The Longji Rice Terraces of Guilin

If I had a bucket list of things to see on our trip in Asia then a trip to an incredible rice terrace would be high on the list. We looked at our options and the place that jumped to the top of the list every time was of course Vietnam, Sapa. We researched it a lot and since we were going to Vietnam it was do-able but it seemed to be becoming quite touristy and we would only be able to visit during a big national holiday that would see all of Vietnam and China descend on the hills so we did a little more digging and discovered a rice terrace just outside Guilin. The Longji Rice Terraces.
Longji translates as ‘The Dragon’s Back’ and it’s easy to see how it got it’s name. This ribbons of rice paddies were built back in the 13th century and spread out for as long as the eye can see.
The trip was, like all other excursions in Guilin, expensive. It came to 22 pound. We could have done it using public transport ourselves but it would have taken over 11 hours with buses and treking. This wouldn’t have been too bad but due to our break due to food poisoning we didn’t have the time to stay there so our one day excursion would have to do.
We were put on one of the only trips which was only Chinese tourists. This meant we only understood about 2 percent of what was happening but there were so many kind and lovely Chinese people on the tour that used their English skills to help us. It was great to meet so many funny and kind people in China.
The rice paddies were spectacular. The bus to get there was …ummm windy and bumpy. By the time we got to the top half the bus was being sick into bags but it really was worth it for this view.
We spent hours wandering to the top. Taking in the sights and listening to the locals setting off their ceremonial fire crackers for the national holiday that was happening the next day. The sound of the fire crackers echoed around the hills and filled the air with the smell of a British bonfire night. My friend from Hong Kong explained why they use the firecrackers. Apparently incense is ghost food. The ancestors eat the incense people burn but demons try to take it. To stop this they set off the fire crackers to scare away the demons.
We reached the top and had a traditional lunch in a tiny village among the Zhoung people. Rice steamed in bamboo and smoked ‘meat’ . I couldn’t get any more information than ‘meat’ but some of it was hairy so it’s probably best not to know.
We meandered back down the hill side chatting to the locals and taking a silly amount of pictures.
It was a long day but something i’m really glad we did. It felt like being back at home in Wales. Stood in a huge Welsh valley while at the same time it felt a million worlds away.
On the way back to Guilin the 4 hour bus trip was broken up with a stop off in a Zhoung village. We were introduced to the locals who only cut their hair once in their lives when they turn 16. They unwrapped their hair for us which trailed far behind them. Effortlessly they span it up onto their heads. They only wash it once every two weeks in special oils and it is said that they never go grey. We saw some pretty old ladies and I definitely want what they were having because that hair was silky smooth.
The traditional village did lose a lot of its splendor when after the traditional singing we were brought to the ‘traditional’ zip line. I can’t imagine it was a feature of the ancient Zhoung people but it was great fun.
Seeing the Longji rice fields was great and It was something off our Asia bucket list. A wonderful way to spend a day in China. I will now appreciate the rice on my plate a hell of a lot more.

