isteacher. : Guilin

With winter vacation here, you'd think I'd be on the road for as long as possible.

Alas, I am not 26 anymore, and the need to save money for visas and a return to Canada tops any need to get on a plane or a train, especially in winter.

However, with 7 weeks off of work, and Yen gone from mid Feb-mid April, we did want to do something in China. We opted for Guilin, a scenic and VERY touristed city in northern Guangxi. It is also the coolest thing I have done so far in the PRC, though when you consider that the only other places I have been are Guangzhou, which is big city China at its finest, and Nanning, a city that is so bland and unremarkable that it could advertise that as a reason to visit, it isn't as though there is a lot of competition. Still, the fact that Guilin is on the 20rmb bill and is a top 10 destination in any Chinese travel guide, I think my opinion that it is spectacular holds some merit.

We left Nanning on the bullet train to Guilin station. There were three classes of trains heading north. Cheap and 16 hours, less cheap and 6 hours, cheap by Canadian standards and 2.5 hours. We opted for number 3. In fact, this whole trip was done first class. We spent around 4500rmb, which is 900Cad or 730USD/3700PHP/780000krw, on a trip that others have done for $250, but we didn't care. It is the only thing we are doing this winter. Anyway, the train ride is fairly bland until about Luizhou, a city that seems to be nothing but smoke stacks, but then the ride gets good. The views from the train, even at 200kph, are spectacular. Then we arrived at Guilin. Leaving the train station it looks like any other Chinese city. Grey. But of course train stations are always located in the best parts of town aren't they? A quick cab ride and we were at Lijiang Lakeview Hotel. I'd paid the extra $15 for a lake view, which was well worth it when you realize that the hotel is basically a hollow 20 story square, with the other rooms face toward the interior, which means you are left with a view of a 20 story echo chamber.

The hotel was okay but this is not the first time I've been burned by Chinese 4 and 5 star. It happened in Guangzhou as well last January. The only other expensive hotel I have stayed in in China was a Crowne Plaza, also in Guangzhou, which WAS 4 star. Rooms were great, but non-smoking was clearly seen as a suggestion, and the walls were paper thin, which is a problem in a land of people who think nothing of shouting at each other and in to their phones at 1am. It also boasted a "western buffet breakfast" - always a danger in the PRC. However, the staff could not have been more friendly, and they helped us to organize a Li river tour, and pointed out where the local Starbucks was if we wanted a real western breakfast. And so a Pesto panini and venti coffee it was.

Immediately after check in we went around the corner to the pedestrian street. Every city in China seems to have one of these. An old street with shops and restaurants. Nanning does, and it is actually kinda cool, though by ancient I think they mean 1987. This one actually, at least feels, as though it is older, and it does date from the Qing, so it is a couple hundred years anyway. We found a noodle bar with craft beer. It was then off to the pagodas and lake across from our hotel. It was actually a great place to hang out. We walked most of it, taking a lot of pictures and enjoying the views.

The next day we had an early start. We were heading to the Li river to take a boat cruise to view the karst mountains and a hike through caves formed in said mountains. We booked the hotels bus, which was more expensive than the tourist buses, but when you saw the hordes piling in to them, and realize that with the other couple cancelling we had this van to ourselves, I was okay with spending the extra couple hundred rmb ($40 Cad). The river cruise was simply amazing. Yen kept on comparing it to our trip to Halong Bay, in Vietnam, where we took a boat ride through a bay full of karst mountains and hiked through caves in said mountains. In both cases it was winter. She enjoyed the Li river but preferred Halong bay. I'm not sure I agree. Halong Bay was spectacular, but the Li river has created a canyon that reminded me more of Taroko Gorge in Taiwan. When the winter turned them all in to mist covered mountains it became fairly spectacular. In fact, I am surprised that I had never heard of Guilin before I came to China, it could compete with Halong Bay or Taroko Gorge. We spent a few hours on the river before getting back to the "meeting area" and hopping back in the van to the caves.

The caves were decidedly touristy (so was the Li river if I'm being honest, but it was so beautiful it didn't matter). The caves had been opened up and a very safe walking path had been put in for us. It was cool, but after the Li river it was the silver medal of the trip. I love mountains, I love climbing them, looking at them, even living on them. But I like them more from the outside. I am sure a geologist would have had a field day in these caves, but to me one stalagmite looks much like another. It is neat to see, but a four km cave is overkill. However, it was well worth it as part of a Li river trip, and I would recommend it to anyone lucky enough to be in Guangxi's north.

We got back around 6 (only 10 hours after we left). We opted for a Chinese dinner and, when the neighbours finally allowed, bed.

The next day we opted to sleep in a bit and head to Starbucks for breakfast. It was then off to the Qixing scenic area. We had looked at doing the Longsheng rice terraces, but that was another day in a van, and after Banaue I feel like am spoiled on mountain rice terraces, so we opted for a day in the city's scenic area. It was alright, though not as exciting as the day before. Firstly because it had dropped from 14 degrees to 6 and was raining on and off. Also, well it just wasn't that amazing. It was a nice park area that I'd be happy to visit if I lived there. It has trees, monkeys, a waterfall, and several monuments......but it certainly wasn't the Li river. However, it did give us a chance to walk and see a bit of Guilin, so worth it in that respect.

We ended the night at an Irish bar. Yen's steak was by far the best steak I have had in China. Low bar I admit, but if 'd bought that steak at a Denny's I'd be very happy with it. My chicken club sandwich was good too. Plus San Miguel and Tiger on tap, and Tsingtao under the import section. Much though I do like Guilin, the ONLY beer for sale is Li Quan, the local formaldehyde and barley brew. Even Tsingtao is an import and not available anywhere except bars. But it was here, in an Irish pub, on tap. Nanning manages the Queen's Head, Guilin gets Green Garden Irish Pub.

In fact I start comparing Nanning to Guilin in any way and I start to see why Nanning has the stronger alcohol. Guilin was, and is, a reason to visit China. It is an amazing place, and well worth the trip. There is so much to do in China, and it is so big, bureaucratic, and expensive that it isn't possible to do it all. I've accepted that with our savings goals I won't get to see as much of China as I could otherwise do, but I am grateful to be able to see at least a bit of it. Guilin has been the singular highlight of my, admittedly limited, experience in the PRC.