Yangshuo - China

Picking up from where I left off by leaving Shanghai behind and taking the final overnight train to the town of Guilin.

Arriving late morning it was then another 90 minute bus ride to the small town of Yangshuo which lies in the middle of a very lush and green landscape of mountains. Yangshuo is a resort town in southern China’s Guangxi region and was to be home for the next two days.

A quick shower and change of clothes and we headed out for a group lunch. I think we all then started to fall in love with the small town of Yangshuo and its quaint little streets and souvenir shops.

Over lunch, Leah our G Adventures tour guide very kindly gave each of us a small piece of paper with our Chinese name on it. This was based on our personalities that she had seen during our time together. This was such a sweet touch for her to go to the effort for. Apparently I bring the sunshine in an elegant way. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

Leah also told us this place was great for a massage so the majority of the group went to try and get some of the knots and tension relieved from 3 overnight sleeper trains.

I had no idea at the start of this trip that I would be having a massage in a room with 4 of my new friends who all happened to be boys. They were all very well behaved gentleman and let me go in first but there were quite a few childish giggles amongst the five of us as we all lay there getting a massage.

After a little afternoon power nap the usual gang headed out for some drinks and by night Yangshuo certainly livens up. With neon bar signs and loud music lining the streets this place felt very different after dark.

We found ourselves a bar and sat outside chatting before Chris once again bought a round of tequila. Followed then by a second. It seemed we had all forgotten the hangover from tequila in Shanghai and were all ready to go once again.

Rooftop bars were starting to become our groups 'thing' and as we walked down the street I saw a bright neon sign reading 'rooftop bar' so off we went.

This place didn't have the views of Shanghai's rooftop bars but it did have a beer pong and pool table. Winner!!

Our competitive sides all came out and we bonded even more from a night of drinking, dancing and puppy cuddles. Cue more drunk photos.

The next day as expected my head was a bit fuzzy but out we all went to pick up our bikes for a day of cycling around the hillside of Yangshuo.

We cycled through rice fields and green mountains and it felt nice to get out of the town and into the quiet countryside and breathe in the fresh air.

After the first leg of the bike ride it was time to take a bamboo raft ride down the Li river. I had partnered up with James and it was to be a fun filled 90 minutes chatting to my best buddy. However at the last minute our fun was scuppered and I had to partner with Barry due to bamboo weight issues. Dammit!!

The river ride was nice but the conversation was a little stilted and it was a relief to disembark in the end.

Fair play to the locals who paddle the rafts though as they kept us safe and secure down the river and even battled a river snake with their paddle.

Lunch after the river ride was at a local famers market but after seeing a plate of chicken heads being served on arrival I suddenly lost my appetite.

Cycling our way back to the town centre we were able to catch a glimpse of Moon Hill which is pretty impressive. By mid afternoon my legs definitely felt like noodles after all of that cycling.

Dinner and drinks on our last night in Yangshuo were a little more subdued than the night before but we had so little time left together we didn't want to waste it so James, Ryan, Sam and I went out a few drinks before an early night. Tomorrow we were to make the monster trip and border crossing over to Hong Kong.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the final part of my China adventure - Hong Kong.

Nic x