The lady then took us around the corner to a restaurant where we could get breakfast. It was 3 yuan (US$0.40) for a big bowl of rice noodle soup with chunks of pork (they were tender and legitimate parts of the pig). We were then taken to a small bus which picked up a bunch of people to be taken to the dock.

The docks were about an hour drive away and a tour guide talked every second of the trip. I didn't pay attention to the tour guide at all since it was all in Mandarin. We were then dropped off at the shop area near the docks while we waited until our boarding time. Here we noticed Guangxi is much colder then Hong Kong. It was not freezing but jackets did make a difference. After waiting for a while it was time for us to be rushed to dock where our boat was waiting. The boat was not too big. Inside were seats and tables, while a stair case lead up to an observation deck. We were the only group of Westerners and every now and then there would be a tour guide making an announcement about something we were passing but it was all in Mandarin. We headed down the river in a convoy of three. The mountains were quite amazing and really only pictures can describe (unfortunately it was hazy that day). Along the way we saw lots of rural Chinese going about their daily lives. Some were washing their clothes in the river, others were herding oxen, and some were making bricks. Bricks seemed to be a common industry in the area and it was all done by hand. They were digging with shovels, backing in wooden shacks, and just stacking the bricks (all imperfect by our standards) along the river side for someone to pick up later. Every now and then a merchant would attach himself to our boat and try to sell us stuff. They had simple bamboo boats (4 or 5 long pieces of bamboo tied together) and would row out to us and tie their boat to the side of ours. They would then walk up and down the side of the boat just outside the window and try to sell us things ranging from fruit to fans to jade. None of the crew of our boat seemed to care that merchants kept boarding the ship. At one point there was a merchant on each side of the boat selling the same things. It looked like a couple of the passengers were having fun playing them off each other. The boat ride was suppose to take 4 hours but it ended up being well over 5.

By the time we got to Yangshuo we were all ready to find a place to put our bags and rest a little bit. The problem was the dock was some ways from the town. The one street that went to town was packed with vendors trying to sell all kinds of things. At the docks there were a couple ladies trying to sell us rooms for the night at different hotels. They followed us all the way down the street before we agreed to check one of them out. It was the Ya Yao Hotel. It was pretty nice inside, looked a lot like a nice hotel back home. We had our own beds and our own bathroom, all for about US$4.10 each per night. Once we got settled in and took a little break we decided to go explore the town. Before we left the lady who had brought us to the hotel tried to sell us tickets to all kinds of stuff locally. We were not sure what we wanted to do yet and it took some convincing to get her off our back so we could go out and explore the town. Yangshuo seemed like a festive town that was very well maintained. The streets were stone and the buildings were all very clean. A couple of streets down from our hotel was West Street which was where all the bars, restaurants, and shopping are. It reminded me of Park City or some other American mountain resort town, but with a strange Chinese feel. It had all the nice quaint buildings but with neon signs out front.

One of the first things we did was to buy tickets for the Impressions Light Show that evening. This show is famous across China as it is directed by the same guy who directed the opening show at the 2008 Olympics. We went to a travel agency called "Panda Travel Service" to buy the tickets. Before we could we were asked a strange question "Do you have a tour guide?" We said no. Apparently if you have a tour guide you cannot purchase the tickets from them. After eating dinner at a brick oven pizza place (I know sounds strange in China but it was very good) we wondered around some of the shops. They had lots of art work, clothing, trinkets, and pretty much what ever else you may be interested in. We then met back up at the Panda Travel Service building to board the van to the show, but there was a problem. Apparently the lady we bought the tickets from had called our hotel to make sure we did not have a tour guide. The lady at the hotel claimed we did. After a bit of argument it was finally figured out that the lady at the hotel had lied (the travel agent said that she has done this before) because she was upset we did not buy the tickets through the hotel. We were a bit annoyed but in any case the van was leaving and we could go. The show was just outside the town. The stage was the river with the back ground being the mountains which were lit up. The show is hard to describe. There were a lot of performers singing and dancing, but all accented by light. Most of the performance was on the water, either on rafts, along the edge, or on this platform that was like a dock that could pivot across the water. Afterwards the van took us back to town and we grabbed a quick snack before bed.

Album:
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Made it to Taipei

I have found a computer with internet connection in my hostel. I doubt I will have another post while in Taipei but at least I can get some stuff down before I forget. Pictures will come when I return in Hong Kong. I will also spell check when I get back.

So my flight out of Hong Kong was in the early evening at 6:15 on Dragon Air. I am traveling with Chase and Pierre. The flight was only an hour and 15 minutes but they made it very nice. It was a large Airbus 330 and they served dinner (chicken and rice, it was very good). We arrived in Taipei and got through customs and immigration with no problem. Taipei International Airport is not very big and seems a little behind the times. We managed to find the bus service that would take us into the city near where our hostel was. The bus ride was about 45 minutes long. During the ride we realized that the city is very spread out. There is no cluster of major buildings like most other major cities I have visited. There were decently high buildings everywhere with an occasionally tall building sticking out in seemingly random places. Once we got to the bus stop it was not that difficult to find our hostel, The Holo Family Taipei Traveler's Hostel. To check in we had to go to the 22nd floor of the building. The building it is in is perhaps 25-30 floors with all kinds of other businesses and apartments. The hostel itself is scattered throughout 10 floors. Due to room constrictions we managed to get a really good deal. Our room is a lot like a lower end hotel. We have it to ourselves with two beds and a private bath. The owner of the hostel (I'm guessing Mr. Holo?) is quite an interesting character. He is so calm and relaxed. He calmly clapped when we first arrived and then did it again the next day when we booked the room again. He had forgot who we were and thought we had just arrived. We had to show him the receipt from the night before to show we were here and he was shocked when he found his signature. He often tells us strange things too. He told Chase today while rebooking that he need to put his luggage aside to get the room again. The request didn't make any sense and a woman (his wife?) told us just to ignore him.

Since we arrived somewhat late, we just walked around a couple of blocks. Taipei seems a lot different then Hong Kong. There are some main streets, but most are smaller and pedestrians wonder around in them a lot. Traffic laws are interpreted creatively. On the first night we watched a van run a red light by honking and waving his hand at opposing traffic. In Hong Kong there is very little if any honking. Here is really common. Some road seem like alleys but will have a random 7-11 store in the middle that is open late at night. We then went back to the room to figure out what we wanted to do for the next day