New lodgings
We got up relatively early (for us), and had a quick breakfast on the streets. Just some small noodles and snacks. We decided to go for a cheaper hostel in the area, so we went to check in. The directions to get to the hostel weren’t as clear cut as we’d hoped. Somehow, we ended up in a derelict block of flats. Reminded me of a block of flats from Chernobyl. After taking several wrong turns and exploring dodgy areas, we moved up the street and found the correct alleyway. The hostel was called the Ladder Inn. Probably because the steps to get there are so damn steep. For more info on the Ladder Inn, click here. The beds were very nice, there’s a fantastic view of Yangshuo from the roof, and there’s tons of amenities such as a kitchen.
Anyway, we dropped our bags off at the hostel, and then went to hire a couple of bicycles for the day. We thought the best way to see Yangshuo would be cycling through the countryside. After hiring the bikes, we made sure they were pumped up and in good shape. It was really good to be on a bike again. I cycled a lot at home, including to work, so it was nice to have the feeling again. Always wear a helmet! It’s also awesome using bikes because you just get so much further than walking, in such little time. The guy at the shop also gave us a map of places to go, as well as pointing out the best routes to take.
Pedals at the ready
It was absolutely baking in Yangshuo today. The temperature must have been 35-40 degrees Celsius. The pair of us set off on our grand adventure, with me as chief navigator. When travelling on the roads of Asia, you may as well adopt the same crazy ass attitude that other road users have. This doesn’t mean cutting everyone up or zigzagging in the road (although some do).
It wasn’t long until we’d put the town behind us, and the immense beauty of the landscape was in front of us. The entire landscape was quite open, so we could see for miles. There were single mountains scattered all over the place. To us, it felt as though we were in a mystical land that we never thought would exist. Yangshuo really was the gem we’d been looking for. While en route to our destination, we cycled through many rustic villages. It was great to experience these villages and how life was in the country, instead of cities.
The map was wrong, I swear!
For the most part the route was straight forward. A long, winding road through villages and countryside. However, somewhere we’d not taken a slip road. As we came to a junction, we realised we’d gone off course. We took a look at the map, and decided on taking a detour instead of turning back. Eventually we got to the small village at the Yulong Bridge, which was a very touristy attraction. We locked our bikes up and found a place on the river for lunch. The noodles and vegetables that we ordered were so delicious. These meals seem so basic, but they’re beaut! I also had an ice cold mango smoothie, it was lush in the hot weather.
As time was ticking on, and we had to give the bikes in by 6pm, we made a move. We decided to cycle South, on the opposite side of the river we’d come from. On the map, we saw a tourist landmark called the Moon Hill. Both of us had seen it in photos, so we wanted to check it out. On the way there, we took more than a couple wrong turns. These ones were quite far, and required us to turn back. On the flip side, we did manage to see more villages and the surround terrain, so not all bad! As a bit of fun, we also had a race of sorts with some girls on their scooters. To prove our strength, we managed to fly past them on our bikes. This got me quite pumped up, and the momentum definitely helped get up some of the hills.
Return to renter
Eventually we arrived at Moon Hill. To see it up close, you had to pay to get in or for a tour guide. We could see part of it from the car park. Since we didn’t have enough time, nor did we want to spend the money, we just had an ice cream. Once we’d polished the ice cream off, we made a start on our return to the bike shop in Yangshuo. I don’t know how many miles we’d done, but it was quite a lot. With the addition of the baking Sun, needless to say I was pretty exhausted. Eventually though, we made it back into town and in time. We returned the bikes and retrieved our deposit.
Our plan included going straight to the hostel for a bit of a rest! It’s always such a nice feeling to lie down on a bed after a long day of physical activities. After we had freshened up, we headed out for some food. It was very difficult to choose what to have, and we ended up walking through all the busy streets again. Eventually we settled on a pizza placed. It was pretty nice to be fair, and reasonably priced. A decent end to an awesome day.
