G U I L I N
The saying goes like this: 桂林山水甲天下 "Guilin’s scenery beats all others in the world".
There was so much to see, to savor & to relish; it was overwhelming! Again, that has been my experience with
China. It's a country where one needs a lifetime to explore & to begin to understand China as a country & the
Chinese as a race. In Guilin (桂林) & Yangshuo (阳朔), life is much simpler though. The enchantment of this area
is more rural & scenic. It's a land of green hills, clear waters & exotic caves; of simplicity & universal truth - the
melody of nature. One doesn't need much preparation to appreciate this area of China. Just be... Yes, just be...

Guilin scenery is spectacular & unique. One witness the magical creation of nature & being in the midst of it all
is amounting to visiting a "nature" museum with finest works of art; inspirational as well as thought-provoking!
If you're searching for God, this is most probably one of the place you'll see Him!
LIFE IS BUT A BOX OF CHOCOLATE

Find your way to YANGSHUO: A township south of Guilin (90 mins by bus from Guilin
Railway Station), Yangshuo is a delight! I was a little apprehensive in venturing out of the
city of Guilin initially as my hotel concierge was warning me about safety. Well, somehow I
just felt that it`d be absurd (even to myself) that I was willing to take chances in traveling
to Spain on my own without knowing any Spanish & yet constrained myself in China when I
can speak fluent Mandarin & other dialects. So, off I went to the Railway Station & boarded
the RMB 5 (US$0.60) mini-bus to Yangshuo.

Well, I did try to dress as poorly as I could & to not bring too much cash as there were
others who mentioned about robbery on these buses. Anyway, it was an ok ride though I
felt the buses were over-crowded. There were others who boarded the bus en route & some
were farmers with huge bags of rice. I thought that was amusing to watch. The sceneries
were in fact quite stunning on certain parts of the journey.

Upon reaching Yangshuo, I was quite surprised at the amount of traffic surrounding the
West Street Area. It`s dusty as well even though it`s in the winter. After walking around
West Street for about 1 hour, I was getting restless. Since some VT members had told me
about the beauty of this place, I wasn't in the least impressed with what I had seen so far.
I knew I had to get out of this area. So, how do I find my transport? Read about renting a
bike, but then again, I didn't quite entertain the idea of cycling for hours into unknown
territory & without a clear idea of the roads, I had no idea how to. Then I spotted a group
of people with vehicles like those of 'tuk tuk' in Bangkok. I checked with a lady driver &
wanted her to bring me to a few scenic spots. We bargained & agreed on RMB 20
(US$2.50). I thought that was cool... transport for almost 5 hours! So, off we went. It
turned out that we enjoyed one another`s company so much so that she went hiking up
Moon Hill with me! It was one of the most wonderful vacation I've ever had!!! More about
that later...
Highlights
Fact File
  • Area Code: 773.
  • Population: 700,000.
  • Area: 27,809 km² .
  • 5 city districts: Xiufeng Qu (秀峰区), Xiangshan Qu (象山
    区), Diecai Qu (叠彩区), Qixing Qu (七星区), Yanshan Qu
    (雁山区).
  • 10counties: Lingui County (临桂), Yangshuo County (阳
    朔), Lingchuan County (灵川), Xing'an County (兴安),
    Quanzhou County (全州), Yongfu County (永福), Ziyuan
    County (资源), Guanyang County (灌阳), Pingle County
    (平乐), Lipu County (荔浦).
  • 2 autonomous counties: Gongcheng Yao Autonomous
    County (恭城瑶族自治县), Longsheng Autonomous
    County (龙胜各族自治县).
 Synopsis
  • One of most beautiful landscapes in China. A must-
    see! The very best of China! You need at least a week
    to explore this region.
  • Major tourism sights: Diecai Hill (叠彩山), Elephant
    Trunk Hill (象鼻山), Seven-Star Cave (七星岩), Wave-
    Subduing Hill (伏波山), Lipu Mountains and Yaoshan
    Mountains & Lijiang (漓江).
  • A cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo is a great way
    to travel & to take in the awesome sights of Guilin. Do
    not miss this activity!
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