Monday 29 October – Sue and I had always thought that New Zealand was the most beautiful country in the World with magnificent scenery and gorgeous deserted beaches. But Yangshou / Guilin is even more stunning with scenery that totally takes your breadth away.

Cycling and scenic drifting Yulong River – On Monday morning we cycled along the Yulong (Draggon River) before going scenic drifting on a bamboo raft, which was pushed along by one of the local villages in Gondolier type fashion.  It was so peaceful and the scenery was just unbelievable, with the beautifully shaped Karst hills (limestone hills) rising up on each side of the river.

Cuiping Hill – We then made the long climb to the top of Cuiping Hill which took 20 minutes, climbing up steep steps built by the local villagers. Our efforts were rewarded with amazing views of the Karst Hills, villages and the river a long way below.

Impression 3rd Sister Lu Musical and Light Show – This was by far the greatest show Sue and I have ever see, Over 500 villagers perform on rafts and floating platforms in the Li River with a backdrop of a dozen beautifully lit Karst hills.  It was like a scene out of the Avatar.  The setting, the music and lights combined with the water and magnificent scenery made it a totally magical evening and one that will forever stick in our minds.  You can get a feel for it by watching the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G94rHwWrZOY

Tuesday 30 October – We first watched one of the local villagers demonstrate how they used to fish using Cormorant birds, before going drifting down the Li River on a motorised bamboo raft.

Guilin – In late afternoon we arrived in Gulin a town of around 780,000 people. The city is known for being surrounded by a dramatic landscape of Karst hills and rivers.

At teh centre of Guilin are two lakes, Shanhu (Cedar) and Ronghu (Banyan), remaining from a medieval-era moat that once surrounded the city. Boats travel through these and other lakes via connected rivers.

In the evening the city centre really comes alive as they light up twin pagodas, called the Sun and Moon, which are located in the centre of one of the lakes, Elephant Trunk Hill and the the bridges and streets.  We went for a walk around 9pm, all the shops were open, there were lots of families out shopping, drinking and eating and the place had a really nice vibrant but family orientated feel to it.