Li River Cruise
We made our way to the pier to board our boat for the cruise to Yangshuo. There were plenty of boats waiting and on the stern of each you could see the kitchen for each craft with the steaming woks preparing the lunches. Where the water came from to cook the meals I can only assume it was he river, as I saw no sign of any plastic bottles!
We got underway and headed down river with the slow moving current. The water was very shallow in places, only a few feet deep . On each side of the river were sheer-sides karst peaks, some up to 900ft tall. The guide books go on about how the scenery is lifted straight from a Chinese scroll painting - well they are right!
It is stunningly beautiful with many twists and turns and ever changing wondrous views. There are water buffalo wallowing in the water. Local cormorant fisherman with their birds sitting upon the bamboo rafts and local villages on assorted craft making their way to and fro. It is truly delightful. Even though there were quite a few boats and they like sounding their horns, it doesn't detract from the scenic beauty.
We had lunch, including some deep fried local crabs - well George and Richard did. Shortly afterwards we arrived in Yangshuo. This town has grown along with the river boat trade and as such has lost some of its charm. But it was nice to stretch your legs after the boat trip and do some bargaining for some shopping bits.
After an hour or so shopping we returned to Guilin by bus and then after dinner took in some cormorant fishing. Although mainly for tourists know there are still locals who use this ancient form of fishing and it was interesting to see it at close hand.
This left just enough time for an evening stroll around Guilin to take in the night time sights. Another busy, but great day!
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