Southern China
Visiting Guilin, Longsheng and Yangshuo... a country I have never seen, with no idea what to expect, and seven days later I can honestly say, "what a wonderful country!"
China does not 'need' the Western tourist with a population of 1.5 billion people they have enough tourists of their own. But this country made us feel very welcome, safe and on leaving I was working out when to return to experience more of this fascinating country.
Never miss Guilin and its surrounds when traveling to China, it is both special and beautiful. If you only visit the cities of Beijing and Shanghai, a very special ingredient of what makes China will be missed.
The limestone Karst formations which line the Li River and surround Guilin and Yangshuo, 98-year-old Chinese ladies sitting in a mountainside village watching the world go by, discovering Chinese Tea, wonderful gardens and rice paddies that seem to grow near the heavens, so high and beautiful.
The people of China are lovely, they are private and shy, but proud to show overseas visitors their country which has so much history and culture. Everything has meaning, from what they eat, the way they speak, and how they live. The country is large which gives tourists so much variety in many different regions.
Our trip started in Premium Economy flying China Southern Airlines an airline that started flying to Perth in November 2011. Timings are very good from Perth with a reasonable departure of 8:30 arriving into Guangzhou at 16:55 allowing good connections to other parts of their network.
Premium Economy allows plenty of room, on the same flight were the Australian Boomers (Australian male basketball team) and I think the only ones under 6'5 foot were the managers- these guys still had plenty of room! The service was efficient, limited drink option was enough and a very tasty meal; I enjoyed it and certainly did not go hungry. Entertainment worked with plenty of program choices for movies, music, and TV. If you are on the taller side I would very much recommend this option for leg space and comfort. I would highly recommend if your budget does not stretch to business class, this is a terrific compromise.
With an easy flight connection, we made it to our first stop Guilin, located on the riverside of the scenic Li River. Guilin is certainly not a large city and we felt very safe and at ease, for the few days, we were there. The township consists of a central pedestrian square of 4 streets closed to traffic which meets at the center clock. Many shops and eating venues and very enjoyable to walk around at night.
On the first day, Guilin offered the Reed Flute Cave, very pretty with amazing limestone formations underground with effective lighting. After the caves, we enjoyed Fubo Hill, Severn Star Park and Elephant Trunk Hill which were all very pretty (even in the worst of weather) along the banks of the Li River.
On the second day, we ventured to the magical rural countryside called Longsheng which has many square kilometers of rice terraced fields that swirl with patterns over and around the mountains. It was breathtaking and literally 'breath-taking' after the massive climb of stairs, but I made it as I think the willpower to reach the top kicked in. However, if you take your time and stop at the eating/drinking places dotted along the path to the top, it can be a very comfortable climb.
The local stalls along the side of the mountain sold beautiful craft, glossy books of the areas, wonderful scarfs and heavily embroidered bags. With China don't wait until you get to the big city to do your shopping, because there are so many different regions and each area has their unique specialty so buy when you see.
Travel Indochina can organise a 2day/1night package to stay up on the mountain amongst the rice terraces, which I think is a wonderful way to spend 2 days. Sit in one of the restaurants looking out over the valley with a drink and some amazing local Chinese food, there’s not much more you could ask for! Sometimes during winter, there is snow however, we were there in summer and it was a nice break away from the heat lower down.
Guilin is also very well known for traditional Chinese massages and reflexology, but not the shops on the side streets, these are proper clinics. We went to one that was recommended by our guide Peter from Travel Indochina, where the locals go and it was amazing; nearly 3 hours of massage and reflexology, comfortable clothes to wear and then food and drink afterwards sitting in a restaurant looking out over the Li River and mountains all for $30 - I floated away!
The boat journey along the Li River to Yangshuo was a highlight and should never be missed. The limestone karst formations are beautiful and you can feel the history that they have been a part of. The scenery is magic and even though it was hazy when we were there it was wonderful, sometimes it felt like Jurassic Park. I loved arriving at Yangshuo by boat, it is a lovely little town that is stunning but also comes alive at night time with many eating and drinking venues.
We were only there for 2 nights, but it felt like longer as we did so much, it was wonderful. In 2 days, we went for a bike ride, cooking class, experienced a lesson in tai chi, shopped, had a massage and enjoyed the wonderful lights and sound show, "Impression San Jie Liu" with the limestone karsts as background, it was like a movie set but all natural.
The last day we flew into Guangzhou which is a BIG city. I found it difficult to put the size in perspective with a list of markets we were off, however, these are not markets like Bangkok or Bali they are blocks of 4 story buildings of the one product aahhh! I came back with one bag. There are leather markets, shoes, accessories markets, toys, and gifts, imagine wholesale shopping, and you must have an interpreter. But there are some terrific bargains if you know what you want and how much you would pay in Australia. Very easy to get around by underground metro system, fast, cheap and extremely safe and clean. Taxis were fine and they worked on a meter, but English is not their language so it is best to always have your address in Chinese. Guangzhou is huge and a city for business shopping, not wondering local markets. After that, it was time to make the journey home.
Business class lounge at Guangzhou Airport is very good with a very quick separate check-in counter, then through customs and security (who took my small bottle of garlic and chili away even though there was hardly any liquid!). Chinese security is very strict. On entry to the lounge there is a food area with plenty of white tables and chairs and then a buffet style counter and a cook station for soup and wontons made fresh by a chef on the spot. After dining we went upstairs to the lounge which was very elegant and a good array of drinks/teas/coffees and deserts.
On the return, we were very lucky to experience business class ex Guangzhou. It was a very comfortable flight home. The service was good, the staff made you feel special and nothing was any bother. The pace of the meal was easy, with attentive service. The luggage allowance on China Southern is fantastic, the Economy class is 46kgs (2 x 23kgs), Business is 64kg (2 x 32kgs) and First class is 96kgs (3 x 32kgs) per person and carry luggage is 7 kgs - wow, think of those shopping trips to the USA.
In the space of less than a week, I ate wonderful food, went on a bike ride, river cruise, explored caves, climbed a mountain, had massages, walked through wonderful gardens, a cooking class, shopped for beautiful souvenirs, experienced tai-chi, drank numerous cups of green tea and laughed.
China is amazing, a tolerant traveler can adapt to the environment, love culture, enjoy very good value food and drink, wonderful scenery and a special nation of people, you will love the destinations of Guilin and Yangshuo.