"Yangshuo is Paradise"

Yangshuo is paradise," according to one street hustler that we made the unfortunate aquaintance with after immediately stepping off the bus from Guilin, after our long sojurn from Zhengzhou to Guilin. Looking at the surroundings it's not hard to believe that this is paradise. I have only been to a couple of cities that can be compared in beauty to Yangshuo. These limestone karsts, as they are called are stunning. They just seem to jut out all over town and the surrounding countryside. The city planners smartly decided to interject the heart of the city in-between a few of these mountains.
For someone who has been dining on Chinese fare for the past couple of weeks, Yangshou can also feel like a culinary paradise. Rachel and I both have really been craving some pizza and western food after immersing ourselves in Chinese food for the two weeks before we came.
We have spent close to the last week biking around the countryside, taking a river cruise and avoiding hustlers. Rachel has even coined the phrase, "You buy or you die," to describe how pushy many of these hustlers are.
The bike rides that we have taken are amazing. We've seen farmers plowing their fields with the help of their water buffalo. We've seen people building bamboo rafts in front of their homes. Again the poverty in the area is pretty stunning compared to western standards. I think the major difference is that at least here people have gorgeous scenery to look at. Rachel's already been posting some of the pictures that we have been taking on our rides. The pictures really speak for themselves.
Tonight we are heading to a light show that was recommended to us by a couple staying in our hostel. Apparently, the same choreographer that engineered the opening ceremony in Beijing this past summer also designed this show. We'll see. Hope everyone is doing well. Were off to Hanoi tomorrow!

Zack

written by

zachel on March 22, 2009 from Yangshuo, China

from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

tagged Yangshuo

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