Yangshuo and The Moon Hill

On the way to Yangshuo

Caving and the Moon Hill were the main attractions for us. Floating on a bamboo boat for two and half hours, passing by the mighty karst, caves, and fishing boats was heavenly. To get to Yangshuo town, take a van or mini bus from the river side. The roads are rough and the trip downtown isn't fun. However, once in town everything will be easier.

Yangshuo Culture House Hostel Review:

Exceptional! The hostel is owned and run by Wei Xiaogeng and his lovely family and it was the best hostel I've ever been to. A private room with a toilet cost about 11$ at the time of my trip, but the price might be higher now. The most comfortable bed, like you're sleeping on a fluffy cloud. Very clean, they cleaned the room and the toilet every morning. The family was very nice to me. I don't eat pork and they cooked special dishes for me. The hostel offers some Chinese cultural experiences. Wei is helpful, he will talk to you, show you the map and give you recommendations and tips.

Important Note:

There are dog meat markets in town, if you're sensitive to it, try to avoid going there. Ask your hotel/hostel to give you routes away from the markets.

Things to Do in Yangshuo:

1- Moon Hill: a gorgeous sight where you can hike, climb the rocks or bike. Admission fee: 9 CNY .

Moon Hill

2- Gold Water Cave: who doesn't like a mud bath, especially on a hot summer day? Unfortunately, the cave was over-crowded in August. Opening times: 9:00AM to 4:30 (last entry). The cave tour takes about 1 and half hours. Wear proper hiking shoes and take a swim suit and a towel with you. There are no toilets inside the cave, so before you enter make sure to use the toilet by the ticketing office. Admission fee: 90 CNY. Some travel agencies promise cheaper tickets. I don't know how honest those agencies are. I got my ticket from the ticket office in the cave. Also, be aware of scams. Some people will approach you and try to sell you over-priced tickets.

The entrance of the cave

3- Rent a Bike: bike by the river side and small villages.

4- The Light Show: a performance by Li River. Tickets are a bit pricey for budget travelers. The prices starts at 198, 238 and 480 CNY.

For more attractions in Yangshuo, please visit the link below: 

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangxi/yangshuo/

Eating in Yangshuo:

There are Western restaurants in the West Street area. You can eat locally in small restaurants or street food.

I was still recovering from food poising I got in Guilin, so I didn't take any risks, I had all my meals in the hostel.

Happy Travels!  

The Majestic Karst of Guilin, China

Guilin

Smart tourists in Hong Kong have two trips in one. Actually it's quite easy, all you have to do is get a visa and cross a bridge to China. Travel agents are in every corner of Hong Kong. Go to an agent, give them your passport, photos and money, of course. In about 48 hours your Chinese visa will be ready. If you're an American citizen your visa will cost about 200$.

Once you have the visa you can cross the border to Shenzhen, the process is easy and smooth. Our main destination was Guilin, and there were a few options to get there:

1- Flight: is the best option. It's a bit pricey for budget traveling, but believe me, it will save you a lot of trouble and time.

2- Rent a car and drive there.

3- Sleeping bus: if there are two words that meant hell on the road, this would be it. The trip takes about 14 hours and it was the worst 14 of my life. I'm 167cm and 57 kg, not big, right? I was huge for the sleeping “bed.” I had to bend my knees all the way. The blankets the bus driver provided smelled like a dead animal. I could feel the feet of the guy behind hitting my head. The worst part of the trip was the rest stop toilets, there were none. A hole in the ground, literally. No toilet papers, GROSS ALERT, poo was everywhere in the hole. Saving a few bucks isn't worth this trip, I learned the hard way.

Sleeping bus

Once you get to Guilin the beauty of the city will capture your heart.

Li River

Dozycat Hostel Review:

The owner and the staff are just lovely and kind. We arrived around 7am, hours before the check in time, and I was tired from not sleeping on the bus and I needed to use a decent toilet. The owner let me use the toilet, which was clean, and he let me sleep on the couch until the room was empty and cleaned. There are many cats and they were very social and friendly. The staff was very helpful. They let us borrow hats to protect us from the burning sun of summer, they helped us with recommendations and directions, they helped us to order food to the hostel. The room was comfy. The only thing I didn't like was the shared toilets. There were two toilets only. One of them was a squatting toilet which was hard to use and the second one had a western toilet seat. The Dozycat hostel was friendly, cozy, had a nice atmosphere and was very affordable. If you go to Guilin you should stay there.

Things to Do in Guilin:

1- The Elephant Hill and Surroundings: the rock looks like an elephant drinking from the river. You can hike to the Puxian Pagoda up the hill, and don't forget to stop by Water Moon Cave. Admission fee is 40RMB.

Elephant Hill

2- Caving: there are some caves in the area. If you like exploring underground, a visit to a cave would be the right thing for you.

3- Guilin Zoo: the zoo itself was sad. However, we went to the garden, which was pretty and on hot day sitting under a shady tree was ideal.

Loose Monkey at Guilin Zoo

4- Street Markets: just walking in a traditional street market is a fun experience. You don't have to buy anything, though shops owners will chase you to buy their stuff.

5- A Walk by the Lake: when the sun starts to set it's a perfect time to walk by the lake. Locals just go out, escape from the summer heat by jumping and swimming in the lake.

6- Pagodas: there are many pagodas in the city, go and explore them.

7- Floating on the Li River on a Bamboo Boat: you can't miss this experience, it was the highlight of our trip. The bamboo boat is the cheapest choice. It costs 180CNY, about 29$. The trip is from Guilin to Yangshuo. The cruise will take you to a different world, the karst standing high above the river.

For tourist information and attractions, please visit the link below:

http://www.visitguilin.org

Eating in Guilin:

I always recommend street food. It's delicious, cheap and fast. However, I'm not recommending it today. Eating in a small restaurant in China is very affordable. I got food poising from street food in Guilin, so I avoided it for the rest of the trip.

Important Notes:

1- Drink bottled water.

2- Shops will rip you off, so you need to haggle and haggle and haggle.

3- Public toilets are all squatters. 

Hong Kong the Cosmopolitan City

The best thing about Hong Kong is that you can spend whatever you want. You can sleep at the fanciest hotel which costs thousands of dollars per night, or you can sleep in the smallest room which costs less than 10$ per night. You can dine on a yacht or dine at street stalls. Everything is possible in Hong Kong.

The city is very international, mixed races, people of all religions, colors, languages, they all call the city home. Whatever your taste is, you'll find it there easily. English is spoken widely, so there's no language barrier.

Chungking Mansion Hostel Review:

As I said, you can get a room with any price. However, you have to choose well.

We stayed at Chungking Mansion hostel and it was absolutely the worst hostel I've been to. The room was about 10$, perfect for a budget, right? But believe me, I wish I had spent a little more to have a comfortable stay.

Let's start with the elevator. Usually elevators have weight limits. Not this one. People were packed inside like a sardine can. The up and down rides were very scary, it felt like it was going to hit the bottom every time.

The room itself was the tiniest room you could think of.  I couldn't stand up with my packback on the floor at the same time, there was no space. If you're claustrophobic, don't stay there. The room looked like a creepy X-ray room we see in horror movies, just before someone gets killed. The hostel was dirty, the sheets had some stains on them.

The location of the hostel was good, with a subway station nearby and a bus stop a few minutes from it. There were plenty of international restaurants within walking distance. The only good thing about the hostel is the location.

Things to Do in Hong Kong:

1- A Ferry Ride: it sounds simple, but on a summer night, a ferry ride is a perfect way to enjoy the evening breeze.

http://www.hongkongextras.com/harbourtours.html

2- The Ocean Park: it's an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and my favorite part was the cable car ride. The view was incredible. It's a bit expensive though, about 44 US dollars for an adult ticket.

http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/home/

Cable car ride at Ocean Park

3- Disneyland: whether you're traveling with children or on your own, a trip to Disneyland is always fun.

4- Victoria Park: take a relaxing walk by the lake.

For more things to do in Hong Kong, visit the link below:

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/

Eating in Hong Kong:

While Hong Kong has countless restaurants and you can find pretty much any type of food there, eating in a restaurant is a bit pricey. My advice for budget travelers is just to walk around and go to street markets and have street food. There are a lot of Indian food stalls that sell delicious food.

Happy Travels!

Five Tips For Budget Travel

Photo copyrighted to Ian Porell

I've been traveling on a budget for years now. I'm not a rich person, never was, but there are many ways to travel cheap and enjoy your trip to the fullest. In this post I'm sharing a few tips that helped me to not to break the bank while traveling.

1- Research Your Destination and Plan Your Time: when you're on a tight budget, you should research your destination well. It will save you money and time. For example, if you're going to travel across a country, research what the best transportation options are to take you from city A to city B.

Trains are usually faster than buses, but they cost more. In that case you need to plan out your time and see if you have extra hours to spare on the bus to save some cash.

2- National Tourism Websites: as I said before in a previous post, those websites are treasures. Sign up for their newsletters to get updates on the latest offers, events and vouchers. Many of those websites offer discounts for hotels, exhibits and museums.

3- Street Food: to get to know to any country better you need to eat its food. But, as we all know, eating in a restaurant is pricey. Just go to the street market and eat whatever looks good to you. Before you eat, look at the menus to know how much you will pay at the end of your meal. Also, if you have a weak stomach, ask the vendor if the food is spicy or not. Trust me on this one - street food is delicious. If you're worried about how clean street food is, just go to a mini supermarket and buy groceries like bread and cheese.

4- Avoid Peak Season: peak season is usually in summer or during holidays like Christmas. Be smart and plan your trip in spring, autumn or winter. In my experience, hotels in winter, late January and February, offer rooms for half the price. Take advantage of that.

5- Sharing Your Personal Space: whether you're a couchsurfer or a hostel guest, you have to be willing to share your personal space, like sleeping in a dormitory room or sleeping on someone's couch, and using a shared bathroom. For a lot of people it's not the most comfortable way to travel, but it saves some money.

I have an issue with sharing a bathroom with someone, so what I do is look for hostels that offer a private room with a bathroom. Or, look for hotels deals.

You can make friends with other guests in the hostel, go out with them and share a taxi.

Happy travels!