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.