The Mountains of Guilin

Today was the day. Today was the day we got to see the Guilin mountains. Mountains that are so beautiful they adorn the Chinese 20 Yuan note.
This was one of the things I was looking forward to seeing  since i’ve become addicted to feets of nature since our trip to Taiwan’s Taroko Gorge. Guilin did not disappoint.
We set off on our trip and arrived in a small port surrounded by pushy , scary Chinese woman. If Lee hadn’t have been there I’d have been rolled into a ball screaming ‘stranger danger’. Scared enough to buy all their oranges and flower garlands but luckily he helped me stand my ground.
We carefully boarded our bamboo boat and set off. We moved through the mountains and mist almost becoming accustom to the view. It was awe inspiring and definitely worth the trip. We were a little unlucky with the weather but not even grey skies can detract from these views.
Our favourite part of the day was making our own names for each mountains. I don’t think they would have been appreciated by the Chinese though. ‘Sulky gorilla yawning’ mountain seems to lack the poetry that the Chinese provide for these hills.
The trip ended and we drove the rest of the way to Yangshuo where we instantly decided to stay for the night. This pretty little artsy town is  geared towards tourists but it feels very relaxed. Surrounded by the mountains and filled with good cheap food made it the perfect stop over. We stayed in the Green Forest Hostel’s Yangshuo branch, which was even better than the Guilin branch. I wish time would have allowed us to have spent a lot longer there but sadly two days was all we had time for.
Later in the day we dragged ourselves from the delicious street venders (spring rolls , i heart you) and headed on a river cruise to another smaller local village. This time we were taken by a real bamboo boat that was rowed for us instead of a motorised one like earlier in the day. We also got to experience a special showing of the Yangshuo fisher men. These men use birds to fish for them. It seems horribly cruel since a string is tied to the birds neck so he can’t swallow. Once he catches the fish the fisherman takes the food. At the end of the day the bird is rewarded with fish. I still question whether this is fair or not. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t even question going to see it when we bought the day trip ticket. I had seen it on a BBC documentary and surely nothing you see on the BBC can be bad?!? I did question the ethical nature of it though.It’s hard to question such an ancient art that takes years to master. There are only 5 men that still know how to fish like this so I don’t think it will last forever and to be honest I don’t know if this is sad or just. It’ll be sad for the local area when such an ancient culture disappears but then again…those poor birdies.
Once we started sailing the river cruise was perfect ..well it would have been perfect if we hadn’t have had a 18 year old idiot driving us. This boy thought it was his personal mission to talk and yell at every other boat on the river. The beauty and peace is a little ruined when your driver is wolf whistling and spitting everywhere….but we still managed to enjoy it.
I think everyone who goes to Guilin is already sure they will take the trip down the river but a stay in Yangshuo and the additional cruise (which cost us about 12 pound) is something we’d recommend. If you are going to travel all that way, it makes sense to see as much of the place as you can.  And what a place it is.
A last word of warning would be that Yangshuo is a beautiful place but as soono as it gets dark this place becomes a crazy nightclub town so make sure your hostel is well away from the party street…and have a good time.

Things to see in Guilin

As our train pulled up to Guilin the mist parted to revel the towering mountains around us. Our first impression was Guilin was that it was all we had heard about and more. We had a week to enjoy our time here and we wanted to try everything Guilin had to offer the only problem was we were still suffering from the dreaded food poisoning we had caught in The Philippines. Our bodies were rebelling and we were fighting against our tummies to have a nice time.
We luckily had a beautiful room in the ‘Green Forest Hostel’ that let us rest up in a nice environment or as nice as a place can be when your body is trying to attack you. Unfortunately one of these rest days was Lee’s birthday. The poor guy had to spend his 30th curled up in a ball watching Sopranos with the rain pelting down outside. As birthdays go, it wasn’t the best. Like a trooper he pretended to like the crappy signs I made him and pretended the card I’d carried with me from Korea was special. He also received a voucher for a suit once we arrive in Vietnam (I feel to help lower the price of this suit I should also get lots of lovely clothes made…it would be rude not to after all).
After a ruined  birthday we had to bite the bullet and decided to head to the hospital. After a very quick, efficient visit and 36 pound later we were loaded up with all the pills China had to offer.They took effect after about 24 hours and we could finally explore. The city of Guilin is quite bustling. Set among the beautiful mountain islands this little city is a great place to wander around. There is the famous sun and moon pagodas to see in both the light and dark and the large delicious night markets that fill a large area of Guilin. We also discovered a small traditional street filled with street food and bakery’s that had our tummies rumbling for the first time in weeks and this time for the right reasons.
The only thing that was annoying about Guilin was the price of all the attractions. I stupidly thought that it would be free to see the famous rocks listed in the guide books such as Elephant Hill, but you had to pay to get in to every area. There is luckily always an opening on the river bank for a sneaky photo but it was never quite the same. It was about 7 pound for each attraction which was a little out of our budget. We picked a trip down the river to Yangsheo and a trip to the rice terraces and even that was pushing our budget to it’s limits.
The night market was our spot for every evening. Greasy noodles and Taiwanese breakfast pancakes. We wandered the streets daring to try foods with our delicate bellies and seeing the Guilin people go about their day. Guilin was a much nicer place to be than Guangzhou. People smiled and were helpful in shops. We always received a friendly smile when attempting to speak our broken Cantonese.
The day trips were the definite highlight of our trip to Guilin but the sheer amount of photos I took requires a special post and maybe an AA group dedicated to a shutterbug addicts.