The care for our well being was always evident. It certanily was evident when Pat took ill while we were on the bike ride; nothing really serious (weakness due to the heat), but she simply would not be able to complete the ride. Our guide, Julie, got us effortlessly to a point of rest while she made alternative arrangments. Pat took a quiet, cool, relaxing bamboo raft to a little village on the river that was to be the terminal of the bike ride. While she was rafting regally down the river Julie and I finished the scenic bike ride. We met up at a cafe overlooking the river and enjoyed one terrific lunch of local dishes. We all then rafted back to Yangshuo. What could have been a wasted day turned out to be a fantastic experience.

Julie was a wonerfully personable guide. We had many moments of laughter and exchanges of life experience stories from our respective countries. She taught us a little Chinese while she sharpened her English.

We had a delightful hike along the river for the better part of one day. The water of the river being high, Julie had to alter the route several times, having us rafted back and forth across the river to avoid impassable trails. Gosh, that was such fun (although it was probably a lot of worry and work for Julie) and the scenery was gorgeous. Another terrific lunch that day as well, overlooking the river.

Yangers arranged for our tour of the rice terraces as well as the Yangshuo area and Julie accompanied us there, too. We are so glad we went there. The scenery was beautiful and Julie, once again, made sure we didn't bite off more than we could chew. She was very attentive. We had really only one day to see the terraces and the weather looked uncooperative but it cleared sufficiently by afternoon and Julie led us on an absolutely terrific walk. Somehow she knew to wait until afternoon. Others were meeting guides and heading out in the morning, in the fog, no doubt wasting hours walking and climbing and seeing nothing.

On our final day in the Guilin-Yangshuo-Rice Terraces area Ian of Yangers joined us and Julie for an excusion to the Ling Canal, an off the beaten track location that provided us with a wonderful experience of local life. I don't think we saw one westerner the whole day. The canal and abuting waterway was teeming with local life which is what we love to experience where ever we travel. We had the best ever noodle dishes for lunch in a "hole-the-wall" place along the canal.

We stayed at the fantastic Li River Retreat while in Yangshuo. What a great place. Large beautiful room. We ate at the Retreat every night because the food was so good. The scenery from our room was thrilling --and the air conditioning was a welcomed relief from the heat and humidity.

There is so much to mention. We certainly want to recognize Ian's help in securing domestic flight arrangments from Hong Kong into Guilin and out of Guilin to the Wuyuan area up near Shanghai. He got us in touch with folks up there who arranged our visit to villages around that area.

We've been on many trips around the world but this one was about the most satisfying and worry-free.

Hide

Guilin to Yangshuo cruises

These are by far the most popular cruises in terms of numbers. Every major tour company and some smaller ones will put their groups on these boats. The boats are big enough to hold anything from 60 to 120 people. They usually have a viewing deck at the top which is shared by everyone on the cruise. I have had to use my elbows to get to the railings so that I could see the view.

Departure time for these cruises is between 9am and 11am. There are no flights that arrive early enough to meet a cruise on the same day. You can easily arrange a cruise the night before from any hotel in Guiin

These cruises leave from a wharf on the outskirts of Guilin and the transfer from Guilin is included in the ticket price.

Lunch is also something to talk about on these boats. It is included in the cost of the ticket. You get a set meal to share with the people at your table. The meal is very Chinese with rice, stir fried vegetables and some meat dishes. Included drinks are a small bottle of water per person and some bottles of beer. The staff on the boat also try to up sell expensive dishes and drinks such as fried shrimps and `snake wine`. You also get to have this lunch during some of the best scenery on the Li River

Many of the people who do these cruises get dropped off in Yangshuo and have a short time to explore West Street for shopping and then return back to Guilin the same day

Yangdi to Xingping cruises

The Yangdi to Xingping section of the Li River is by far the most spectacular part of the Li River. It is possible to arrange a cruise for just this section of the Li River. However, you need to know that the only boats that can take tourists on the Li River are the big boats from Guilin as they are the only officially licensed boats.

The boats that do the Yangdi to Xingping section are the small `farmer's boats`. These boats can hold about 12 people on them and have an open area at the front of the boat where you can sit down and put your feet in the river

Now, as these boats are not licensed, they can only operate when the Li River is not being monitored by the local authorities which is early in the morning or late in the afternoon which is the best time anyway for these cruises as the river has none of the large boats and is very peaceful. This has always been my favourite cruise on the Li River

Cruises from Xingping

There are many `farmer's boats` in Xingping as the monitoring of licensed boats is a bit more lax in Xingping. You can turn up at just about any time of the day to Xingping and have one of these boats take you on the Li River.

The cruise can take you up river towards Yangdi, but not all the way to Yangdi as there are regular inspections near Yangdi. How close does the boat get to Yangdi? Sometimes almost all the way and sometimes about half way. You can never tell as you would know what Yangdi looks like

The cruises out of Xingping can also go towards Yangshuo with a stop at the `fishing village`. This cruise is not as scenic with very few tall peaks along this section of the river. I find this cruise a bit on the boring side

Yangshuo to Fuli and Liugong cruise

This cruise is downstream of Yangshuo and misses all the big boats coming from Guilin. I like this cruise too as it is very relaxing due to the low traffic on the Li River. The cruise is also done on the `farmer's boats`. Both the old towns of Fuli and Liugong are worth a visit on their own

Hide