Heading for the mountains
At around 10:30am, we woke up and then checked out. We had a train to Yangshuo to catch. Apparently this is one of the most beautiful places around here. On the way to the bus which would take us to the station, we stopped at a small place to have some breakfast. These were in the form of a hot fried chicken kebab/wrap, inside an omelette-like wrap. There was plenty of salad and sauces too. I couldn’t believe how nice and cheap it was, not to mention messy as hell! Mat made the mistake of only having 100 notes. The poor woman had to leave the shop to get change.
After this chunky breakfast, we caught the bus to the station. The train to Yangshuo departed at 13:43, so we made sure to have plenty of time as usual. On this train we were split up, so we went our separate ways. I was quite confused when I got on the train, because my carriage and seat number was the bottom bed of a 4 bed room. This train appeared to be only a sleeper train, so as time went on, people sat next to me on the bed. There was an adorable little baby in my compartment that was mesmerised by me. I could only chuckle!
Wonder and awe
The train to Yangshuo was only half an hour or so, pretty quick. As we approached Yangshuo, the scenery became unbelievable. When we disembarked the train, we met up, and we were both buzzing. One of the main reasons we came to China, was to see these exact mountains. We’d seen countless photos of them before, and now to see them all around us, it was a highlight of the trip so far. The train station is far out from Yangshuo itself, so you have to get a coach. You must go to a small building next to the train station to buy a ticket for the coach. It only costs ¥20 per person, so pretty cheap.
Once we got to Yangshuo, we were at the Fengming Tourist Transportation Centre. There was a shed load of buses parked up, and a building full of info about transport in the area. We needed to take a small bus to the town centre, but it took ages to arrive. Around 30 minutes or so. Initially, we didn’t know if the bus existed or stopped here. After a good wait, the 801 bus finally arrived and we hopped on. Just a measly ¥1! This took us through the town and to the main strip.
A dream come true
I can’t reiterate this enough. For years, Mat and I have seen photos of the mountains in Guilin, be it from photos or TV shows. Now they were in front of us, this was truly a special moment. The town was surrounded on all sides by these lone mountains. At any point in the town, could see at least 1 mountain. It was absolutely magical!
We took the long way to the hostel (by accident), this enabled us to walk to the river. From the balcony overlooking the river, we were able to see for miles, and all the mountains and countryside in between. When we did arrive at our hostel, which was a maze in the back streets, we just downed our gear and chilled for a bit. The hostel we’re staying at here is called Bella’s Inn. The room is pretty basic, the floor is concrete, but the beds are really nice. Check it out here if you want more info.
A different side of the town
When we finally decided to head out it was dark. If I didn’t know any different, I wouldn’t have said these two towns were the same. I couldn’t believe how much it changed after dark. The town became unbelievably touristy. There were so many people, so many lights, and so many restaurants that had people trying to drag you in off the street. It reminded me of being in Spain or the Canary Islands, where there are folks standing outside the restaurants and persuading them to eat at their place. I guess this happens when a place becomes so popular.
We ate at a place out on the street, making sure to not order too much. Otherwise we’d risk leaving loads or being full as hell, like normal. After the food, we took a long walk through every street and alley in the area. There were several bars around, with young ladies dancing awkwardly on tables, and people trying to sell toys or gimmicks in the street. After an hour or two of walking, I was pretty knackered, so we decided to call it a day. When we were back at base, we looked at activities for tomorrow. Both of us wanted to make the most of this magical land!
