Our third region to visit was in southern China. We flew to Guilin, which is famous for the Li River and its emerald green limestone mountains. We took a cruise down the Li River to the town of Yangshuo, a rural farming town that caters to Westerners.
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A roving food vendor:
A giant Banyan tree. These trees drop hundreds of thin roots, which eventually grow into what looks like new trees, but which are really integrally attached to the original tree still.
As Dave called it, this was some "Good Tourist Cheese". We went paddling around on actual rafts made of bamboo. Here, we are seen ramming Linda's parents' raft:
Here is where the locals go out to eat in the small town of Yangshuo. You just point, and they stir-fry it in a wok:
The Li River in Yangshuo, with a backdrop of a huge bamboo forest and the Guilin Mountains:
Hmm, Dave *thinks* she said this is Tarot root cake, but maybe she said "rat" instead of "root". Anyhow, it is deep-fried and only cost 7 cents, so it was worth trying:
Dave got a kick out of these utility trucks. Two-stroke, 12 horsepower, no emissions controls, no doors, exposed flywheel and drive belts, 3-speed transmission, no amenities. Apparently, if you were lucky enough to own one of these, you could make a LOT more money renting it out than you would if you just used it to plow your own fields and haul stuff to market.
The highlight of Guilin/Yangshuo was renting bikes and cruising out thru the rural farmlands:
We biked to a tiny, laid-back little farming village. Here, the locals gather to play cards, sit around, sell & buy meat (foreground), and smoke:
The Guilin area has many many caves. In Crown Cave, we saw the biggest stalagmite ever (colored lights added for effect). The cave is huge! There was a section that we boated thru, and another section that we took an electric tram thru.
This is a reflecting pool in the Reed Flute Cave:
