Gagged and bound for Yangshuo

An effective tourist trap only requires a few vital ingredients. Take an area of stunning natural beauty ie. golden beaches, strolling countryside, breathtaking vistas or all of the above and you've got the makings of a tourist trap. Now add generous dollops of cheap hotels, restaurants and gnik nak shops peddling all manner of wears from "traditional" artworks to knock off clothing brands.

Leave to simmer in 30 degrees c heats and voila! Tourist trap. Yangshou is the picture perfect example of this recipe.
This all sounds quite negative but beneath the tinsel and glitter, Yangshuo is still a Chinese country town in one of the most beautiful settings in the world. We took a day trip out to see moon hill, a karst whose formation has a giant opening in it and depending on where you stand the moon can be full or crescent. Having navigated the towns chaotic and overcrowded roads we got onto the country roads. These quickly became dirt trails and the dirt trails became smaller. we cycled through small country hamlets made of several stone built houses with timber and corrugated iron extension. The dirt tracks sloped down to the vast expanses of rice fields whicfh were tended by the inhabitants of the strone buildings. Thick overgrown sub-tropical foliage sat side by side with the unifrom rice feelds and stone building and all framed by towering karsts which dotted themselvers around the planes. It's hard to imagine anything on earth that looks as calming and simultaniously as breathtaking as this. We stopped at a little farmhouse with a bar called The Giggling tree to rest and get directions. This dutch owned guesthouse was a little unexpected given where we were but was well worth it. Finally reaching Moon Hill and the 1251 steps to the top we set off only to be followed by old Chinese ladies trying to sell us drinks. Escape was impossible as these old ladies knew how to haul ass when they could smell the lure of tourist money. We took a stern approach and ditched our unrequested tour guides. After stopping for Lauras numerous rest breaks and debating whether she should go back down because she was tired we reached the top. The view was to say the least impressive. Yangshuo had other treats however such as some traditional chiense cooking. We were treated to a trip to the farmers market to start and saw some interesting delights such as fried pig ears, live baby ears and an assortment of dried cats and dogs. he cooking itself was more pleasant working on the restaurant rooftop we donned our aprons and chef hats while we were led through cookng vegtable dumplings, aubergine with pork and chilli, and beer fish.

Dinner and a view. Sunset from the patio of Cloud 9 restaurant

At the end were were allowed to devour all we had cooked along with some boiled rice and a cold bottle of Tsing Tao as we sat on the roof to watch the sun set behind the karsts.

Gagged and bound for Yangshuo

Yangshuo, China