March 2006
I spent more than 3 years in China as an English teacher. During my stay in Liuzhou, Guangxi province, in 2006, I explored Guangxi province over the weekends. I took a cruise on the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo where I spent a couple of days exploring. It included bamboo rafting near Yangshuo.
Li River cruise
The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky (travelchinaguide: online).
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| Li River cruise |
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| On deck |
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| Taiwanese tourist, I befriended on the cruise |
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| Posing on deck |
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| The 'kitchen' of the riverboat I took from Guilin to Yangshuo in Guangxi province, China. |
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| Passing ferry on the Li River |
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| Li river scenery from the back of my riverboat |
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| On deck with locals |
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| A string of ferry's en route to Yangshuo |
Yangshuo
Yangshuo (阳朔; Yáng shuò) is a popular tourist county and city near Guilin, Guangxi. The small city is surrounded by karst mountains, winding rivers and beautiful scenery. It serves as a fantastic base camp for further exploration (Wikitravel).
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| Yangshuo river port |
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| Tourist attraction - the Cormorant balancing act |
Cormorant fishing
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| Yangshuo port market |
From the port to Yangshuo city itself, hundreds of stalls line the way on both sides.
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| Yangshuo port market street |
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| Fruit and veg vendor |
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| Port street market |
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| scenic Yangshuo |
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| Tea leaves - Yangshuo |
It is the oldest street in Yangshuo County with a history of more than 1400 years. The street is 1 180m long and 8 m wide. As early as the foundation of Yangshuo County in the Sui Dynasty (in AD 590), West Street has been in existence. It was just 200 m long and 5 m wide at that time. And now the street has developed into the busiest street in Yangshuo and is known as “Foreigners’ Street”.
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| Yangshuo |
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| West Street |
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| Posing in West Street |
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| West street |
Exploring & Experiencing Yangshuo
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| Chinese transportation |
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| street vendor |
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| Yangshuo street scenery |
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| Sidewalk Shoe polish stand |
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| Downtown Yangshuo |
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| The real China.....little bit hidden from the tourist area |
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| Vendor transportation |
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| Karst hill scenery |
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| Fruit and veg market |
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| Old women are not exempt from hard labor |
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| Whole workshop on a cart |
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| Having dinner with friends I met on the riverboat and with whom I spent the whole weekend |
Bamboo rafting in Yangshuo
I can't describe it any better than this ...
"Taking a bamboo raft ride on the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li River is a very relaxing way to enjoy the highly scenic area south of Yangshuo. Here you can enjoy the stunning scenery and views of country life on a non-motorised raft in the traditional way with a gondolier who steers you over the breakwaters past many small mud-brick villages and farmlands. Once you’re on the bamboo raft, sitting and enjoying the peaceful countryside, the limestone mountains, the beauty of this experience opens out before you. Even if you have cycled the area with a few hidden stretches approaching the river, the view from the river is very different" (Yangshuo insider: online).
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| Outside the Youth hostel where we started our cycling ride to the bamboo-rafting rendezvous point |
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| Road works on the way to our bamboo rafting rendezvous point |
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| En route to the Yulong river |
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| Bamboo rafts being transported |
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| Village we stooped at near the river |
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| Rice paddies being worked |
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| Village scenery |
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| Yangshuo Rice paddies & nature scenery |
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| Yangshuo nature scenery |
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| Yangshuo nature scenery |
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| En route to the start - Yangshuo nature scenery |
Starting point
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| The starting point of the rafting trip. We loaded our rented bicycles onto the rafts. |
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| At the starting point |
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| Bamboo rafts being downloaded |
Rafting on the river
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| Posing on my "Chinese Venice' raft complete with gondolier |
The bicycles made the trip with us. At the end of our river rafting trip, we cycled back to Yangshuo.
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Ann from NZ, one of my travel companions on our raft.
I met her on a trip to Huangshan a couple of months prior,
and then again on my trip to Yangshuo |
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| Photo taken of us on the day going down one of the rapids |
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| One of the rapids |
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| Can't get much better than this |
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| Raft & gondolier on calm clear waters |
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| Clear waters |
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| River rapids and Karst scenery |
The End
After we completed the rafting expedition, we offloaded our bikes from the rafts, in order to cycle back to Yangshuo. We stopped along the way to have lunch.
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| The endpoint of the rafting 'voyage' |
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| We cycled from this point back to Yangshuo |
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| Road scenery |
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| Restaurant near the finish line where we had lunch |
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| Spot the hole through one of the Karst hills |
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| Restaurant complex near the finish line |
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| Our group sitting down for lunch |
Cycling back to Yangshuo
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Bicycle trip back to Yangshuo - scenery along the way
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| Nature scenery along the way |
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| Nature scenery along the way back to Yangshuo |
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| View of river from a bridge |
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| View of river from a bridge |
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| Hot air balloon rides nearby |
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| Bicycle trip back to Yangshuo |
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The Taiwanese couple I traveled with during the course of the weekend.
Our group was made up out of 2 Kiwis, 2 Taiwanese, 2 Chinese and I, the only South African. |
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| Yangshuo scenery |
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| Yangshuo street scenery |
This was one of my most memorable travel experiences in China. I had the privilege to travel and explore with a great group of people. Since we had Chinese in our group, they bridged the gap and we had authentic experiences with locals. The day of the bamboo rafting and cycling adventure was a beautiful clear sunny day with excellent visibility. One could not have asked for better weather. It was a fast-paced fun-filled weekend where great memories were made.
